From: muratlanne@gmail.com   
      
   "Richard Smith"  wrote in message news:m134f1egx2.fsf@void.com...   
      
   Gerry  writes:   
   ....   
   > On Sun, 23 Mar 2025 18:13:23 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"   
   >  wrote:   
   ....   
      
   At 0655 I'm here at my table thinking of ways to have the drum spin /   
   turn.   
   Reckon it's going to be about 60RPM.   
      
   It's likely going to have to be very improvised.   
   Thanks for the encouraging comment to say there must be a way.   
      
   Regards,   
   Rich S   
   ---------------------------------------   
      
   Perhaps you could suspend the drum from two (used?) automotive serpentine   
   belts driven by the upper shaft. The motor drive on my lathe has a vee   
   pulley and belt on the motor driving a large flat pulley, the friction of   
   the softer inner rubber is enough without side walls. A vee belt normally   
   grips because when bent the inner rubber is forced to expands against the   
   pulley walls by the inelastic fibers in the outer part.   
      
   Serpentine belts also have softer rubber on the inside. Rubber alone without   
   fiber reinforcement gives jerky start-stop motion.   
      
   The weight of the drum might give enough friction on the upper shaft to   
   drive the belt. If not the shaft could be roughened or the belt pressed   
   tighter with an idler or a heavy rod on top. I turned pulley grooves to   
   match a serpentine belt with a 40 degree angled cutting bit.   
      
   More than one turn of rope on the drum will walk sideways. Multiple turns of   
   string is simpler than a long splice though maybe not better. It does wrap   
   around a small drive shaft more closely. It can be made stickier with rubber   
   cement. Friction tape on the small shaft might last long enough for   
   experiments   
      
   I think I'd grind the torch-cut rod ends smoother and bolt the strakes on at   
   their ends to make them easy to swap. Using angle iron would reduce the   
   strain on the screws by widening their base and eliminate tapping the   
   strakes. Screws alone protruding in a little more than the rod radius might   
   lift the rods while leaving the rocks at the bottom.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)