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#26 2025-09-01 13:36:41
- Calliban
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- From: Northern England, UK
- Registered: 2019-08-18
- Posts: 4,173
Re: Misc. Home Projects
I have attached the rope drive to both pulleys. The machine is now fully finished. I will put some additional pictures on tomorrow. Unfortunately, adding the rope has added a lot of friction to the device. I don't think it will work that well until the trees are gone.
"Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the things we fear than to analyse every possible obstacle and begin nothing. Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers."
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#27 2025-09-02 03:53:52
- Calliban
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- Registered: 2019-08-18
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Re: Misc. Home Projects
The completed machine with rope drive attached.
Last edited by Calliban (2025-09-02 03:56:44)
"Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the things we fear than to analyse every possible obstacle and begin nothing. Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers."
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#28 2025-09-02 08:14:35
- Calliban
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- Registered: 2019-08-18
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Re: Misc. Home Projects
For Calliban re completed machine! https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 41#p234041
Congratulations on carrying this project from start to finish, and for sharing your vision and progress with this community, and with the larger readership of the forum we cannot measure but hope exists.
A detail that might of of interest to those who work a bit with rope, is how you achieved the splice to pass smoothly over the pulleys. The traditional method of intertwined lines takes some time, but the long splice can pass through a pulley.
Here is a YouTube video Google found, showing the construction of a long splice. Mark the braider shows how to use a special tool designed for the purpose. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QA5NW6SQOk
The video is for our readers, of course, with the thought you might have done something similar.
(th)
The rope I used was 6mm polypropylene. I joined the two ends by melting them together and then compressing the joint with pliers to get it the same diameter as the rope. I kept melting and compressing until I was satisfied that the two ends were fully bonded. The result looks a bit messy, but is strong enough for what I need and doesn't seem to have problems with the pulley.
Polypropylene is strong and cheap; I was able to buy 30m for just a few $ on amazon. The only problem is that it has low surface energy and cannot be glued. It is also difficult to tie to itself. But it melts at 120°C which is achievable with a lighter.
Last edited by Calliban (2025-09-02 08:17:44)
"Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the things we fear than to analyse every possible obstacle and begin nothing. Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers."
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#29 2025-09-02 13:59:58
- Calliban
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- From: Northern England, UK
- Registered: 2019-08-18
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Re: Misc. Home Projects
For Calliban re rope fusion join ... https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 47#p234047
Congratulations on making that work!
I noticed the rope looked as though it might have plastic material... That should handle moisture well. However, I didn't think of heat binding and appreciate your telling us of your success with that method.
If you'll indulge a further inquiry ... are you planning to put rollers where the rope appears to rub against the platform at the top of the tower, under the mill?
(th)
I had bought some rollers from Temu. However, when I fitted them to the table where the rope is seen to rub, they produced a lot of noise and friction in operation. Oil and grease didn't seem to help, so I removed them. This evening, I installed some brass rollers from an old set of windows that my father had dismantled. These are about 100 years old, but work better than the Chinese imports made in 2025.
I also took your advice and added an idler wheel, as the rope was too loose to grip the pulley under a strong wind. Tomorrow the forecast for my location shows a 20mph westerly wind. This shoukd be sufficient to power the windmill even with the trees attenuating the wind. Once the trees are gone, the wind should be sufficient to drive the machine most days. I could add another set of blades to the rotor to increase the torque generated in a given wind. But I would rather not, as weight is already significant and adding blades is a lot of work.
Last edited by Calliban (2025-09-02 14:01:54)
"Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the things we fear than to analyse every possible obstacle and begin nothing. Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers."
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#30 2025-09-03 05:38:15
- Calliban
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- Registered: 2019-08-18
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Re: Misc. Home Projects
Last night we had a storm that damaged the windmill. It actually ripped one of the spindles out of the nacelle. Of the many ways that this machine could fail, this was one that I never expected. I need to bring the rotor down to repair it. That means putting scaffold back up. Doh!
"Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the things we fear than to analyse every possible obstacle and begin nothing. Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers."
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#31 2025-09-03 16:25:02
- SpaceNut
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Re: Misc. Home Projects
saddened to hear your hard work has broken due to mother nature...
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#32 Yesterday 01:46:52
- Calliban
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- From: Northern England, UK
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Re: Misc. Home Projects
saddened to hear your hard work has broken due to mother nature...
It is a setback, but not a disaster. This afternoon I will put scaffolding up around the tower and bring the rotor down. Now that the rotor is able to transmit power via the rope drive, I no longer need the compartment in the nacelle. So I intend to run a threaded rod all the way through it. I also intend to bolt the bearings onto the rod, as epoxy resin isn't strong enough. I am considering adding some additional blades to the rotor in order to increase the torque. But I am away for work for quite a while now, so that may need to wait until around Christmas time.
"Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the things we fear than to analyse every possible obstacle and begin nothing. Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers."
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#33 Yesterday 15:25:28
- Calliban
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- From: Northern England, UK
- Registered: 2019-08-18
- Posts: 4,173
Re: Misc. Home Projects
The rotor is safely back on the ground. I am going to begin upgrades tomorrow after work.
"Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the things we fear than to analyse every possible obstacle and begin nothing. Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers."
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