"Little Job" cement mixer
Rudy Kouhoupt's "Little Job" cement mixer was featured on the cover of the January 1996 issue of "Home Shop Machinist". I knew when I saw it that I had to have one.
This view shows the yoke that supports the bucket. Milled from a solid block with shafts turned between centers, it's made me think that this CNC stuff might have some advantages after all.
Tilted down to show how the load is dumped.
This view shows the contrate gear that circles the bucket. The contrate gear is driven by a small pinion on the same shaft as the crowned pulley.
This was my first venture into making "real" gears (and that was a major impetus for choosing this project). I used Chinese gear cutters purchased from Enco and they worked very nicely. However, the 90 tooth contrate gear was a real exercise in tedium. My neighbors commented on the emphatic "Yippee" when the last tooth formed completely and wasn't a half tooth.
Although I'll probably never complete it, my idea is to incorporate the cement mixer into a steam powered bar set where it will make martinis rather than concrete (accompanied by a steam hammer to crack nuts and pit olives).
