Flexible shaft on the drill design application and fabrication. How to make an engraver with your own hands. accessories and assembly
The main advantage, which differs from the standard product assembled by yourself mini drill, is the compact size and the ability to obtain electrical equipment without significant cost, effort and time. It is easy to make such a home-built tool at home, because no special skills or extra-complicated gadgets are needed. To get a high-speed drill or other devices for making crafts, the home handyman only needs to be “friendly” with a screwdriver and pliers, to be able to perform simple technical operations.
In everyday life, the convenience of a flexible shaft is used when working with drills and cutters in places where it is impossible or difficult to reach with a regular drill. In dentistry, the flexible shaft is mounted on all dental drills. Ant lovers make mazes for them, creating delicate and intricate passages in plaster boards. Artisans decorate homes, carving and polishing small elements of wood and stone carvings with tool kits attached to a flexible shaft.
In addition to a drill, you can use an electric screwdriver, angle grinder and engraver. One side of the flexible shaft is clamped in a collet clamp. On the second end is a fixture for securing a tool. Flexible shaft remote from the solid body lets you do delicate work requiring little effort. Can drill millimeter-high holes by hand, deburr parts in hard-to-reach places, or tighten screws in places where a regular power tool would not fit.
During operation, the flexible engraver shaft reduces stress on the hand and there is no vibration at all. The motor is away from the working area, and there is less noise from its operation.
Design of flexible shaft
A multifiber cable made of alloy steel is placed in the flexible housing. Wire shafts have several layers of braid with alternating clockwise and counterclockwise directions. armor. Shank similar to that on the tool is attached to one side of the tool. The second one ends with a chuck. Under the sheath is a lubricant that reduces friction and prevents corrosion and moisture. For the body choose hoses of plastic and kapron, create special. from conical sleeves and spiral wound ribbons.
The cable is secured in the housing through bearings or bushings at the ends, allowing it to rotate freely. Torque is transmitted to the shank and through the wire to the attached tool. Stability of the outer casing of the flexible shaft is ensured by its fastening to the housing parts.
Convenient work makes the handle on the shaft, installed at the free end. Higher-priced models have a button on the cord that prevents it from spinning when you change the tool. You can choose any flexible shaft in the store.
A flexible shaft for your drill with their own hands
For making flexible shafts for drills with your own hands you need to take any braided wire. It can also be purchased, which is ten times cheaper than buying a ready-made nozzle. If you are planning to wind a spiral wire on a rope yourself, you should understand that it is impossible to do this at home. After all, armor steel is used as a spiral base. When this device rotates the steel wire inside the shell, and the armor in the form of a spiral wire bends in any position, but it does not move. For a spiral-shaped wire, the device is held by hand when working.
This is interesting! For the manufacture of a homemade device is suitable available in the garage speedometer cable from a car or motorcycle.
Finally, a shank for the flexible shaft is made, which is installed in the chuck of the drill. For this purpose the tail part from a damaged drill bit is used. The rope is connected to the shank by welding (other connection methods are unacceptable). The second end of the wire is connected to a collet chuck, which can be taken from another power tool.Advantages of a homemade flexible shaft for screwdrivers and drills are many, but the most important is its low cost. Applying such a nozzle once to work, you can find out what its main advantage is, and why manufacturers came up with this device. The ease of making a nozzle in the form of a flexible shaft on the drill yourself contributes to the fact that it is more interesting to make it with your own hands than to buy it online or in a tool store.
Flexible shaft for the drill with their own hands
For making flexible shafts for drills with their own hands need to take any wire braided. It can also be purchased, which will cost ten times cheaper than buying a ready-made nozzle. If you are planning to wind the spiral-shaped wire on the cable yourself, you need to understand that it is impossible to do this at home. After all, armor steel is used as the spiral-shaped base. When such a device rotates the steel cable inside the sheath, and the armor in the form of a spiral wire is bent in any position, but it does not move. The spiral-shaped wire is held by hand during operation.
This is interesting! For the manufacture of a homemade device is suitable available in the garage speedometer cable from a car or motorcycle.
Finally a shank for the flexible shaft is made and installed in the drill chuck. For this purpose, the tail part from a spoiled drill is used. Connect the wire with the shank by welding (other ways of connection are not acceptable). At the second end of the wire is attached collet chuck, which can be taken from other power tools.The advantages of a homemade flexible shaft for screwdrivers and drills are many, but the most important is its low cost. Having used such a nozzle once for work, you can find out what its main advantage is, and why manufacturers have invented this device. The ease of making the nozzle in the form of a flexible shaft on the drill itself contributes to the fact that it is more interesting to make it with your own hands than to buy it on the Internet or in a tool store.
Flexible shaft for the drill with their own hands
To make flexible shafts for drills with their own hands will need to take any braided wire. It can also be purchased, which is ten times cheaper than buying a ready-made nozzle. If you plan to wind a spiral wire on the cable yourself, you should understand that it is impossible to do this at home. After all, armor steel is used as the spiral-shaped base. When such a device works, the steel cable inside the shell rotates, and the armor in the form of a spiral-shaped wire bends in any position, but does not move. The spiral-shaped wire is held by the hand when working.
This is interesting! For the manufacture of a home-made device is suitable available in the garage cable speedometer from a car or motorcycle.
Finally a shank for flexible shaft is made and installed in the drill chuck. For this purpose, the tail part from a spoiled drill bit is used. The wire is connected to the shank by welding (no other connection method is acceptable). The collet chuck is fastened to the other end of the wire, which can be taken from other electric tool.The advantages of a homemade flexible shaft for screwdrivers and drills are many, but the most important is its low cost. Having used such a nozzle once for work, you can find out what its main advantage is, and why manufacturers have invented this device. The ease of making a nozzle in the form of a flexible shaft on the drill yourself contributes to the fact that it is more interesting to make it with your own hands than to buy it on the Internet or in a tool store.
The work of making a flexible shaft
Here it is first necessary to free the cable from the sheath, but you can not throw it away. it will be useful later. The assembled inner part of the rotation mechanism is clamped in a vice, after which one end of the cable is inserted into the sleeve made from a bolt. Now you need to heat the obtained connection and fill the inner void with molten tin. A blowtorch will help in this work.
The sleeve with a wire is heated, after which the molten solder begins to seep into it
Then the bearings still need to be tightened, checking that they are securely seated, and then the assembly can be continued.
The connection is checked and the bearings are pressed as tightly as possible
Next, a piece of tubing sawed off from an assembly foam gun is put over both bearings. This is essentially the end of the turning mechanism itself. All that remains is to protect the operator.
The tube is slid over the bearings and almost flush with the end piece
Protecting the craftsman when working with the drill
It is now necessary to put the cable jacket back on, but this is not easy. After the tips are cut off, the wire begins to untwist. This is where the same solder and a blowtorch come in handy. The cable cover is put on the cable and pulled as far as it will go. Because the outer tube is slightly longer than the inner tube, the protection goes inside. The back of the wire is inserted into the brake tube and pressed in with a hammer.
crimping of the opposite end to be clamped in the drill chuck
The final touch: the wrench groove
In order to tighten the cutter or drill bit in the collet chuck, it will be necessary to ensure that the wrench can be used with both the shaft and the tip. If on the faucet of the Maevsky already had edges (they remained from an edge), on a sleeve it is necessary to make them. This issue is easily solved by using a flat file.
Edge turning for a wrench on the sleeve
Design Features
The main construction feature and at the same time the main advantage in application is the ability to bend it anywhere in any direction. This is accomplished by using the following components:
- a flexible and robust steel braided cable which transmits torque
- Armor braid or coiled spring wire that serves as a flexible actuator body.
The outside of the wire is covered with a corrugated plastic sheath, inside of which is grease. It reduces friction, prevents abrasion of the rope core, and protects it from moisture and dust.
The design of the flexible drill drive also includes the bearings to which the cable is attached. They support its rotation. One end of the rope is fastened in the chuck, the other end has a tool mount.
This drive is designed for light and delicate work, do not count on it to unscrew a hardened screw or screw a 130 mm self-drilling screw at full speed, remember that the torque transmitted by the flexible shaft is limited.
Design Features
The main design feature and at the same time the main advantage in its application is the ability to bend it anywhere in any direction. This is achieved by using the following components:
- the flexible and sturdy steel braided cable transmitting the torque;
- Armored braid or coiled spring wire, which serves as a flexible drive body.
The wire is covered on the outside by a corrugated plastic jacket with grease inside. It reduces friction, prevents abrasion of the core-cable, and protects it from moisture and dust.
The drill’s flexible drive unit also has bearings, to which the cord is attached. They support its rotation. The cord is fastened in the chuck at one end, and the other end has a tool mount.
This drive is designed for light, delicate work that should not be used to remove a jammed bolt or wrench a 130 mm screw at full speed. remember that the torque on the flexible shaft is limited.
Drill attachment
A flexible shaft for a drill is made of a rotary transmission wire with several layers of braid. It has an increased safety margin because it is designed for high speeds up to 1500 rpm./min. The length of the nozzles offered in stores varies from 950 to 1250 mm. Other sizes are possible, but are less common or made to order.
Before starting work, unscrew the socket on the drill and push the shaft end into the hole in the tool. The locking ring is clamped, as with a drill, directly into the chuck of the tool. Now you need to fix the drill to prevent it from shifting from motor vibration and falling.
You can buy a portable stand to hang the tool from at the same time at a store that sells flexible shafts for drills. Simple device can easily be assembled with your own hands. When working at a fixed location, a clamp on the table or wall is sufficient. Do not use the flexible shaft with high-speed and impact drills. A tool with speed control and reverse is best suited for work at a distance from the chuck.
Drill attachment
The flexible shaft for the drill is made from a wire to transmit rotation with several layers of braid. It is designed for high rotational speeds of up to 1500 rpm and has an extra margin of safety./min. The length of the bits available in the stores varies from 950 to 1250 mm. Other sizes are possible, but less common or made to order.
Unscrew the coupling from the core drill and insert the shaft end into the hole in the tool before starting work. The retaining ring is clamped, as with a drill bit, directly into the tool chuck. Now fix the drill in place so it doesn’t move or fall due to engine vibration.
You can buy a portable stand at the same time in a store that sells a flexible drill shaft for hanging up the tool. Simple device can easily be assembled with your own hands. If you are working at a fixed location, a clamp on the table or wall is sufficient. Flexible shaft cannot be used with high-speed and impact drills. A tool with speed control and reversing is best suited for jobs at a distance from the body.
Varieties
Despite the fact that the flexible shaft is a fairly simple device, it still has some varieties.
The loose side of the nozzle can be equipped with a fixed working head, an end cap, an engraver extension, or a screwdriver nozzle.
- In the first case assumes a classic chuck designed exclusively for drills, in which the drill can only be used for its intended purpose.
- The second variant assumes the presence of a slotted end, on which various nozzles are put on. Such models are designed for high forces and high speed of rotation, and have practically no restrictions on work. Their length, as a rule, does not exceed one meter. The power of the drill when working with end bits must be at least 650 W.
- The next type is represented by a high flexibility shaft designed for engraving work. The motor in this case is a drill, the speed of which is enough to perform complex patterns when working with hard-alloy metals or stone. The advantage of using a flexible shaft over an engraver is that the hand of the master while working with the shaft does not get tired at all. This is due to the convenience of using a thin tip, the work of which resembles writing with an automatic pen. In addition, it is possible to perform engraving on products of non-standard shapes.
In the following video you will find a review and comparison of flexible shaft with a chuck and a drill stand.
Polishing and sanding nozzles
As already noted, engravers are used for grinding objects made of different materials.
Usually for this kind of work the felt tip is used
, which is previously covered with a special polishing paste, acting as an abrasive component.
Polishing discs can be used both for roughing and for finishing. They are also often used when there is a need for surface finishing
In order to choose the most suitable paste, it is first necessary to determine the material properties of the workpiece to be ground. For hard metal surfaces, for example, pastes based on polishing powder and wax are suitable
And for finishing wood mixtures made of diamond dust with different fractions of granules are perfect
They allow you to get rid of scratches on glass and wood surfaces very effectively, and bring them to a perfectly smooth condition. The most recommended powders are those containing diamond fractions 5/3 and 3/2.
Felt powders for sanding can be used when working on wood, metal, glass, and for equipping drills in dental clinics, or the simplest hand tools.
Work sets for professionals
The equipment of professional series is represented by a separate category of nozzles.
Good craftsmen usually have sets of tools at their disposal that differ in design, materials of manufacture, shape of the working part.
In most cases, such sets consist of the following components:
- Different cutters for the engraver.
- Abrasive, diamond and felt nozzles.
- Drills, so that the unit can be used as a drill.
- Cutting discs.
- Wire nozzles for cleaning surfaces from dirt and corrosion.
All these components of the kit allow the specialist to produce a neat and high-quality workmanship
even for very small parts. For this, of course, quite often it is necessary to change the tools used to select a more appropriate in a particular situation variant of equipment.
But the end result is worth it. The availability of a large kit is often an indication of a craftsman’s professionalism and experience.
Flexible speedometer shaft
Lightweight cables transmit torque from the wheel axle to the speedometer’s magnetic coil. It is necessary to know the speed when driving. When the flexible shaft fails, the arrow on the instrument lies in extreme position or jumps sharply if the car hits an obstacle. It is possible to repair the speedometer yourself.
The flexible shaft is matched to the vehicle brand. You can check the fit by checking the attachment points and the length. It must fit easily into the gearcase and speedometer sockets. Improper installation will result in incorrect speed readings. If the shaft is long or has a small bend radius under the torpedo, there will be a characteristic knock. The life of the speedometer drive will be short.
The force transmitted by the flexible shaft to the coil is small. That’s why they mostly use a multicore cable and a tube body. It is impossible to make it yourself without special equipment and parts. You can buy a ready-made one in a store, or you can replace the shaft at a car dealership.