Turning Wheels on the Shop Smith

While looking for an idler pulley for a floppy chain run on a bicycle project, all I could find were pulleys that cost more than I wanted to put into the project.  I shared this with a few competent students and one said "Just slap a skateboard wheel into a three jawed chuck and have at it with a chisel."

It took me a decade, but I finally did it last week.

Dad has a Shop Smith and has used it on all kinds of projects through the years.  I think he even used it to make the wooden pistol and rifle I have handed down to my boys.

Dad's Dad had one of the earliest Shop Smiths.  Mom's Dad had one from Great Grandpa that he gave to me one summer in the early 90's.  It was great to me until it broke a belt and I took two years to replace it.  Once I opened it up to fix it, I got a fascinating lesson in a continuously variable transmission that I also experienced on my Honda Ruckus.

So I ran a bolt through the center of the roller blade wheels I had, chucked it into the chuck, and cranked up the speed until it sounded right.

45 seconds later I had a complete idler pulley.  It only took me a decade to do it.