The design and efficiencies of your system really appeals to the manufacturing engineer in me. I can see where some cost can be cut, especially if motor and some frame components are made from recycled stuff but yours really has a professional look. Nice work!
After viewing your version, I built one very similar and it works very good. I used a rock tumbler barrel with stainless steel pins from a rock tumbling supply and used a 1/4 hp motor salvaged from a theater upgrade. I used 2" pulley on the motor and 9" on a 1/2" rod driving the tumbler. That combination gave me 30 rpm. I simply used fuel line hose on the 1/2" rods to drive the tumbler. My frame for all the parts is fabricated in wood (very cheap). I consider the wood frame a prototype that I will translate to metal later. I tumble 4-5 lbs at a time.
Dude you win. That is absolutely the best homemade tumbler I have seen. Its also better then any manufactured tumbler I've seen. Super job and really quiet. Kudos
I agree about the Thumbler tumbler. I bought one recently, and it is made with very thin sheet metal. The shafts that the barrel rides on are too small and the bearings are nylon! The amount of brass you can put in the tumbler is not much once you put 8 pounds of water and 5 pounds of ss pins in the barrel. It does a good job of cleaning the brass, but I agree that it won't last long.
Mark! Excellent Job! I have been looking for the right design and yours is it. I have copied it and made my own version. Mine has a wood frame, chain drive with sprockets and a programmed switch. Thank you for giving more details in the comments. The tumbling container was the priciest part, but well worth it. I also used skateboard wheels, but glued stainless steel shaft collars in place. The holes in the wheels are for the Allen key to tighten the set screw. This is a continuing evolution as I tweak the design to reduce the foot print. Thanks again for posting your project. I will post my version to You Tube also. Regards, JFCisme
Great job , I just have one question , where did you purchase the plastic drum that holds the brass . I live in Australia and they may ship to my country . Thanks Alan
@@MFRshooter I just checked your website out and gotta say the new tumbler you have on there is impressive. Very high quality. Ill be ordering one very soon. Congratulations on your endeavor and I wish you many more years of continued growth and success. I think its pretty damn cool that this video was the start of your business. I love hearing stories about how different businesses and products came to life. Some of the best products and biggest companies in the world have stories from their humble beginnings such as yours.👍
basically what im trying to track down is what common often thrown out cheap device has a very good motor not overkill? People also have to realize that for rock tumbling power is part of the equation since they must run a month per batch 24/7.. That tumbler is the best on the planet earth I assure you but also people must realize that to hire a machinist to make one will be in the many hundreds of dollars. Parts--labour--and some profit put the machine in the video at about a thousand dollars to engineer and make unless a person puts zero value on their labor.
For a possible cheap drive motor source, you might have some luck pulling the fan drive motor off an old furnace with a belt drive squirrel cage fan. Check with any Hvac company that installs furnaces or Steel recycling companies, as most of the time the fan drive motors on the old furnaces still work and are just thrown away. You will need to look at the RPM stamp on the motor plate to see if it will fit your application. You can adjust RPM's a bit with different pulley diameters. Good Luck! :-)
This is really nice heavy duty tumbler, nice craftsmanship, but judging by few parts you listed and I looked up drum cost (it's expensive!) this must have cost you pretty penny. This is what's stopping me from going this route - the lack of heavy duty affordable drum. Nicely done though.
Question Mark. I've assembled all the parts for my tumbler build, including the same electric motor you used. I'm balking at wiring up this thing because of the red, white and black wires. I know nothing about wiring and I've searched the internet without finding any solid information on how this thing is hooked up, so if you would be so kind, clue me in. Again, beautiful build, and thanks for your help.
I have been working on a new design of tumbler that I will be building to sell. Should have it on You-tube in about 6-weeks. If you think this tumbler is good just wait for what's coming. I developed a tumbling drum that I am getting patented and the mold is being built now. The tumbler in this video is now for sale for $450.
I am rebuilding a thumblers using the stuff from it however I want to make more and have access to machines as a retired machinist. My question is do common motors such as from a mixer or other devices have the same rpm because of the 60 cycle current? Or if I start grabbing and robbing motors will I end up with random rpm where I cannot easily figure pulley sizes?..
How are the roller wheels attached to the shafts? It looks like they may be pressed onto the aluminum sleeves, correct? Also, how did you bond the plastic wheels to the aluminum sleeves? Looks good!
Two Questions - Why the belt on the opposite side from the motor drive, and what length stainless pins do you use? It certainly looks good and very heavy duty! Thanks for the video!
You have a very well built tumbler. Do you by change have plans down on paper for people who are willing to pay for your plans. Would love to build one.
Hi, where did you purchase the agitator drum/barrel? What are they called in english? Thanks for sharing your nice build, it looks even greater than mine ;)
The TL-4 barrel which is 2.5gal costs $168, plus shipping and tax. The larger TL-6 barrel which holds 8 gal is $257. That's more expensive than the Frankford Arsenal tumbler which includes everything and a large capacity tumbler. Nice setup you have but I have a feeling you paid more to build one than a fully built one would cost. As an idea, you should replace that manual ON/OFF switch with a manual or digital timer. Set it and forget it. cmtopline.com/collections/tumbling-barrels/products/tl-4
I purchase the motor (new condition) on eBay for $43.00 including shipping. The motor is a GE, 5KCP39KG 1/8hp, 115V, 700RPM. This motor is used in fans (air moving applications), so it needs to have air moving over it during operation or it gets hot. I have a small fan blowing on it when I have the tumbler running.
MFRshooter The motor I will find, but do you still have your original dimensions (HxWxD) for all pieces? Also, what are the placement points for your roller rods (center to center) plus height from table surface. I want to make one exactly like yours. It may cost a bit to build, but there will be definite saving in the cleaning media.
I am wondering if you would sell one, if so what would be the cost, how long would it take to get one? Most of those people that are watching this video don't have the means to machine product like aluminum.
+jamie maurer Jamie, I do make and sell a tumbler that has higher capacity than the first project I built. I have two models you can buy on my web store casetumbling.com
Instead of a switch, you could have used a timer. That way you could have set the timer and left and not had to deal with the sound of the cases bouncing around.
I ended up wiring both the red AND the black wires from the motor to the hot wire, and the white common wire on the motor to the white common wire from the house wiring and it worked. Just wanted to follow up for those who have questions on their own builds. Good luck.
I agree with this wiring approach. I purchased a 700RPM motor from Amazon and it had a unique 115VAC plug (it cannot be plugged into a standard house receptacle) that neither I nor a professional electric supply house could identify nor provide alternate wiring instructions. I then took the motor to a specially motor supply house and they said to cut the plug off and wire both the Black and Red motor leads together then connect them to the house 120VAC black wire and then connect the White motor lead to the common house electric wire. One thing though: the motor I purchased from Amazon was designed to be used in an HVAC application where it would power an air fan. During the course of operation, the fan would push air directly across the motor then out to the duct. The motor requires the fan to first push air across the motor body in order to keep the motor housing cool. Without this air flow, the motor housing will overheat. So a word of caution: I don't know if the motor that Mark used on his design is for a similar application as the one I purchased, but if it is, then it must have some kind of external cooling air passed across it, i.e. you have to have a small table top fan pointed at the motor and blowing air across the motor body. Marks video does not show this so I can't say that he needs it but if you purchase a motor similar to the one I did (and it seems that this is the only design available in the 700RPM capability), then you're going to have to consider using an external fan to keep the motor cool and operating properly. Good luck.
Hi Mark.. That is a nice tumbler. Would you sell me one? I am reloading 50BMG and need something heavy duty. I've seen good ones but they are in the $700 range. Let me know if you would built and sell me one...
Jose, I am getting into the tumbler business to build heavy duty tumblers. I should have a production model out in a few months, so I am thinking of selling my first build (the one shown in the video). For this tumbler I would have to get $450 plus shipping. Included would be the tumbler and drum (no pins). call me if your interested cell 248-802-2546.
I purchased one a few months back. This tumbler is the real deal don't waste your money on a lesser product. Watch the videos on his site. As soon as you take it out of the box you will see what I mean.. Happy Thanksgiving..
I purchased my tumbling barrel at (C&M Topline) below is link to there web site. The barrel model I used is the TL-4. www.candmtopline.com/tumbling_barrels.html
that was great i am making a tumbler to . i had a hell of a time figuring out pulley size and motor speed i found the best. freeee calculator at www.blocklayer.com and it is great. pass it on to ever one who can use it.. dave in canada
By far the best DIY tumbler on tube. TU. Expensive drum.
That is probably the best looking tumbler that I have ever seen, commercial or otherwise.
The design and efficiencies of your system really appeals to the manufacturing engineer in me. I can see where some cost can be cut, especially if motor and some frame components are made from recycled stuff but yours really has a professional look. Nice work!
Being a tool & die maker for the past 40 yrs I appreciate sound engineering. Kudos! I can't wait to see the new one you're building.
Mark, your tumbler is a thing of beauty. Form and function. Maybe some day you'll post directions on parts and building...?
After viewing your version, I built one very similar and it works very good. I used a rock tumbler barrel with stainless steel pins from a rock tumbling supply and used a 1/4 hp motor salvaged from a theater upgrade. I used 2" pulley on the motor and 9" on a 1/2" rod driving the tumbler. That combination gave me 30 rpm. I simply used fuel line hose on the 1/2" rods to drive the tumbler. My frame for all the parts is fabricated in wood (very cheap). I consider the wood frame a prototype that I will translate to metal later. I tumble 4-5 lbs at a time.
Dude you win. That is absolutely the best homemade tumbler I have seen. Its also better then any manufactured tumbler I've seen. Super job and really quiet. Kudos
Man that can take a direct hit. Well done.
Very nice tumbler. Clean, solid design and construction. Very quite when it was running (at least while empty). Thanks for sharing!
-mike
I agree about the Thumbler tumbler. I bought one recently, and it is made with very thin sheet metal. The shafts that the barrel rides on are too small and the bearings are nylon! The amount of brass you can put in the tumbler is not much once you put 8 pounds of water and 5 pounds of ss pins in the barrel. It does a good job of cleaning the brass, but I agree that it won't last long.
I would definitely be interested in purchasing one. Please keep us posted!
Finally!! Someone who thinks like me. Good work!!
Outstanding quality machine! Thanks for the video.
wow what an awesome super high quality tumbler, great job!!
looks to be well built!
if you get out of shooting, you can pickup skateboarding or roller blading
I have a Model B and a Model AR that are still going strong after 30 years
Wow! Really nice job
Nice tumbler, good job and video.
Wow! That thing looks bomb proof!
very nice build !
Mark! Excellent Job! I have been looking for the right design and yours is it. I have copied it and made my own version. Mine has a wood frame, chain drive with sprockets and a programmed switch. Thank you for giving more details in the comments. The tumbling container was the priciest part, but well worth it. I also used skateboard wheels, but glued stainless steel shaft collars in place. The holes in the wheels are for the Allen key to tighten the set screw. This is a continuing evolution as I tweak the design to reduce the foot print. Thanks again for posting your project. I will post my version to You Tube also. Regards, JFCisme
Dude, your a genius, great video. Thanks for sharing, you've given me some great ideas.
Nice tumbler
Nice bumbler built, if you built a timer switch too it will be much better, good, good idea
I'm impressed.
Just a taaaaaaaaaaaaaad overkill..... seriously though, very nice work. Building mine now but definitely not this nice! Nice work man!
Great job , I just have one question , where did you purchase the plastic drum that holds the brass . I live in Australia and they may ship to my country . Thanks Alan
Nice freakin job! That thing is awesome!
Thanks for checking out my video. It was the start of building a company making the best tumbler on the market.
MFRshooter with your design, does the brass need to be deburred if you trim and then put right in the tumbler for removing case lube?
@@MFRshooter I just checked your website out and gotta say the new tumbler you have on there is impressive. Very high quality. Ill be ordering one very soon. Congratulations on your endeavor and I wish you many more years of continued growth and success.
I think its pretty damn cool that this video was the start of your business. I love hearing stories about how different businesses and products came to life. Some of the best products and biggest companies in the world have stories from their humble beginnings such as yours.👍
basically what im trying to track down is what common often thrown out cheap device has a very good motor not overkill? People also have to realize that for rock tumbling power is part of the equation since they must run a month per batch 24/7.. That tumbler is the best on the planet earth I assure you but also people must realize that to hire a machinist to make one will be in the many hundreds of dollars. Parts--labour--and some profit put the machine in the video at about a thousand dollars to engineer and make unless a person puts zero value on their labor.
For a possible cheap drive motor source, you might have some luck pulling the fan drive motor off an old furnace with a belt drive squirrel cage fan.
Check with any Hvac company that installs furnaces or Steel recycling companies, as most of the time the fan drive motors on the old furnaces still work and are just thrown away.
You will need to look at the RPM stamp on the motor plate to see if it will fit your application. You can adjust RPM's a bit with different pulley diameters. Good Luck! :-)
This is really nice heavy duty tumbler, nice craftsmanship, but judging by few parts you listed and I looked up drum cost (it's expensive!) this must have cost you pretty penny. This is what's stopping me from going this route - the lack of heavy duty affordable drum. Nicely done though.
Dima Prok use a 1 or 2 gallon water cooler jug, if it will fit inside the dimensions you build your roller tray to.
Question Mark. I've assembled all the parts for my tumbler build, including the same electric motor you used. I'm balking at wiring up this thing because of the red, white and black wires. I know nothing about wiring and I've searched the internet without finding any solid information on how this thing is hooked up, so if you would be so kind, clue me in. Again, beautiful build, and thanks for your help.
This has to be the highest quality tumbler I've ever see. What would you charge to make one? I'd buy one.
I have been working on a new design of tumbler that I will be building to sell. Should have it on You-tube in about 6-weeks. If you think this tumbler is good just wait for what's coming. I developed a tumbling drum that I am getting patented and the mold is being built now. The tumbler in this video is now for sale for $450.
Very nice tumbler. $300 and how many man hrs?
Nice! Where did you get your barrel? Is there a link?
I am rebuilding a thumblers using the stuff from it however I want to make more and have access to machines as a retired machinist. My question is do common motors such as from a mixer or other devices have the same rpm because of the 60 cycle current? Or if I start grabbing and robbing motors will I end up with random rpm where I cannot easily figure pulley sizes?..
You should draw up plans for this and sell them or better yet put together kits and sell them.
How are the roller wheels attached to the shafts? It looks like they may be pressed onto the aluminum sleeves, correct? Also, how did you bond the plastic wheels to the aluminum sleeves? Looks good!
Wow this is the best tumbler I ever seen where did you get the barrel from
Just perfect!!,
Looks like this will last more like 50 + years
I see this video is over 2 years old, hows the tumbler holding up? Nice work by the way. Gave me some idea's.
Very nice and incredibly well built! Would you build one of these for sale?
looks professional to me
I tried to find the motor on ebay and can't find it. You got a deal on that motor!
WW Grainger
Two Questions - Why the belt on the opposite side from the motor drive, and what length stainless pins do you use? It certainly looks good and very heavy duty! Thanks for the video!
The second belt makes it all wheel drive (powering the secondary shaft). This may not be necessary depending on your wheels and drum.
You have a very well built tumbler. Do you by change have plans down on paper for people who are willing to pay for your plans. Would love to build one.
How did you fix the wheels on the axle? Thanks.
I'm wondering where you got the fixed wheels on the drive and idler shafts? 12mm/0.5" shaft diameter?
Amazing design. i am interested in the one you have shown here if it is still avi,
Where did you buy your tumbler canister
Hi, where did you purchase the agitator drum/barrel? What are they called in english? Thanks for sharing your nice build, it looks even greater than mine ;)
You can find the drum I used for this tumbler at this link www.candmtopline.com/tumbling_barrels.html
What type of stainless steel pins do you use and where can they be purchased?
I like your design. where did you find that motor?
+matt hilgendorf I found the motor on Ebay.
Nice tumbler lot of drilling a tapping tho
The TL-4 barrel which is 2.5gal costs $168, plus shipping and tax. The larger TL-6 barrel which holds 8 gal is $257. That's more expensive than the Frankford Arsenal tumbler which includes everything and a large capacity tumbler. Nice setup you have but I have a feeling you paid more to build one than a fully built one would cost.
As an idea, you should replace that manual ON/OFF switch with a manual or digital timer. Set it and forget it.
cmtopline.com/collections/tumbling-barrels/products/tl-4
Great tumbler, where did you get the 1/8 hp 700 rpm motor.
I purchase the motor (new condition) on eBay for $43.00 including shipping. The motor is a GE, 5KCP39KG 1/8hp, 115V, 700RPM. This motor is used in fans (air moving applications), so it needs to have air moving over it during operation or it gets hot. I have a small fan blowing on it when I have the tumbler running.
MFRshooter
The motor I will find, but do you still have your original dimensions (HxWxD) for all pieces? Also, what are the placement points for your roller rods (center to center) plus height from table surface. I want to make one exactly like yours. It may cost a bit to build, but there will be definite saving in the cleaning media.
I am wondering if you would sell one, if so what would be the cost, how long would it take to get one? Most of those people that are watching this video don't have the means to machine product like aluminum.
+jamie maurer Jamie, I do make and sell a tumbler that has higher capacity than the first project I built. I have two models you can buy on my web store casetumbling.com
Please share information on the drum
can you supply a parts list?
Instead of a switch, you could have used a timer. That way you could have set the timer and left and not had to deal with the sound of the cases bouncing around.
Christopher Delich The sound is not loud at all with that drum. The water deadens the sound considerably.
JFCisme Surely I do not have to describe the other possible benefits of a timer
Can you post the dimensions of the parts along with links. I would love to make this.
I ended up wiring both the red AND the black wires from the motor to the hot wire, and the white common wire on the motor to the white common wire from the house wiring and it worked. Just wanted to follow up for those who have questions on their own builds. Good luck.
I agree with this wiring approach. I purchased a 700RPM motor from Amazon and it had a unique 115VAC plug (it cannot be plugged into a standard house receptacle) that neither I nor a professional electric supply house could identify nor provide alternate wiring instructions. I then took the motor to a specially motor supply house and they said to cut the plug off and wire both the Black and Red motor leads together then connect them to the house 120VAC black wire and then connect the White motor lead to the common house electric wire. One thing though: the motor I purchased from Amazon was designed to be used in an HVAC application where it would power an air fan. During the course of operation, the fan would push air directly across the motor then out to the duct. The motor requires the fan to first push air across the motor body in order to keep the motor housing cool. Without this air flow, the motor housing will overheat. So a word of caution: I don't know if the motor that Mark used on his design is for a similar application as the one I purchased, but if it is, then it must have some kind of external cooling air passed across it, i.e. you have to have a small table top fan pointed at the motor and blowing air across the motor body. Marks video does not show this so I can't say that he needs it but if you purchase a motor similar to the one I did (and it seems that this is the only design available in the 700RPM capability), then you're going to have to consider using an external fan to keep the motor cool and operating properly. Good luck.
Mykola Orda Yes I had a small fan blowing on the motor to keep it cool.
Awesome tumbler. Will you build me one and I’ll pay you?
Do you have have a parts list?
Would you sell a parts list and plans for this tumbler? Thanks.
ေက်ာက္လုပ္ငန္းမ်ားအတြက္
Where did you purchase the drum from?
I bet if you made them, they would sell to those not willing to go through all the details of making one.
ANY CHANCE YOU SHARE THE DESIGN FOR THE PARTS OR SELL THEM?
You wouldn't happen to have the link to the motor?
Please send url link for buy the machine...
Where did you get the motor from?
Allow me to pin a blue ribbon on your tumbler!
Once again, Where did you get the barrel. Brand and address.
Just do a google search for a TL-4 tumbling barrel. I just got mine. I was about 145.00 shipped.
Still got tumbler for sale? Does $450 include media and shipping?
Do you sell this tumbler
How do you dry the casings?
Check out my other video. I show how I dry the cases.
What are those green things that are holding the shafts?
Those are pillow-block bearings...
I do believe those are flange bearing and not pillow block bearings.
Hi Mark..
That is a nice tumbler. Would you sell me one? I am reloading 50BMG and need something heavy duty. I've seen good ones but they are in the $700 range. Let me know if you would built and sell me one...
Jose,
I am getting into the tumbler business to build heavy duty tumblers. I should have a production model out in a few months, so I am thinking of selling my first build (the one shown in the video). For this tumbler I would have to get $450 plus shipping. Included would be the tumbler and drum (no pins). call me if your interested cell 248-802-2546.
+MFRshooter do you have a web link for your business with order forms?
casetumbling.com
I purchased one a few months back. This tumbler is the real deal don't waste your money on a lesser product. Watch the videos on his site. As soon as you take it out of the box you will see what I mean..
Happy Thanksgiving..
Jose Rivera thank you Jose and happy Thanksgiving to you.
thanks , where did you order the drum from
I purchased my tumbling barrel at (C&M Topline) below is link to there web site. The barrel model I used is the TL-4.
www.candmtopline.com/tumbling_barrels.html
MFRshooter Would you build one for me and at what price?
Stone Wall This tumbler is for sale. $450.00
MFRshooter Worth every penny but too rich for me. Many thanks!
How much $ ?
Itq so quiet!!!
That’s beefy
Nice, but look$ EX$PEN$IVE for my $0.00 budget.
that was great i am making a tumbler to . i had a hell of a time figuring out pulley size and motor speed i found the best. freeee calculator at www.blocklayer.com and it is great. pass it on to ever one who can use it.. dave in canada