Gonna have to have a serious talk..............

[harry strasil]

with my brain. Its hallucinating, again.

was pming with Alan D and I just thought of this idea.

Get an old used cheap bicycle. cut off the front fork and tubing, remove the tire from the back wheel, put the back wheel on backwards so the chain is on the opposite side. Change the pedals and sprocket to the opposite side. Mount an 8 inch or so stone to the adjustable seat post with a shaft a couple of bearings and a small pulley. Put a thin V-Belt to power it around the back wheel sans tire. make a mount to get the thing up off the floor so the wheel and pedals clear. Set on a chair or stool and pedal the thing to turn the stone at whatever speed you want. Should be a sharpening station dream. Especially with that new norton wheel that grinds and polishes at the same time.

Too soon old, too late smart :rolleyes:

[Alan DuBoff]

Uh oh, got you to thinking...;-)

Recentely, a friend agreed to sell this lathe and scroll saw combo unit to me. I don't have it yet though, waiting for him to pack it up.

http://www.owwm.com/PhotoIndex/Images/4982-B.jpg

The scroll saw mounts on the right side of the base, and I think it might require a length of stock on the lathe to operate the scroll saw, not certain yet. Here's one that is assembled properly.

http://www.owwm.com/PhotoIndex/Images/4637-A.jpg

I know quite a few friends that have built tredle lathes out of old tredle sewing machines, but the tredle typically has problems holding up. After people beef them up, they do work though.

The Barnes machines had pedals on them, with a seat, and I consider those to be a much better design, and think the pedals are much easier for most folks, rather than the tredle. However, Barnes never had the combo units with both lathe and scroll saw, AFAIK, but only sold single function units. They did have both lathes and scroll saws, and a local Bay Area Galoot has one such scroll saw. The same guy has a lathe that is made out of a sewing machines which works well.

Here's one such lathe:

http://www.owwm.com/PhotoIndex/Images/4641-A.jpg

This pic (same I sent you in PM) shows the pedal system with the sprocket and chain, very much like a bicycle. I have to imagine that the bicycle was the inspiration behind the Barnes possibly.

I think a chair would function, as long as it was stable while you pedal, so I would think you could just eliminate the bicycle, steal the sprocket and chain, and fix mount a chair to a base to create a similar powered grinder.

Having a grinder that is powered by feet is actually a better idea than the hand grinder that require one hand to turn the wheel, and the other to hold the tool being sharpened. A pedal system would allow both hands to be free and to hold and work the tool.

I think it totally makes sense.

What started these ideas was a pedal grinder with a 22" wheel (those old big honkin' wheels) that was made by Shapleigh. It's in Kansas and the owner only wants $49 for buy it now on ebay. I'll add the image here, I think I can do that per the TOS as long as it's not linked to, but Dave please feel free to get rid of the image here if that is not ok, hope I don't get slap'd for this, it's not a link.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e273/highplains1/9-17-06%20PICK%20UP%20ONLY%20ITEMS/32-SPLAPIEGHPEDALGRINDSTONE-1.jpg

Unfortunately the center of the wheel is in need of repair/replacement, and can't be used the way it is. But at $49.99 BIN, and a "make offer" button, someone might be able to pick it up for even cheaper than it's listed for. If you're interested, the ebay number is 120035687045.

I think someone could fix that with some epoxy and/or similar, or fab a plate for both side to secure the wheel to the shaft.

A way cool grinder, IMO, at such a low price. Shapleigh is great equipment, and this is a very unusual tool for the, I've never seen anything like that from Shapleigh/Diamond. The plate says "Norvell-Shapleigh Hdw Co." and is also labeled Diamond Edge.

This must mean that this tool was made before Keen-Kutter acquired Shapleigh and/or the Diamond Edge name(s). But that is just speculation.

[Jake Darvall]

I quite like that big pedal grinder. I saw a version of one at a local auction recently.....Though similar to Harrys idea....ie. modern bike pedal chain and seat....but it had a small 6" sized wheel around where the handle bars are.

Seemed like a great idea. May be a good idea to buy one now while there cheap, before the oil runs out.....:D

[Pierluigi Zezza]

Hello all,

I usually just lurk here but this topic is one I couldn't pass on: I registered.
I just happen to be an amateur bicycle mechanic as well as an amateur woodorker (not strictly hand tooled).
Another of my interests is local etnography and traditional crafts.
I write from Italy and what you just conceived is quite like a sharpener's bike.
It was both a mean of transportation (sharpening was a travelling craft) and a shop.
Just one of the many work-bike of the first half of 20th century.
(see here: http://www.valenzapo.com/pascoli/bicicletta/mestieri.htm)

You can find some picture here (arrotino means sharpener):
http://images.google.it/images?q=bicicletta+arrotino

probably the best among the hits is:
http://www.venafro.info/index.php?showimage=58

I Hope the links were interesting to you.

--
Ciao
Pierluigi

[Brett Baldwin]

I remember one of those big sharpening wheels sitting in my grandparents yard when I was a kid. I'm sure many axes and knives were sharpened on that stone. It is long gone now.:(

Those are interesting pictures Pierluigi. I like seeing those jobs that people used to do that just aren't done anymore.

[Mike Cutler]

It's a neat idea Harry, but here are a few bugs. Leave the pedals and drive train alone. If you reverse the wheel the derailleur will be non functional.You would be pushing the chain through the rear derailluer, and not pulling it through. Just tack weld the cassette, and turn the bike into a single speed.
It will also have to be a pretty old bike for everything to line up properly. Oh heck,,, just find an old Track bike and and you don't have to change anything.

Now if you can find an old Funturi indoor bike exercise machine. It's all set up for you. The wheel is also 2" wide,and perfectly flat. It also has a lot of rotational mass to it.

Sharp chisels, and tree trunk thighs..... You'll be ready for the Velodrome at Lehigh in no time.:D

[Frank Fusco]

There are millions of those laying in weeds on farms all over the country. Pity, they are going to waste.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

I still see a few guys here in Japan with those bikes, some of them have the stone where the basket would be, and they have a second chain, that hooks up to the front sprocket (they just lift off the normal chain, and put the sharpening chain on). Others I see have the sharpener on the back, behind the seat, to use this one, they turn the seat backwards and pedal backwards. These guys also use normal water stones to do the job.

I'll see if I can find a pic.

Cheers!

[jeremy levine]

You could even cover the rear wheel in leather and make a strope :D