Transporting the Tormek

[stevebot]

I know the conventional recommendation for shipping or other long transportation of a Tormek is to remove the wheel to prevent a hard bump from bending the shaft. I do not bother for short trips by car because the ride is soft, and I have had no problems in over 15 years.
Currently I am thinking of a trailer which will have a harder ride, and I am thinking of removing the water tray and transporting the Tormek resting on the wheel.
What do others think?

[SharpenADullWitt]

I want to be clear, WHICH wheel?  (the honing one, the stone, or the drive wheel)
Define hard?  (lots of potholes, mountain offroad, etc)
What is going to be around the Tormek?  It isn't just the Tormek falling over you would have to worry about, it might be stuff falling into the Tormek (assuming some kind of move).

You have a lot more experience transporting it then most of us, so I thought I would throw out these thoughts in case you missed them.
I would be partial to having it in a wooden box, that one could shove some cloth towels/rags/bubble wrap, etc. in.

[Ken S]

Steve,

I assume you mean the grinding wheel. I like SADW's wooden box with cloth towels idea. If you are planning on transporting your older, "workaday" Tormek (not your fortieth anniversary model, and if your older Tormek does not have the EZYlock shaft, you might try swapping shafts. Try a mockup removing the grinding wheel with the EZYlock. I think you might find it easier to just pop the grinding wheel off. That certainly makes the Tormek lighter to carry. (Make sure to place the spacer on the shaft to keep the shaft from falling out.....I have done that )

Ken

[jeffs55]

Also, does that mean turning the Tormek onto its side and literally having the wheel on bottom to "cushion" the motor assembly. Or, removing the wheel and then placing the motor assembly onto the wheel again in a "cushioning" mode. INMHO, you remove the wheel and place it in such a way that it will not be impacted or damaged by a sharp bounce. You know the wheel is heavy and inertia itself could crack the wheel if there was even a tiny ridge, bulge, edge whatever under the wheel when it hit a pothole. This especially holds true if there is a manufactured inclusion in the wheel just waiting for a chance to happen. So, lots of padding in a secure place not subject to extraneous forces.

[grepper]

It might work to fashion a wood cradle that would support the wheel from underneath.  A shim on each end would snug it to the wheel.

[Jan]

As mentioned by Jeff, inertia is the tendency of an object to resist a change in motion. Inertia is proportional to the mass of the object and to the rate how the motion is changed.

When the grinder falls to the floor, then usually the heavier part of the grinder (motor assembly) hits the floor before the grindstone. The half inch shaft is not strong enough to withstand the inertial force of the grindstone, which hits the floor with small delay. (If the contact with the ground occurs in reverse order the loading of the shaft will not be too different.)

As suggested by Grepper and SADW, if the grinder housing and the supported grindstone are firmly fixed together, e.g. to the bottom of a wooden box, than the shaft should survive. 

Jan

[Elden]

   In the fabrication shop I worked in, we received hydraulic pump and tank units shipped in cardboard boxes. Surrounding the unit would be a material similar to expanding foam insulation that one can purchase at a hardware / lumber yard store in a spray can. This was contained in a plastic bag which kept it from touching the unit until the padding dried. It was done with it in the box, so it was specifically moulded for the unit and the box. It forms very substantial padding. More than one piece can be formed due the use of the plastic bags.

[grepper]

I was sort of thinking of a block or wood that would slide in where the water trough goes.  The top could be cut out to match the diameter of grinding wheel and go as far up on the sides of the wheel as possible. 

That way it could be slid in under the wheel and a couple of shims on each end between the bottom of the frame and the block of wood would snug the wood up to the wheel.

[jeffs55]

This is the simplest thing in the world. Remove the grinding stone and place it in a box with packing peanuts, a lot of them, especially on the bottom to negate dropping damage. Plenty on the sides as well to cushion it all around. This is not rocket science.

[grepper]

I totally agree Jeff.

[Elden]

   I agree, it is not rocket science. That is probably why I would eventually drop and break the grinding wheel during the process. 

[grepper]

That's funny Elden.  Made me chuckle.  Murphy's Law prevails!