My Roto-Caster Is Finished!

carlart

New Member
At long last - my roto-caster is complete. Many thanks to all who helped me develop this contraption, including those on the Lair. I'm no engineer, I don't even play one on T.V., but that's the beauty of having people you can reach out to who do know what to do, once again illustrating the beauty of this place.

Anyway, as some of you know, the roto-caster is the final element needed to be able to produce the long awaited P1 back pack which has been finished for some time now. With the mold weighing in at 50lbs, there was no way in hell I was going to slush cast that thing. In fact, I hate slush casting by hand; those days are over now that I have this baby. Yet another example of perseverance triumphing over despair and time.

I wanted to make a caster that was easy to build from common materials anyone can acquire. Because of that, this was always going to be lumber construction. No welding torches or know-how needed. Weight is the biggest obstacle to overcome, so I need strength without a lot of weight, which is why I chose 2" x 3"s for the most part. The frames are 2" x 3"s, while the inner cage is primarily built from 1" x 3" ferring, reinforced with metal angles and plates. The rest relies on floating bearings, a slip ring connector, and some custom welding of the four axles used. That, and some rudimentary electrical wiring. All in all, it wasn't too bad, it just takes time, like everything else.

The nice thing about my learning curve, is that you won't have to endure it, if you want to build one of these for yourself. I will be providing a detailed set of instructions on how to build your very own roto-caster using my design. It cost me a little over $500, but aside from that, it's a do-able proposition.

In the meantime, take a look at the video of my roto-caster here:
https://vimeo.com/46259753

The best part is, I'm going to try to cast the first backpack this week! Thanks for your patience.
Carl

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BackpackMolds1.jpg
 
Been enjoying the journey here Carl and the many discussions we have had about the construction, details, motors, etc of this. Awesome to see it finally come to life. Cant wait to see the first cast out of it!.
Good Job!!!
 
That is pretty damned cool. Looks nice and sturdy and you seem to be quite satisfied with it, so I am sure it will do the very thing it is intended for.

I cannot wait to see your work that comes from this.
 
Am I the only one who wants to take a ride in that thing!! haha

Seriously Carl, Excellent work! I'm glad to see you got it crankin'. I can't wait for the Step by Step! I gotta make myself one of these.
 
Now, you state in the video that you want no more than 5 rpms, are these variable speed motors (In case they are still too fast) or would that break the bank? That is pretty bad-ass...
 
Motors should last a long time only having to move at 5 rpm . Should be able to pop out alot of backpacks with no problems. You have really done alot of work on this project. Great job
 
holy crap this is amazing!! Plans plans plans (or a shopping list) my man.... I'd love to build one of these for my furniture bits down here in New Zealand....
 
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