Need ideas for ~2 quart size tumbler container for lathe

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martik777

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Sometimes I need to clean a part with sand or gravel like a vibratory tumbler. I was thinking of attaching a metal or even hard plastic sealable container to the chuck on slow backgear to do the same thing.
Any ideas?
 
Easy.

Make "adaptors"

Imagine a lid to a pot.

The id of one side fits the container.

The other side, the handle part has a diameter that the chuck can grab and a second on has a center for the tailstock to support.

If you use something like the plastic folgers coffee can then make a couple disks that fit over the ends.

Simple.

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ABS (black) sewer pipe is nice and thick, so even if you didn’t want to use the threaded end caps which can be pricey it’s thick enough to support screws for a simple wooden disc end plug. Plus I think the thicker wall might be better for sound dampening. The skateboard or roller blade wheels are great idea to support the dead end of the canister — I’ve found them pretty cheap thrift stores or sports malls.
 
Honestly, I’d be more inclined to use the lathe for making a purpose built machine. The thought of sand or gravel that near my lathe bed is a little troubling.

Not that it would happen but if it did the cleanup wouldn’t be fun….

John
 
matthewsx said:
Honestly, I’d be more inclined to use the lathe for making a purpose built machine. The thought of sand or gravel that near my lathe bed is a little troubling.

Not that it would happen but if it did the cleanup wouldn’t be fun….

John
Click to expand...
I quite agree!
 
Thanks for the great ideas. Container will be sealed so no sand/water will fall on the lathe.
 
My Father-In-Law does that for cleaning his reloading brass. Has a 1 gallon plastic bottle, supported by the chuck and tailstock. There's 3 dowels, equally spaced, to trip and tumble the media, sticking out top and bottom, and epoxied in place.
 
There are rubber plugs like engine freeze out plus available with a wing nut to tighten in the end s of the PVC. I made one out of 3 inch for my mother to tumble stones, but it had lumber rollout rollers and I forget how I drove it.
 
I just bought one of the hobby style rock tumblers. Pretty cheap and built for purpose.

Side bonus is I can run it any time needed without tying up another machine.

might be a little expensive for something with 2 quart capacity though.
 
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