Repurposing a washing machine transmission

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I have a washing machine transmission. It's heavy: built like a tank. It has an input shaft that takes one way rotary motion and reduces the speed and converts that to a different kind of rotary motion that goes one way then reverses itself with no meaningful dwell period.

It's a really strong assembly so it can drive a heavy load against lots of resistance. But it's not fast enough to use as a shaker driver for separating soil from rocks on a screen.

I can't think what to do with it.
It looks so very useful (you gotta know this feeling) that I can't bring myself to toss it.

What shop tool, what machine can take advantage of this sort of reversing rotary motion.

[Steven DeMars]

A tumbler like polisher . . .

Steve:)

[Richard M. Wolfe]

Paint mixer?

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Tumbler and mixer are Both very good.
The motion is appropriate
I hadn't thought of them

The only use I'd come up with was to drive some king of reciprocating saw up and down like some version of a scroll saw only very heavy and very big as in re-sawing logs and such. It'd be very slow and the machine would consume a lot of shop space for only one purpose.


I googled and googled and got nothing.
I wonder if kids use that as an excuse for not handing in homework.
"There was nothing on the internet to rip off so I didn't do the assignment."

[Mike Lipke]

Cradle rocker,
Hammock swinger
Rocking chair rocker.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
Sounds like a sort of walking beam w/out the beam.
There's plenty of ways to convert that to either rotary or linear motion.

[Nick Abbott]

I plan to (in the next winters months) replace my aging Band Saw. My current Band Saw I will convert to a dedicated metal cutting machine. To do this I will have to slow the blade down considerably, A blade speed of 100 to 300 feet per minute should do nicely. A slow down somewhere in the 50-1 range. I could do this by adding a couple of extra large and small pulleys, a second belt and a jack shaft, A mechanism similar to what a Drill Press uses. Or what I think may be a simpler route would be scavenging a DC motor out of an old exercise treadmill with it's variable speed control circuit board and replacing the Band Saw's motor with the Treadmill's variable speed motor.

Does this washing machine transmission also run in one direction only? Could it be modified to do so? How much speed reduction does it actually have?

[Jerry Bruette]

A co-worker repurposed a wash machine tranny into a double headed can crusher, to use at deer camp. I haven't seen it in action but it sure sounds interesting

Jerry

[Paul Ryan]

Id use it to make a goose decoy. Use the trans to power wings, when the geese see the decoy you will have happy hunting.

[Art Mulder]

I googled and googled and got nothing.

Have a look at Make magazine (http://www.makezine.com/) if you have some time. Maybe you'll get some ideas...

best,
...art

[Michael Weber]

Handy for theater sets. Used one to move a small band stage in and out during local performances of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" many years ago.

[harry strasil]

would make a good oscillator for a belt or drum sander.

[Bill White]

Why not make a WASHING MACHINE. :p
Bill

[John Callahan]

You need to talk to one of these guys...................:rolleyes:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/44/The_Red_Green_Show.jpg

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

would make a good oscillator for a belt or drum sander.


Hmmm. I have often wondered how that action is achieved.
I think it might be easier to use a little swing link for that small amount of motion. This thing rotates about 3/4 of a turn or more and back again

[Dale Lesak]

Used to help my dad repair them a long time ago. Don't know what kind you have but some had a shaft that went up to the wringer that turned in one direction only and makes a good pulling winch. Can be made to go both ways with a reversible motor. the other output ran the adgator sp which was a back and forth motion. that worked good for a saw drive. had one hooked up to a bucking saw for cutting logs. cut lots of logs but wasn't fast. Dale :confused:

[Ed Sallee]

How about a beer can crushing machine (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8ZQhvUMe7c)!

[Daniel Shnitka]

I have seen this used in overhead fan in upscale with 3-5 palm shaped fans conected to one another with nicely turned fitted brass rod and moveable joints. Slow lazy back and forth movement

[Paul Atkins]

Make a cradle for your router and put it on your lathe tool rest for an ornamental turning center.

[Jim Heffner]

It would seem like a lot of work to me but....I guess it can be done, several ideas have been tossed out here. I ran across an article in a book or magazine can't remember which right now, some guy had a washing machine transmission,mounted it between two sections of a heavy duty
truck frame rails and made a horizontal metal cutting bandsaw and it worked! I don't know if I want to spend that much time and money on ...but it still looked interesting all the while.

[Myk Rian]

Use it to turn a Santa Clause, a ghost or spook, or something for whatever holiday you want to celebrate in the front yard .

[John Callahan]

Think outside the shop- think garden and build yourself a screener. I'll be
first in line to borrow it. Been planting the veggie garden and now I know why there a a couple of gravel pits located nearby.



http://www.agenity.com/sitemanager/uploads/content/191//topsoil-screens-500(1).jpg