And we wonder why their are all the OSHA and other safety features making most tools more unsafe. if you are not coordinated enough or scared of something leave it alone! mother nature has a way of eliminating the lame ones.
Since it's direct, drive I'm curious about how far it runs on after the power is off. All the gear motors I have seen run on for a little while, depending on the load.
dont have photos right now.. but I am powering my harbor freight bead roller with a harbor freight electric winch...
i didnt "power" mine, but i did make it easier to work with one hand and also be closer to the business end of the roller as well... here is a "tech" i did a few years ago here on the board showing how i beefed mine up and added the horizontal wheel to turn the roller. the wheel is a little different now, and i've cleaned the frame up some since also, but it gives an idea at any rate.
I used a12v HF winch (powered by a jump start pack) and mounted the 1 1/4" bore sprocket on the cable spool after turning the diameter down slightly. The disengage feature is handy if you come up to a tight corner, you can just let it freewheel and turn it with a handwheel. I welded a 3/4" socket to an old steering wheel that slips over a 3/4" hex bolted to the lower shaft. The hand controls converts easily to a foot pedal, picture isn't mine but looks exactly the same.
I just powered one using a 1/2 in reversible air drill and 2 ford flex plates and 2 starter gears to slow it down. Used a foot pedal from a harbor freight planishing hammer to start and stop
The Jalopy Journal
