Scratchbuilding a conveyor belt...

Anonymous

Member since
April 2003
305,205 posts

Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, October 30, 2003 2:22 PM

I am looking at scratchbuilding a conveyor belt to be used with my log dump cars and a scratchbuilt saw mill that I am currently working on. Does anyone have any ideas as to what I can use for a conveyor belt? I have a motor from an old CD-Rom drive that I am going to use to turn the belt.

Thanks,

Mark B

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jprampolla

Member since
December 2014
From: Pennsylvania
105 posts

Posted by jprampolla on Monday, November 3, 2003 8:12 AM

Hi Mark,

I have been having a problem with my e-mail and my ISP. I sent you a reply by e-mail similar to what is below, but perhaps you haven't received my reply.

My thoughts a few years ago using a conveyor belt was for animating skiing figures, but I never followed through on the idea. I considered using a cotton twill tape used for basic home sewing or tailoring, the tape being sometimes about an inch wide, sewn together as the belt, and wooden dowels as pulleys, one pulley being driven by a low rpm motor, to put it briefly. (The heavy lead figures were to be sewn to the fabric so they would make the turn over the pulleys.) Some type of cloth fabric for the belt can be used, perhaps denim (like the fabric blue jeans are made of) and sewn to any width or length, and the denim could be lightly painted any color if necessary. If you have a family member who sews, you might be able to get a few scraps of any similar weight fabric and give it a test. The reason I liked wooden dowels for pulleys, about the diameter of a broom stick, was because wood can be easily drilled and large metal washers can be glued to the sides to prevent the belt from slipping off, and the bare wood can grip the belt a little to prevent slipping. The fabric will stretch when wet, so you would install the belt while damp and when it dries it should remain under enough tension for the pulley which is driven by the motor to move the belt. These projects always take a little tinkering. This type of homemade dowel and washer pulley I use with an animated crocodile, so I know that part of the idea is successful. I know the idea of fabric as the belt might seem a little odd, but it is worth a try. Most of the fun with these projects comes from the trial and error process!

I would use a low rpm gearhead motor, perhaps about 30 rpm, but that would need to be determined based on the size of the pulley. Check the "All Electronics" web site,
www.allelectronics.com, for their selection of motors and other supplies. They also have gears, narrow cog belts, wheels, and other things to get your imagination going.

If I had done a conveyor belt project I would have all the answers, but now this is just an idea on the drawing board, so there may be a few bugs to iron out.

Good luck!

Take care, Joe.