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Making a Slat mill

Discussion in 'Products & Equipment' started by Buck E. Owens, May 8, 2009.

  1. Buck E. Owens

    Buck E. Owens Banned

    Someone asked(PMed) me about making a slat-mill today. They are building one and that's awesome! That got me thinking?
    1) I don't have one! and
    2) I could Build One too

    They wanted to know what could be used to make the 4 main wheels on the Slat mill.

    I was thinking, I could use these....[​IMG]
    And mill the Right Side "Lip" of the wheel down , and vise-versa for the other side. Then make a second pair or wheels for the rear of the mill.
    [​IMG]

    Just a smaller version of what it is now(a garage door counterbalance ) "or what ever you call them. a garage door set up"
    [​IMG]
    they move freely! And seem doable for long use over years.
    Also I wanted that hard plastic or oak for the runners.

    Where would you get the belt material tho is my issue?

    You could get A-Bec 5 bearings and roller blade wheels in bulk build two in-case you smash the CR@P out of the 1st one for not working right! :D But if i had to order extra i would so you have the same kind for spare parts. Just if they deside to discontinue with what you bought!


    the reason i think this would work alright is, they are already paired up with fitting round stock, bearings, and main 4 roller wheels needed, pretty much complete. just have to shorten the set up, and make the frame and enough roller blade wheels the length of your dogs stride +1' or so. 15'' wide would be ideal for small or large sized animals.

    So I was looking for input on Belt Material!!

    Also how the slats are connected to the belt **eg. Self tappers or Screw-head bolts?

    The Length of a good slat mill?

    Spacing between the slats, for safety to reduce accidental paw injury.?

    Any tips you might have for some one to build one of these slat mills!



    Thanks Buck :cool:

    And Buddy who asked i'm sure he has some questions too of his own but this it what i recomended using!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 8, 2009
  2. slim12

    slim12 Super Moderator Staff Member

    I think we are both somewhat the 'home-made equipment type'. The garage door wheels for the mains may work. I had never thought about using them, or that type of wheel. I have made two attempts on slat mills. The first was a huge pile of crap. The second was much better but still not what I wanted.
    I used what some call 100mph go-kart wheels. They are two piece wheels so you only need two to make four end wheels. They come with two center bearings that are extremely free so you can run an axle type shaft between the two.
    I also used ABEC wheels and I ordered in bulk off of EBAY. I think miine were 7's with 58MM wheels.
    Mine didn't work as well as I had hoped but where i messed up is the wheel to slat ratio. My slats could roll off one wheel, dip and then ride up on the next wheel. Called slat-rocking. The peak of each wheel should support each slat as it passes by. I spaced mine an 1/8 apart. I used oak slats on the first one and pine on the second. I found some belting material in the old shop and have no idea where it came from or what it was originally used for, some sort of conveyor I think.
    It is not an impossible task but the wheels and the belt have to be perfect. Any little difference creates both trackiing issues and drag.
    I sold mne to a guy more skilled than myself and he turned it into a nice mill. So I guess i was in the ball park with the parts just a little off with the construction. good luck. Post some pics. S.
     
  3. I would personally use lightweight 2 piece go cart rims (6 inch)...they're cheap enough. As far as slat spacing, 1/8 inch would do. if you beveled the edges of the slats, you will limit "pinch issues". you could attach the slats using pop rivets or counter sunk bolts. go cart rims are tapered towards the inside, so as long as you don't have too much thread sticking out, you should be fine. the smaller the inline wheels, the better. bigger ones leave too much gap, causing the belt to bind. my mill uses 12 inch slats, which are more than enough, unless you has bullies :D. my bully/amstaff male runs with enough room on the 12 inch runners but 15 would be prefered. gamebred dogs need no more than 12 inch slats...i thought i needed wider slats until i got my mill but all worked out fine for my dogs. 54" to 60" length will accomodate most breeds. I ended up buying a dogtrotter mill (gambler) and love it! i would like to build my own one day as they are pricey. the biggest issue i had was the belt too. i love the composite slats that the dogtrotter uses...never worrying about rotting,cracking or splintering. if you had the equipment to make beveled composite slatting....it would be a breeze. wood will work fine as it has been tried and proven for years I just prefer the plastic. PM me if you need any tips as i have a "prototype" to refer too. i had a really hard time getting any plans for these mills online, so i just took the easy route and bought one. if i had the equipment, i could easily build a high quality mill for less than $500. hope this helps some.:)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 8, 2009
  4. Buck E. Owens

    Buck E. Owens Banned

    So would skate board wheels be better than inline skate wheels? seeing as they are lower?

    Conveyor belt is probable the best eh . its designed to handle that type of work.
    great ideas guys
     
  5. PurePit19

    PurePit19 CH Dog

    Go to home depot, and look at their wheel selection. I have a home made mill (not made by Me) and the guy said he got his wheels from homedepot.
     
  6. slim12

    slim12 Super Moderator Staff Member

    the inline skate wheels will be much better. the skateboard/roller skate wheels are flat and the slat will run on app. 1 1/4 of skate wheel surface. the rollerblade/inline skate wheel comes to more of an edge, thus only having about 3/16 to 1/4 inch of rolling surface. blade wheels will give a lot less drag. Some have even used the old steel skate wheels. sort of loud but can be bought fairly cheap.
    s.



     
  7. ^^^ that's right. less surface= more free spinning and speed. only if I had a bigger breed such as an american bulldog would I use roller skate wheels.
     
  8. JBlazeRx7

    JBlazeRx7 Top Dog

    Well I do have some pics i got off line.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    I hope the owners don't mind if I post these pics :o!


    Hey Buck your ideas are right on the money. I have some spots i need to check out and see what they have. If i could get this together my boy is AWSOME with the welder and could build his ass off!
     
  9. JBlazeRx7

    JBlazeRx7 Top Dog

    Hey Smith's Bulldog's you got any pics?<TABLE cellSpacing=6 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2></TD><TD noWrap><SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_330061", true); </SCRIPT>
    </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
     
  10. JBlazeRx7

    JBlazeRx7 Top Dog

    I'm leaning toward a wheel with a wide roll surface. With a ABEC rated type bearing. Hmm what you think Buck?

    [​IMG]

    [SIZE=+1]What Are ABEC Bearings? [/SIZE]

    <TABLE width="95%" align=center><TBODY><TR><TD>[SIZE=-1]The ABEC scale is a system for rating the manufacturing tolerances of precision bearings. The system was developed by the Annular Bearing Engineering Committee or Council (ABEC) of the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA). The American Bearing Manufacturers Association was formerly known as the Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association. [/SIZE]

    [SIZE=-1]<TABLE width="85%" align=center><TBODY><TR><TD>[SIZE=-1][FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1]What Does ABEC Mean? [/SIZE]
    The ABEC scale is a system for rating the manufacturing tolerances of precision bearings. The system was developed by the Annular Bearing Engineering Committee or Council (ABEC) of the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA). The American Bearing Manufacturers Association was formerly known as the Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association.

    Bearings rated under the ABEC system are typically called "precision bearings", and they are rated with a number from 1 to 9, with the higher number assigned to bearings manufactured against a higher standard of precision (high number = tighter tolerances = more expensive bearing).

    [FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1]What Does Tolerance Mean? [/SIZE]

    Tolerance is the amount of variation from an absolute exact measurement that is permitted during the manufacturing process.

    [FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica][SIZE=-1]Other Bearing Rating Systems [/SIZE][/FONT]
    ABEC is only one system for rating bearing tolerances. The International Standards Organization (ISO) and the German National Standards Organization (DIN) use similar scales to rate the precision of bearings. In the ISO and DIN systems, a smaller number means a tighter tolerance and a larger number means a looser tolerance. This is just the opposite of the ABEC system. See the following table for equivalents.

    <TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD>[SIZE=-1]ABEC SYSTEM [/SIZE]</TD><TD width=20>

    </TD><TD>[SIZE=-1]ISO SYSTEM [/SIZE]</TD><TD width=20>

    </TD><TD>[SIZE=-1]DIN SYSTEM [/SIZE]</TD></TR><TR><TD>[SIZE=-1]ABEC 1 [/SIZE]</TD><TD width=20>

    </TD><TD>[SIZE=-1]Normal [/SIZE]</TD><TD width=20>

    </TD><TD>[SIZE=-1]P0 [/SIZE]</TD></TR><TR><TD>[SIZE=-1]ABEC 3 [/SIZE]</TD><TD width=20>

    </TD><TD>[SIZE=-1]Class 6 [/SIZE]</TD><TD width=20>

    </TD><TD>[SIZE=-1]P6 [/SIZE]</TD><TR><TD>[SIZE=-1]ABEC 5 [/SIZE]</TD><TD width=20>

    </TD><TD>[SIZE=-1]Class 5 [/SIZE]</TD><TD width=20>

    </TD><TD>[SIZE=-1]P5 [/SIZE]</TD></TR><TR><TD>[SIZE=-1]ABEC 7 [/SIZE]</TD><TD width=20>

    </TD><TD>[SIZE=-1]Class 4 [/SIZE]</TD><TD width=20>

    </TD><TD>[SIZE=-1]P4 [/SIZE]</TD></TR><TR><TD>[SIZE=-1]ABEC 9 [/SIZE]</TD><TD width=20>

    </TD><TD>[SIZE=-1]Class 2 [/SIZE]</TD><TD width=20>

    </TD><TD>[SIZE=-1]P2 [/SIZE]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

    [/SIZE][/FONT]
    </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>[/FONT][/SIZE]
    </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
     
  11. JBlazeRx7

    JBlazeRx7 Top Dog

    Would sure be great to find out where these bad boys come from?:o

    Hey Buck don't get me wrong I like ur thinking Lol it's just these are really nice!;)

    [​IMG]
     
  12. Rocko

    Rocko Big Dog

    WOW that last pick is amazing....and reall expencive looking lol

    Im not sure what the belt are usually made of to hold the slats but just wondering becouse I had to look for one for my emill. What about replacement belts for a emill to hold the slats? you can find them in all sizes..dunno just a idea
     
    Swisher likes this.
  13. JBlazeRx7

    JBlazeRx7 Top Dog

    Yea i am looking as to where i could find them. Maybe like at a conveyer belt manufacture or something.:confused:

    I see Dogtrotter has them for sale tho.
     
  14. I'll take some pics over the weekend of the construction. I'll PM you those. I don't wanna piss the man off. Bob's a cool dude, we talked bulldogs a bit. He does great work, that's for sure. I am going to build a bigger one for my AST/Bully male like 15inch by 60 but I don't think I'd wanna start a business selling them. You can build your own for half that price but you'd have to sell them double to make it worth your while and pay for equipment cost. I have access to a migwelder and cutting tools. The slats is what is the biggest pain in the ass, unless of course you had either a milling machine or serious table router. I can weld and fabricate myself been doing it for years. I also know where to get every part used to make one like this.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 8, 2009
  15. Rocko

    Rocko Big Dog

    If your talking about the emill belts just google treadmill belt or a particuliar model and a bunch of sites should pull up...maybe ebay too
     
  16. those slats are hand cut and milled. that stuff online is made to transport soda bottles and shit. lol
     
  17. JBlazeRx7

    JBlazeRx7 Top Dog

    I just got an idea what if I use the hose that firemen use as the belt. This would make keeping the slat on track without binding. It would have something like a 1/4" height on it for some sort of lip. Hmmm!:confused:
     
  18. chbk

    chbk Big Dog

    THAT
    IS GO KART WHEEL ,AXEL ,AND BRAKE SYSTEM. FOR THE DOGTROTTER http://dogtrotter.net/
     
  19. chbk

    chbk Big Dog

  20. Buck E. Owens

    Buck E. Owens Banned



    they look like the things they use to spin big rolls of paper in factory's!
     

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