# 3-D Printing and Spencer Tape Gears



## madhatte (May 26, 2013)

Gettin' tired of crappy pot metal gears in Spencer tapes. Looking into having replacement gears printed in nylon or HDPE. Probably be about $25 a rebuild. Should last about twice as long as stock or better. Looking to gauge interest here. I won't be selling them, if I get them made. I'll let somebody else handle that. I'll just do the design work and send the files off to the printer. Might mess with gear ratios some, too. Usually I eat gears faster than I do springs, might as well take advantage of the fact.


----------



## madhatte (May 26, 2013)

Should look something like this, material-wise.


----------



## brokenbudget (May 26, 2013)

can you print delrin?


----------



## madhatte (May 26, 2013)

A quick Google search seems to say "not yet", but probably soon.


----------



## brokenbudget (May 26, 2013)

madhatte said:


> A quick Google search seems to say "not yet", but probably soon.



i know they use it in the rc industry. very strong stuff. they usualy mold or machine it. the best spur gears you can get for any nitro or electric 1/8th scale are delrin. they run against steel clutch bells at ALOT of rpm.


----------



## DSS (May 26, 2013)

I got heavy duty spiders for a very large love joy coupler at work, and it seems to me that's what they called the stuff, delrin. No problems since, its coupled to a 60 hp motor.


----------



## brokenbudget (May 26, 2013)

they can produce it from slightly rubbery all the way to feeling like glass. on the 1/8th scale monster trucks i've had over the years, you get to respect those spur gears. the little engines turn upward of 30000rpm and they use a hardened steel straight tooth cut clutchbell. in very dirty environments. usualy you have to change out the clutchbell before the spur.


----------



## madhatte (May 26, 2013)

This bears further investigation.


----------



## brokenbudget (May 26, 2013)

madhatte said:


> This bears further investigation.



back when i was on alot of 'nitro rc' forums, people were buying billets and blocks and machining their own bits. maybe that's something to look into.


----------



## madhatte (May 26, 2013)

No time -- wanna print 'em in bulk.


----------



## brokenbudget (May 26, 2013)

madhatte said:


> No time -- wanna print 'em in bulk.



you're no fun:tongue2:

nylon would be my second choice. it should hold up pretty well.


----------



## madhatte (May 26, 2013)

Well, thing is I'm not really interested in re-inventing the wheel. It's just that the manufacturer went from stamped steel gears to powdered aluminum a couple of years ago and they aren't holding up, and from a couple of conversations with the engineer I tracked down, it doesn't seem like they're interested in changing anything. Spencer tapes are standard equipment in forestry and logging, and a busted gear can stop a day's work cold. I want a fast and cheap replacement for these parts so that I can get a lifetime similar to the old steel gears. Got a suspicion that I'm not the only person who could benefit from such a thing; a limited production run based on an open-source file would mean that I get what I need and anybody else can do the same later. All I want to do is draft the file and get what I need and pass the rest on to the World At Large.


----------



## cowtipper (May 27, 2013)

madhatte said:


> Well, thing is I'm not really interested in re-inventing the wheel. It's just that the manufacturer went from stamped steel gears to powdered aluminum a couple of years ago and they aren't holding up, and from a couple of conversations with the engineer I tracked down, it doesn't seem like they're interested in changing anything. Spencer tapes are standard equipment in forestry and logging, and a busted gear can stop a day's work cold. I want a fast and cheap replacement for these parts so that I can get a lifetime similar to the old steel gears. Got a suspicion that I'm not the only person who could benefit from such a thing; a limited production run based on an open-source file would mean that I get what I need and anybody else can do the same later. All I want to do is draft the file and get what I need and pass the rest on to the World At Large.



NOT trying to be wet blanket, just something to think about... A lot of people are missing the fact what they are “printing” are patented, and are covered under patented law. Most companies look at a small production run as a hobby. But when you start “printing” them and the selling them then they become a product, and that’s where the problems start. Not saying that’s what going on here, but just something to think about in a LOT larger picture.


----------



## northmanlogging (May 27, 2013)

legalities aside. Depending on the size of gear you can get extruded gear stock, in brass, aluminium, steel, stainless steel, plastics of various types. Most of the stuff I've worked with in the past was under and inch diameter, and around 60" long. 

All you would need is the correct pitch, a thickness and hole/arbor size, any jerk with a bench lathe could pound em out.

Just so ya know this is how most watch mechanisms are made, they turn the gears down form longer stock...

From what I remember about the 3d printing it will make a serviceable prototype, but not real good for production, kinda slow and energy expensive. Haven't heard much about them in a few years though.

I didn't realize spencer tapes had gears in em by the way...


----------



## madhatte (May 27, 2013)

cowtipper said:


> NOT trying to be wet blanket, just something to think about... A lot of people are missing the fact what they are “printing” are patented, and are covered under patented law. Most companies look at a small production run as a hobby. But when you start “printing” them and the selling them then they become a product, and that’s where the problems start.



Understood. Not terribly concerned about it; like I said, I'll just make the plans available, and have what I need built. Nobody will be producing and selling these things in any numbers. A handful here, a handful there; it's a niche of a niche market. Pretty sure the gun guys will take the heat for the copyright/patent issues regarding 3-D printing.


----------



## LegDeLimber (Jun 10, 2013)

I look in over at hackaday and the issues with smoothing out the layer lines from printing is an ongoing topic.
and you've already got "patent trolls" jumping in with patent claims 
on things like
putting the part in a container with a bit of solvent. 

I think the smoothing battle is going to hold up progress till things change 
with patent suits (and DMCA strictures).

...not to mention the battles over how the printers are assembled/configured
has been heating up too.


----------



## gunnusmc03 (Jun 10, 2013)

madhatte said:


> No time -- wanna print 'em in bulk.



You might want to get a hold of place that is capable of doing this and consult with them. 3D Printing is a very slow process, we're talking hours instead of minutes to create parts. The ABS material doesn't lend itself well to parts that move and rub against each other as it's fairly brittle.


----------



## fulltrack (Jun 10, 2013)

Do you have a 3d model? I have a printer and can send you a prototype. Currently have ABS, PLA and Nylon.


----------



## madhatte (Jun 10, 2013)

I don't, yet. Gotta brush up on Solidworks, but it should be easy enough. I'm thinking now that maybe just the idler needs to be nylon. That should take up all of the metal-on-metal abuse I'm worried about.


----------



## fulltrack (Jun 10, 2013)

I've had good success modeling mechanical parts in openScad - there are a number of gear librarys. As for the smoothing, abs is easy with a crock pot and a bit of accetone. The other method that would keep cost low is, model it with the 3d printer and spin cast it. Either way, let me know. I'd be happy to print it and drop it in the mail. Our machine is tuned pretty well and produces as good a resolution as you will get from a 3d printer at this point.

edit:
what are the id/od and height of the part you'd need? Is there a shoulder or any steps etc?


----------



## Metals406 (Jun 10, 2013)

opcorn:


----------



## brokenbudget (Jun 10, 2013)

i'm not familiar with these. is there any lube in there for the gears?


----------



## LegDeLimber (Jun 10, 2013)

Has anyone tried making an intake manifold or air filter housing yet?
I've wondered how much demand/market there might be for it from the hard core chainsaw crowd.
perhaps some slight customization for preferred filters with certain saws,
in options that the manufacturers didn't offer.
but the smoothing will likely be a big matter for any exposed covers 
and sealing surfaces for filters and manifolds.

I guess I should look around for a "hackerspace" and see what tools they have and can do.


----------



## madhatte (Jun 10, 2013)

fulltrack said:


> what are the id/od and height of the part you'd need? Is there a shoulder or any steps etc?



Looks like I need to take and post pics. I'll try to remember to do that when I get to work tomorrow. 

As for saw parts -- there are any number of things I think would be well-served by 3D-printed repros. A good place to start would be covers and things like that which don't hold big temperatures or pressures. Intake manifolds are a great idea too. I bet there are lots of NLA parts which could be fabbed in plastic.


----------



## fulltrack (Jun 10, 2013)

madhatte said:


> Looks like I need to take and post pics. I'll try to remember to do that when I get to work tomorrow.
> 
> As for saw parts -- there are any number of things I think would be well-served by 3D-printed repros. A good place to start would be covers and things like that which don't hold big temperatures or pressures. Intake manifolds are a great idea too. I bet there are lots of NLA parts which could be fabbed in plastic.



not only fab'd in plastic, but bucks for casting can be made. Then you can use a forge to make alum pieces if desired. A method for modeling I've been playing with a bit is taking pictures and converting them into a point cloud, which can in turn be converted to a 3d model. One real strength of 3d printing is rapid proto-typing. Fitment can be tested for pennies, once you have a model.


----------



## madhatte (Jun 10, 2013)

Tell me more about this picture --> point cloud --> model process. I have another, unrelated idea which might work that way.


----------



## Eccentric (Jun 11, 2013)

madhatte said:


> Looks like I need to take and post pics. I'll try to remember to do that when I get to work tomorrow.
> 
> As for saw parts -- there are any number of things I think would be well-served by 3D-printed repros. A good place to start would be covers and things like that which don't hold big temperatures or pressures. Intake manifolds are a great idea too. I bet there are lots of NLA parts which could be fabbed in plastic.





madhatte said:


> Tell me more about this picture --> point cloud --> model process. I have another, unrelated idea which might work that way.



Nate my friend I'm glad to see that you're continuing on with your *forward thinking*.


----------



## madhatte (Jun 11, 2013)

Eccentric said:


> Nate my friend I'm glad to see that you're continuing on with your *forward thinking*.



Heh. You know the alternative...


----------



## fulltrack (Jun 11, 2013)

madhatte said:


> Tell me more about this picture --> point cloud --> model process. I have another, unrelated idea which might work that way.



Point coulds describe a 3 dimensional coordinate system. Bascailly, you can describe an object in 3 dimensions by generating a mesh of points in x,y and z coordinates. The cloud mesh can be turned into a 3d model and the resolution depends on the number of points in your cloud/object. 3d scanners do this for you. If you don't have a 3d scanner, there are some services online that will mesh together photos of an object to give you a point clound. Once you have the cloud, you can use another software, like blender to generate the model ( fill in the gaps between the points or 'make object manifold' ). Now you have something comsuable by the software that generates gcode for printers or other CAM/CNC processes.

You can actually have some success using a camera from an ####, but the resolution isn't amazing. For a simple part, I think it would work well.

Guess I should call myself 'the other' Nate?


----------



## madhatte (Jun 11, 2013)

fulltrack said:


> Guess I should call myself 'the other' Nate?



Or maybe "the other, other" Nate, since Metals406 and I have already made arrangements to keep out Nateness in order... geeze, where the hell else are there so many Nates in one place?


So: pictures taken. Here we go. 

This is the part I think is most necessary to produce a better version of. This one is new. I wish I'd thought to throw a ruler in there for scale, but, oh well. 







Here's what it inevitably ends up looking like: 






Here's how it works:






and what drives it:


----------



## madhatte (Jun 11, 2013)

What happens is that the big rewind spring drives the main shaft to spool the tape in. If it loses a single tooth, like this: 






the resulting impact eats the teeth off of the middle gear, and the tape is done for the day. 

Occasionally, I'll see unusual wear on the driven gear on the spool






but that's far from normal. 

So -- back to the middle gear. This is the guy I want to get a 3-D printed replacement made for:






It is definitely the weak spot in the design. It is at the heart of nearly 100% of all failures I've seen in these tapes. An improved gear would be a very good thing to have.


----------



## LegDeLimber (Jun 12, 2013)

There were a couple of 3-D printing stories on Hackaday yesterday.
Hope this linkage doesn't get me a trip to bandcamp.

Just be advised that their comments section is NOT filtered for the type of language
that Arboristsite is filtered for, so watch out if you're web surfing from work.

3D printed hand-cranked digital computer

and this story had some links that lead to powdered metal printing. 
An interview with Shapeways
The metal parts were knick-knacks and not structural or working type items
didn't read everything (too much unidentified & blocked J'script in page) 
so not sure if the process was suitable for working parts.


----------



## madhatte (Jun 12, 2013)

You're in Charlotte? That's where my buddy Drew lives, and he's the one who sort of got me started investigating this project. He's the guy who organized the Maker Faires there. It's not unlikely that you've crossed paths.

EDIT: I think he actually lives in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area now. I should know this stuff. Forgive.


----------



## LegDeLimber (Jun 13, 2013)

Actually I'm just living vicariously through web sites on this stuff
Budget issues sort of demand it like that now.
almost all of the "brick & mortar" places to scrounge and talk
have gone away.
Slayton's was about last one around here before they sold the buisness
A Totally changed place by new owners and market demands.

Seems to be a new bit of life breathing into things with the 3-D printers now
even getting some air-time on NPR about them.
Yeah, the guys that did the [latest]gun and posted the files 
sorta made a hot topic out of printing.
...wondering how it will affect upcoming rulings, reckon just have to watch & see.


----------



## imagineero (Jun 13, 2013)

I know it's probably not as much fun and all, 
but have you tried asking the engineer you spoke to at spence who produced the old stamped metal versions? Chances are, they've still got the tooling, and could pump out a short run quickly and cheaply. Being OEM, you know they'd work too. 

Shaun


----------



## fulltrack (Jun 13, 2013)

madhatte said:


> It is definitely the weak spot in the design. It is at the heart of nearly 100% of all failures I've seen in these tapes. An improved gear would be a very good thing to have.



I don't think you'd have any problem with that gear - right off the printer. It could produce a resolution that would be adiquet I think. Stength, I don't know, but it has to be worth a shot.

If you get a model or measurements for the the both gears let me know.

edit, I guess the id and height is improtant too 

other, other nate


----------



## madhatte (Jun 13, 2013)

imagineero said:


> I know it's probably not as much fun and all,
> but have you tried asking the engineer you spoke to at spence who produced the old stamped metal versions? Chances are, they've still got the tooling, and could pump out a short run quickly and cheaply. Being OEM, you know they'd work too.


 
Dude was cagey as hell about "before". It's a completely different company from the old Spencer. I get the impression that it would be a "blood from a stone" proposition to get more information from them than I already have.



fulltrack said:


> If you get a model or measurements for the the both gears let me know.
> 
> edit, I guess the id and height is improtant too



I'll make the files available as soon as I get them made. My hope is that other folks will follow suit with this upgrade. I don't want to sell 'em; I already have a day job. I just want 'em to be available.


----------



## madhatte (Aug 11, 2013)

UPDATE: I have two sources able to print gears; now it's up to me to provide the files, and I am working on it. Turns out that the GIS and CAD software I'm used to are a little different than the software they are using today for 3-D printing. No matter -- it's just a matter of learning. 

New idea.

Silvey is no longer manufacturing their larger devices, grinders and such, because of the expense of castings. The motors are pretty standard, or can be adapted from standard parts. The clamps and guides and stands and such can be made from billets or cut from regular stock. What if the castings were 3-D printed from nylon or something similarly dimensionally-stable? We could almost piece a Razur-Sharp together from drawings that way. It would never be a big seller, but it might keep a few chains sharp. 

Once I get the Spencer gears made, I may start asking around for Silvey carcasses to work from. This will be a big project and will take awhile to be finished, if it ever is. No promises. I have a 510 at work I can start with for proof-of-concept. If I can figure out how to build an equivalent machine for less than an Oregon 511 I might just have something to pass on. I am not interested in selling anything or making a business out of this. I just want quality tools.


----------



## northmanlogging (Aug 11, 2013)

there are several casting shops around here, making a mold is easy, the machining is easier, the hard part is getting the crack heads pouring the metal to do it in a consistent way, and without a bunch of crud in it. Also with modern cnc machines casting is a nearly forgotten method, it may be cheaper in the long run to machine "silvey" grinders and stuff out of bar stock, then to bother with castings or the 3-d printing, although there seems to be lots of interest in the 3-d printing, and I don't have a clue as to how much it costs.


----------



## madhatte (Aug 11, 2013)

northmanlogging said:


> I don't have a clue as to how much it costs.



Practically nothing, which is why 3-D printing is so attractive. You can create almost anything within the limitations of the material being printed, and it only costs the material itself.


----------



## Gologit (Aug 11, 2013)

madhatte said:


> Practically nothing, which is why 3-D printing is so attractive. You can create almost anything within the limitations of the material being printed, and it only costs the material itself.



Okay...I _won't_ throw away all those old Spencers that died and now reside in a five gallon bucket in a dark corner of the shop. There's an old pair of torn up chaps on top and the shop cat sleeps there.

Multiply my little junk bucket by the number of guys with similar collections...there might be quite a market for you. The cats will have to fend for themselves.


----------



## madhatte (Aug 11, 2013)

Right now the most-available good material for construction is nylon. I suppose aluminum is also available, but I'm not at all confident in its heat treatment. Nylon has some limitations, of course, the biggest being that it is somewhat malleable. It holds its shape well under pressure but not torque. I expect that other materials will be available soon but I don't know which or what to expect of them structurally.


----------



## Eccentric (Aug 11, 2013)

madhatte said:


> Right now the most-available good material for construction is nylon. I suppose aluminum is also available, but I'm not at all confident in its heat treatment. Nylon has some limitations, of course, the biggest being that it is somewhat malleable. It holds its shape well under pressure but not torque. I expect that other materials will be available soon but I don't know which or what to expect of them structurally.



Can Delrin be used for 3D printing? It works well in a gear application.:msp_thumbup:


----------



## madhatte (Aug 11, 2013)

Eccentric said:


> Can Delrin be used for 3D printing? It works well in a gear application.:msp_thumbup:



The guys I know can't do it yet. It's likely that they will be able to soon. It's mostly a matter of powdered raw material being unavailable and temperatures being out of the range of desktop rigs. These are technical problems rather than physical ones and I suspect they will be resolved soon enough.


----------



## madhatte (Jan 15, 2015)

Holy crap, folks, I think I just got this problem licked. I have some measurements to make and some phone calls to call, but an old friend of mine just pretty much offered to make this happen, and he's got a bit of downtime before starting a new job. I told him that I'm interested in up to 100 of these things at up to $10 per, and he thinks that's probably do-able. Should have a better idea about the logistics in the next 24 hours.


----------



## hammerlogging (Jan 16, 2015)

That a way, awesome follow-through


----------



## treeslayer2003 (Jan 16, 2015)

Gologit said:


> Okay...I _won't_ throw away all those old Spencers that died and now reside in a five gallon bucket in a dark corner of the shop. There's an old pair of torn up chaps on top and the shop cat sleeps there.
> 
> Multiply my little junk bucket by the number of guys with similar collections...there might be quite a market for you. The cats will have to fend for themselves.


Bob, got any old nails? different than a horse shoe nail? a friend has an old spencer 50' with a really fine but tough kind of a stick pin with a cap on top. i would much prefer this type after useing his. the baily nail in mine is to big to stick in oak bark.......you would have to drive it into some.

just wondering if you know what its called or what to ask for, i don't see anything like it online.


----------



## Gologit (Jan 16, 2015)

treeslayer2003 said:


> Bob, got any old nails? different than a horse shoe nail? a friend has an old spencer 50' with a really fine but tough kind of a stick pin with a cap on top. i would much prefer this type after useing his. the baily nail in mine is to big to stick in oak bark.......you would have to drive it into some.
> 
> just wondering if you know what its called or what to ask for, i don't see anything like it online.


 Dunno, I've always used Bailey's nails. I got into a bunch of oak for about a week...UHG!...and I just filed the Bailey nail down to a sharper point.


----------



## treeslayer2003 (Jan 16, 2015)

i think if i thin it much, it will bend..........i tend to be heavy handed lol.
next time i see him, i'll try to get a pic of it.........he prolly had it forever lol.


----------



## northmanlogging (Jan 16, 2015)

File sort of a chisel point on em, works good in maples about the closest thing I have to Oak around here, only narrow the last 1/8 inch or so.


----------



## madhatte (Jan 19, 2015)

Nails for me have always been a "fiddle with it til it works" kind of thing. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I don't have a formula figured out yet.


----------



## dhskier2 (Jan 19, 2015)

treeslayer2003 said:


> just wondering if you know what its called or what to ask for, i don't see anything like it online.



You're looking for a Spencer Button Nail.

Get it at Ben Meadows
http://www.benmeadows.com/spencertape-end-nail-button-style-aluminum-best-for-hardwoods_s_121588/

OR Forestry Suppliers
http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/viewItem.asp?item=39385


----------



## treeslayer2003 (Jan 19, 2015)

dhskier2 said:


> You're looking for a Spencer Button Nail.
> 
> Get it at Ben Meadows
> http://www.benmeadows.com/spencertape-end-nail-button-style-aluminum-best-for-hardwoods_s_121588/
> ...


yes! thank you sir very much!


----------



## dhskier2 (Jan 19, 2015)

treeslayer2003 said:


> yes! thank you sir very much!



You're welcome- glad thats what you're after


----------



## dhskier2 (Jan 19, 2015)

madhatte said:


> Nails for me have always been a "fiddle with it til it works" kind of thing. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I don't have a formula figured out yet.



I don't buy pre-bent nails anymore. Buy your own straight nails and bend them to the exact size and eye you like. Like more thumb area, or a longer nail...tight eye, or loose eye?

Two things I do for cruising (unrelated to above posts re: a pointy end)...first, my nail is set for the d-tape side so on a big tree I can just put it in and circle the tree w/o thinking about what side is out. Second, I've got about 6 inches of metal coat hanger on the end of my tape for fixed rad plots- just stick it in the ground and pull your distance.


----------



## madhatte (Jan 20, 2015)

One thing I can say is that I've taken to longer nails, so that I can twist them 90 degrees from where they bend to the point. That exposes the long side to the torque of getting ripped out of the log, and makes it last longer. Shorter nails are just a hassle.


----------



## Metals406 (Jan 20, 2015)

Cody T. bought nails some years ago that he said were the best. They were the tape end with a very petite and very sharp point brazed on the end. He's posted picks here before somewhere. . . Pre crash.

It made me want to try something. Take a penny, and braze a sharpened piece of stainless TIG rod to it, & braze the penny to the tape end. Lots of surface area to press on and not hurt your thumb.

Plus, pennies are worth more that way than in buying power anyway.


----------



## madhatte (Jan 20, 2015)

I like that idea -- I would finally have a use for pennies. I remember Cody's nails. Those things were the deal. I'd love to have a line on those.


----------



## Metals406 (Jan 20, 2015)

madhatte said:


> I like that idea -- I would finally have a use for pennies. I remember Cody's nails. Those things were the deal. I'd love to have a line on those.


I think it was a saw shop on the coast, I'll ask him again.


----------



## treeslayer2003 (Jan 20, 2015)

Metals406 said:


> Cody T. bought nails some years ago that he said were the best. They were the tape end with a very petite and very sharp point brazed on the end. He's posted picks here before somewhere. . . Pre crash.
> 
> It made me want to try something. Take a penny, and braze a sharpened piece of stainless TIG rod to it, & braze the penny to the tape end. Lots of surface area to press on and not hurt your thumb.
> 
> Plus, pennies are worth more that way than in buying power anyway.


new bness venture for ya n8 lol. all i can say is the baily nail sucs in oak......


----------



## Metals406 (Jan 20, 2015)

treeslayer2003 said:


> new bness venture for ya n8 lol. all i can say is the baily nail sucs in oak......


I don't need more of those! LOL


----------



## Metals406 (Jan 20, 2015)

Found out from Cody, he bought them from John Day Rigging.

Edit: Found a John Day Rigging in Hermiston, Oregon.


----------



## bitzer (Jan 20, 2015)

treeslayer2003 said:


> new bness venture for ya n8 lol. all i can say is the baily nail sucs in oak......


Mike I take a small eye bolt (eye about the size of a quarter) and grind the end to a sharp point. It has to have flat sides though. Not round. I usually just grind four sides. Then I pull the end off the tape and fish a key ring through the hole and attach the "nail" to it. The eye of it has plenty of surface to give you leverage to dig it into frozen wood. I sharpen it once in a while, but its the cats ass for hardwood.


----------



## Metals406 (Jan 20, 2015)

bitzer said:


> Mike I take a small eye bolt (eye about the size of a quarter) and grind the end to a sharp point. It has to have flat sides though. Not round. I usually just grind four sides. Then I pull the end off the tape and fish a key ring through the hole and attach the "nail" to it. The eye of it has plenty of surface to give you leverage to dig it into frozen wood. I sharpen it once in a while, but its the cats ass for hardwood.


Pics?


----------



## bitzer (Jan 20, 2015)

Metals406 said:


> Pics?


I posted it in here somewhere. Can't remember where. I'll see if I can find one.


----------



## madhatte (Jan 20, 2015)

Key rings are great. They're cheap, and tough, but they'll give when they have to so something else doesn't. I use them for all kinds of stuff.


----------



## Metals406 (Jan 21, 2015)

Wonder if 100 tape ends an rivets would be super expensive?

I might try the penny thing to see?

Or call JDR from above and see if they sell tape ends like Cody's still.


----------



## Metals406 (Jan 21, 2015)

Talked with Cody more, he said he bought just the d-ring and squeezed it on the tape. Then he'd slide the plastic boot up to help hold it. I imagine a chunk of shrink tubing would work as well -- or tape in a pinch.


----------



## 4x4American (Jan 21, 2015)

subscribed


----------



## Gologit (Jan 21, 2015)

Metals406 said:


> Talked with Cody more, he said he bought just the d-ring and squeezed it on the tape. Then he'd slide the plastic boot up to help hold it. I imagine a chunk of shrink tubing would work as well -- or tape in a pinch.



Some of the guys down here are using shrink tubing instead of wrapping the end with tape.


----------



## Metals406 (Jan 22, 2015)

Gologit said:


> Some of the guys down here are using shrink tubing instead of wrapping the end with tape.


Seems like it might be superior.


----------



## madhatte (Jan 22, 2015)

I like that idea. I'll give it a try.


----------



## Metals406 (Feb 10, 2015)

Ron, while moving, found two full boxes of old tapes. About 40 years worth.

I want to get a few to rebuild. . . Maybe a 75' & a couple 50's.

Wonder if you weren't to run a CL ad Nate -- for old tapes from retired cutters -- if it wouldn't yield some treasure?


----------



## madhatte (Feb 10, 2015)

That's an interesting idea. I guess if I was gonna do that, I'd mostly be interested in the ones made when they were still in Pullman.


----------



## madhatte (Feb 13, 2015)

Just pulled a brand new center gear out of the bag and found 2 teeth missing. They were not loose at the bottom of the bag, so they must have shipped that way! Seriously, the QC is abysmal. The sooner I can get these Delrin gears made, the better.


----------



## Metals406 (Feb 17, 2015)

madhatte said:


> Just pulled a brand new center gear out of the bag and found 2 teeth missing. They were not loose at the bottom of the bag, so they must have shipped that way! Seriously, the QC is abysmal. The sooner I can get these Delrin gears made, the better.


That's pretty crappy.


----------



## BeatCJ (Feb 17, 2015)

Metals406 said:


> Ron, while moving, found two full boxes of old tapes. About 40 years worth.


Wanna sell a couple 75', in the hopes that I can get some good gears in the near future? I don't know what happened to mine, I had 2 100'ers, one with a good filler in 10the and hundredths that I had calibrated, and on with a 75' filler with a D tape on the reverse side. I suspect evil befell them.


----------



## Metals406 (Feb 17, 2015)

BeatCJ said:


> Wanna sell a couple 75', in the hopes that I can get some good gears in the near future? I don't know what happened to mine, I had 2 100'ers, one with a good filler in 10the and hundredths that I had calibrated, and on with a 75' filler with a D tape on the reverse side. I suspect evil befell them.


I'll certainly ask. :0)


----------



## bitzer (Feb 17, 2015)

Metals406 said:


> Pics?


 
Finally got something I could take pictures off of. This one is gettin kind of dull, but you get the idea.


----------



## Metals406 (Feb 18, 2015)

bitzer said:


> Finally got something I could take pictures off of. This one is gettin kind of dull, but you get the idea.
> 
> View attachment 404518


That's a nifty idea!


----------



## madhatte (Feb 18, 2015)

I've used key rings before, but that sharpened eye is a fine idea. Might have to try it.


----------



## bitzer (Feb 18, 2015)

Thanks! Yeah you just gotta keep an eye on that key ring. Otherwise its a lot better than anything else I've seen or tried.


----------



## Greystoke (Feb 18, 2015)

By god I found it, and I'm back! Whatd' I miss?


----------



## Greystoke (Feb 18, 2015)

Those tape nails are the shiznitty, especially with a plastic tape end...way less weight, and just stretch the rubber bumper over about half of it or you lose em.


----------



## Greystoke (Feb 18, 2015)

Here is a link to the thread that I posted way back when, so that I don't have to do it all over again...hey that rhymes, I might just have to make a song about that...

http://www.arboristsite.com/communi...ainsaw-cutting-tips-and-tricks.120660/page-10


----------



## Metals406 (Feb 19, 2015)

Thanks for posting that Cody! :0)


----------



## northmanlogging (Mar 15, 2015)

Figure this here is the best place to park this pic

Found in an old junk store probably paid to much but had to have it, still has the white onesided tape, and just needed a good tensioning, and a new end ring and nail.


----------



## madhatte (Mar 15, 2015)

Nice! That's an oldie!


----------



## northmanlogging (Mar 15, 2015)

Think I'll get me a diameter tape for it, and use if for cruising only. Not that I'm any good at it, but a dia tape is better then guestimating on the math.


----------



## dhskier2 (Jun 30, 2015)

Anyone know anything about the Spencer tapes from across the pond? Are they mfd' at JA Gadd, or just the distributor (can't find any details on the google)?
If mfd', then maybe they're not plastic gears...?


----------

