If anyone has some step by step instructions on how to make a wrapping motor / drying motor / light duty lathe out of an old sewing machine, I would LOVE to get my hands on them so I can build one and post some pics and diagrams of the process for the archives. I am working on some cheap but easy wrapping set-ups as well with parts list and approximate costs of parts.

email me direct if you are so inclined.

dsrtegl2004atearthlinkdotnet

Derek

Should never have waited so long to get a digital camera.

Hi Derek,
I added a sewing machine motor to a wooden rod jig that my dad built for me.
When I get my garage back ( I do my building in there ) as it is full of my house
stuff ( carpet layers coming and they don't move furniture! ) I would be happy to
email a photo or two. In the mean time, You might find a similar jig by doing a
search on @#$%& for the "master thread wrapper". My Dad used the photo of it
to build the one he sent me. All I did was mount the motor to a piece of metal
and screw the metal to an old coffee table and set the jig on the table. Kinda
crude and I need to improve the design but it does the job. At this point I will
most likely buy a completed model instead. Also, I have seen a web site where
you can buy a motor, foot pedal, power-head, rollers, and other componants
for building you own power wrapper. I'll see if I have it book marked and if so
I'll send you a link.

Good Luck

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

That would be a help. I can get old sewing machines from a local source as cheap as $5 if the belt is broken (an easy fix), and I want a variable spped motor for a variety uf uses as detailed in an earlier post.

I know about carpet layers....When I had mine put in they did not even vacuum up their mess and really banged up my freshly painted walls so keep an eye on them.

Derek

What you're going to get out of a sewing maching that will build into a rod wrapping machine just isn't much. It's like trying to build a car from a tire. You're going to need a lot more. (I do think an old tredle from an antique sewing unit would make a neat apparatus for turning the headstock, however.)

It won't help immediately, but in the very next issue of RodMaker we've got an article on how one guy made a truly beautiful and upscale rod wrapper/lathe from mostly scrapyard parts. It's just as nice, if not more so, than any commercial unit on the market. Look for it in August.

..........................

I was afraid that the concensus wouldbe along those line Tom.....But....Since I have it laying around collecting dust I thought I would try to do something with. Those old tredles are pretty neat. I have seen them turned into lathes, and used to rotate a potters wheel.

It may just be a flea market corded power drill for me afterall.

Thanks Guys!

Derek