Automated my Freechex III

[altheating]

I finally finished my automated arbor press for making gas checks with a Freechex III. Works like a charm. YouTube video coming as soon as it uploads.

Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlHzI-fkuKU&feature=youtu.be

[minmax]

Great work! Now send the plans to China so we all can have one.:razz:

[tjones]

Very clever. But first impression was, "what on earth" this is unbelievable.

[Taylor]

Cool!!!:bigsmyl2:

[flyingmonkey35]

I keep seeing a broken hand when the rocker comes down.

[Ben]

I watched the video.
I think I'll stay with the manual arbor press system.
That plastic cam looks to me like a " hand wrecker ".

Ben

[slim1836]

Nice job, it continues to amaze me what members here accomplish. Thanks.

Slim

[altheating]

Its far enough away that my hand doesn't hit it. You can stop the cam by hand. The shaft that goes into the cam is actually slip fit so it will spin free instead of binding up the motor or damaging anything. I will eventually make a linkage system to run the ram when my son designs it for me on the computer. If I were to do it over I would have mounted the motor 2" back farther which would have moved the cam back farther. It works as is, I did over 7000 checks this afternoon.

[xman777]

Tie that handle down with a bungie to prevent all that slamming. Otherwise I think it rocks.

[altheating]

Thats tomorrow's project. I have some medical tube I'm going to try. Great minds think alike.

[dragon813gt]

I'd like to have a foot pedal activating it. There is a reason machines have guards and redundant safeties built into them. The ingenuity is great. But not having any control of the motion is a way to get hurt.

[xman777]

I'd like to have a foot pedal activating it. There is a reason machines have guards and redundant safeties built into them. The ingenuity is great. But not having any control of the motion is a way to get hurt.

All machines start without safeties. Its hard to add a safety feature without testing the mechanics. I'm sure he'll get there.

[dragon813gt]

All machines start without safeties. Its hard to add a safety feature without testing the mechanics. I'm sure he'll get there.

Maybe I see things from a different mechanical point of view. Having the motor operate only after some sort of user activation would have been my first thought. I had my hand pinched between a pulley and belt once. Not something I wish to repeat.

[xman777]

It is that difference that we all share here that actually makes this place worth frequenting. Not saying you're wrong, rather I'll assume he's contemplating his own safety.
Thanks for sharing about the belt. I realize that kind of thing happens, I build fully automated systems for a living. We almost always add safeties after realizing the risks involved in operation. Some are designed in, but most come after some use. Its kind of the carriage before the horse.
I'm also willing to bet the op was just so excited to see this working that he was ready to post and share.

[altheating]

I'm looking for a sewing machine foot pedal that will be rewired for a on/off switch.

[altheating]

Excited, yea, I punched out 1000 checks before I realized it was working.

[JeffinNZ]

Gold. Absolute gold.

And still some folk want to cut a disc and form it in a separate operation. They don't know what they're missing.

[Bored1]

That is nice! A sewing machine pedal would work great I would think!

[altheating]

Today I put the guard in front of the cam and added the rubber band to stop the slamming of the handle. Works even better without the slamming going on. Had to make a notch on the end of the handle to keep the rubber band in place. With the guard in place I can keep OSHA away. Now my hand can't get near the cam either. All is good. Still need the sewing machine foot pedal.
Anyone have a old sewing machine foot pedal they want to dispose of?

[xacex]

Got a link to the motor you used? Post up some pictures of the guard too if you would be so kind.

[JeffinNZ]

The only way you could make that even MORE cool would be to run it on a steam engine!

[labradigger1]

Very nice indeed. I love diy projects.

[Handloader109]

Go to McMaster Carr or grainger (for that matter eBay may have one) and get a foot control. Pretty cheap last time I bought one. Use for a drill press. I like it. Safeties come after testing and design is fixed guys, not first. What the heck, we shoot guns, and a lot of folks say that is dangerous :-)

[Handloader109]

Altheat, you have a pm

[flyingmonkey35]

Love the idea of a sewing machine pedal

BTW very nice

[abqcaster]

http://www.harborfreight.com/momentary-power-foot-switch-96619.html

[altheating]

Going to trade Handloader109 some gas checks for a momentary foot pedal.
A friend is making me a custom anvil for the arbor press that will accept the different size bases of the 5 different caliber Freechex III tools I have. Having each hole drilled into the anvil specifically to the right depth and diameter to will make changing calibers much faster. That way I don't have to change the cam shape. It will also keep the tools perfectly straight with the ram. Vopie, I need more Lithoplate!

[Retumbo]

Its amazing what you can do with these freechex, there is no equal

[wistlepig1]

Great idea and I can see how you would have a 1K chex before you new it was working. Good job!

[LuckyDog]

Need any help with designing the automatic strip feeder? :redneck:

[Black Powder Bill]

Great machine!

[Vopie]

Frit, I'll try to stop and pick some up this week. I think there's a foot pedal in the garage, take a look when ya in town.

[HollowPoint]

Well done sir. I love this kind of stuff. I call it, "The Genius Of The Common Man."

I'll see if I can adapt this to work with some AirGun Pellet Swaging Dies I recently made up. I'd love to be able to swage my 22 caliber air gun pellets as quickly as you can stamp out those gas checks.

HollowPoint

[ubetcha]

Need a video of the new and improved design

[500MAG]

I'll mail you my arbor press. What would you charge to rig it up? Lol

[Handloader109]

Well, I Love trades. Seems like the foot switch works well for altheating, and the checks he sent in exchange works perfectly on my two 22 boolits:bigsmyl2:

134360

[Ausglock]

Got a link to the motor you used? Post up some pictures of the guard too if you would be so kind.
Yeah. I'd like to know too. Very nice unit.

[tjones]

Any other calibers? tj

[KAYDADOG]

If you were to invest in a pneumatic Rapid-Air strip feeder with Mr. Yonky's aluminum coil rolls you could just sit back and watch it run. I'm using these items on a 3/ton OBI fully automated press. Only air required for strip feeder. An actuating arm mounted to press cycles feeder on down stroke. Stroke length is set and it's always the same.

Now I know why companies use them, they flawlessly work. Made up a small fixture to hold the 10"-12" diameter coil roll which is mounted on pillow blocks with a spring tensioned arm to keep coil from unraveling. Once loaded up, press cycle start and relax.

Currently using commercial dies for the blanking and cupping operations. Still don't have a 100% reliable blank loader. Very difficult to strip off and transfer small diameter thin gauge blanks reliable to the cupping die. Have another alternative design but no time to spend on machining. If no jams occurred the press could easily do 1200-1500 finished gas checks an hour and they all are consistently the same. Most important the sizes match what I'm casting. Fit on perfectly and seat/crimp on perfectly, they don't come off unless you pry them off.

With a two step setup, it's very easy to make any custom size gas-check required. It takes a little longer but how many thousands of gas-checks can one use in a year with maybe a days time involved.

Machining a one step die to work with my current setup may be a future project but not for now.
There's never enough time.

[altheating]

Since I'm using free Lithoplate I'll stick with my one step system. I can't see buying aluminum strip when Lithoplate is FREE. My system works well with 22 cal, 243/6mm, 357, 44 and 45 cal FreechexIII. When I get back I'll get the model of the motor for you guys.

[Just Duke]

If you were to invest in a pneumatic Rapid-Air strip feeder with Mr. Yonky's aluminum coil rolls you could just sit back and watch it run. I'm using these items on a 3/ton OBI fully automated press. Only air required for strip feeder. An actuating arm mounted to press cycles feeder on down stroke. Stroke length is set and it's always the same.

Now I know why companies use them, they flawlessly work. Made up a small fixture to hold the 10"-12" diameter coil roll which is mounted on pillow blocks with a spring tensioned arm to keep coil from unraveling. Once loaded up, press cycle start and relax.

Currently using commercial dies for the blanking and cupping operations. Still don't have a 100% reliable blank loader. Very difficult to strip off and transfer small diameter thin gauge blanks reliable to the cupping die. Have another alternative design but no time to spend on machining. If no jams occurred the press could easily do 1200-1500 finished gas checks an hour and they all are consistently the same. Most important the sizes match what I'm casting. Fit on perfectly and seat/crimp on perfectly, they don't come off unless you pry them off.

With a two step setup, it's very easy to make any custom size gas-check required. It takes a little longer but how many thousands of gas-checks can one use in a year with maybe a days time involved.

Machining a one step die to work with my current setup may be a future project but not for now.
There's never enough time.

Interesting for sure.

http://www.production-resources.com/air-feeds/

[tjones]

This seems like a great starting point for some younger fellows wanting to start and grow their own business. Gripping and controlling the strips of metal seem addressed and solved by this machine. Great post duke! tj

[yonky]

Any chance of posting a video of the updated model please?

[Dragonheart]

I thought Lithoplate was a thin material, like .008", so how is it going to lock on?

[Sonnypie]

I get a kick out of the catchy rhythm...
Duke,ba-da duke,ba-da duke,ba-da duke,ba-da duke,ba-da duke,ba-da duke,ba-da duke,ba-da duke,ba-da duke,ba-da duke,ba-da duke,ba-da duke,ba-da duke,ba-da duke,ba-da duke,ba-da duke,ba-da duke,ba-da duke...

Where there is a will, there is a tinkerer to make it better...