Beadroller

**Saltfever** · May 23, 2022, 12:20 AM

Originally Posted by tonyfoale

edit . . . How do you vary the applied force and/or adjust for different size rollers? It looks like the red members are fixed and the top bearing holder can be moved within the top red tube by the screw above. What is the maximum roller rpm and what power motor?

I have a Harbor freight bead roller that I used once many years ago. The experience was so poor that I put it aside until I can power it. I just checked the site and it looks like they no longer offer the tool. It looks exactly like this one from Eastwood. You definitely need variable speed because you want the feed to be close to zero as you negotiate corners. Even straight lines (freehand without a fixed guide) can be slow depending on the design. My guess, from only one experience, is a max feed rate would be 25-35 mm per second. Therefore the diameter of your forming dies will dictated your rpm. A foot controller is a must and I will be using the one pictured. Since the gear ratio will be so large I assume 1/4 HP will be enough. I never measured the actual force on the crank handle. The torque does vary quite a bit depending on the, material, gauge of the metal, the depth of the indention, and the shape of the form roller. You will quickly find that the stiffness of the beams limits your depth of forming and you adjust accordingly so max torque doesn't seem to be an issue.