a bicycle-powered forklift?

What do you call a straight-edge that has one of its sides so perfectly
notched that the teeth of a bicycle sprocket (the 'cogwheel' thing) will
mesh perfectly into it? Naturally, the spacing of the notches on the
straight-edge is going to depend on the spacing of the teeth, and this
is going to vary quite a bit. I don't think that what I am looking for,
is found at a bicycle shop, I'm probably going to have to go to a machine
shop to get one, though I'd prefer getting one on the cheap rather than
buying something brand new, or worse - shudder - cut one out of a metal
yardstick using a Dremel.

I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
under.

I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.

I wrote:
|What do you call a straight-edge that has one of its sides so perfectly
|notched that the teeth of a bicycle sprocket (the 'cogwheel' thing) will
|mesh perfectly into it? Naturally, the spacing of the notches on the
|straight-edge is going to depend on the spacing of the teeth, and this
|is going to vary quite a bit. I don't think that what I am looking for,
|is found at a bicycle shop, I'm probably going to have to go to a machine
|shop to get one, though I'd prefer getting one on the cheap rather than
|buying something brand new, or worse - shudder - cut one out of a metal
|yardstick using a Dremel.

Can anybody speculate what kind of a price should I expect to pay for a
straight-edge that has one of its sides notched in the fashion described
above?

|I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
|understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
|the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
|under.
|
|I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.

Whoooops, I meant to write 'platform' in the sentence above.

"Matthew Montchalin" wrote

Can anybody speculate what kind of a price should I expect to pay for a
straight-edge that has one of its sides notched in the fashion described
above?

|I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
|understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
|the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
|under.
|
|I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.

Whoooops, I meant to write 'platform' in the sentence above.

Go to www.emachineshop.com
Get the free CAD program, design it, and submit it for pricing.

Or....another design...use the chains(s) to actuate a block and tackle
contraption, raising your platform.

Pete

Matthew Montchalin wrote:
What do you call a straight-edge that has one of its sides so
perfectly notched that the teeth of a bicycle sprocket (the
'cogwheel' thing) will mesh perfectly into it? Naturally, the
spacing of the notches on the straight-edge is going to depend on the
spacing of the teeth, and this is going to vary quite a bit. I don't
think that what I am looking for, is found at a bicycle shop, I'm
probably going to have to go to a machine shop to get one, though I'd
prefer getting one on the cheap rather than buying something brand
new, or worse - shudder - cut one out of a metal yardstick using a
Dremel.

I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up
from the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up
from under.

I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.

I would think the easier way to do this would be to spin a suspended
cogwheel which winds up a chain or cable or rope and let that lift the
platform from above. Bicycle cogs are designed to mesh with bicycle
chains, not straight rows of solid notches. Using a straight row of
notches and a circular cogwheel you would only be able to engage one or
two teeth at a time, and given the narrow profile of the teeth this means
tremendous stresses for all but the lightest of loads.

"Matthew Montchalin" wrote in message
...
What do you call a straight-edge that has one of its sides so perfectly
notched that the teeth of a bicycle sprocket (the 'cogwheel' thing) will
mesh perfectly into it? Naturally, the spacing of the notches on the
straight-edge is going to depend on the spacing of the teeth, and this
is going to vary quite a bit. I don't think that what I am looking for,
is found at a bicycle shop, I'm probably going to have to go to a machine
shop to get one, though I'd prefer getting one on the cheap rather than
buying something brand new, or worse - shudder - cut one out of a metal
yardstick using a Dremel.

I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
under.

I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.


I think what you are trying to describe is a rack/pinion gear device.

On Fri, 30 Jul 2004, di wrote:
| I don't think that what I am looking for, is found at a bicycle shop,
| I'm probably going to have to go to a machine shop to get one, though
| I'd prefer getting one on the cheap rather than buying something brand
| new, or worse - shudder - cut one out of a metal yardstick using a
| Dremel.
|
| I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
| understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
| the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
| under.
|
| I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.
|
|
|I think what you are trying to describe is a rack/pinion gear device.

Thanks for the lead!

On Fri, 30 Jul 2004, Pete wrote:
|"Matthew Montchalin" wrote
|
| Can anybody speculate what kind of a price should I expect to pay for a
| straight-edge that has one of its sides notched in the fashion described
| above?
|
| |I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
| |understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
| |the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
| |under.
| |
| |I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.
|
| Whoooops, I meant to write 'platform' in the sentence above.
|
|Go to www.emachineshop.com

Thanks for the lead!

|Get the free CAD program, design it, and submit it for pricing.
|
|Or....another design...use the chains(s) to actuate a block and tackle
|contraption, raising your platform.

Thanks, I'll give it some thought.

On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 09:43:57 -0700, Matthew Montchalin
wrote:

What do you call a straight-edge that has one of its sides so perfectly
notched that the teeth of a bicycle sprocket (the 'cogwheel' thing) will
mesh perfectly into it?

A rack. cf "rack and pinion".

Naturally, the spacing of the notches on the
straight-edge is going to depend on the spacing of the teeth, and this
is going to vary quite a bit. I don't think that what I am looking for,
is found at a bicycle shop, I'm probably going to have to go to a machine
shop to get one, though I'd prefer getting one on the cheap rather than
buying something brand new, or worse - shudder - cut one out of a metal
yardstick using a Dremel.

Unless you can handle heavy side loads and considerable torque on the
pinion, a rack and pinion is not a really great lifting mechanism for
more than just trivial weight.

I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
under.

I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.

Why not build a mast a bit taller than the top of the range that you
want to reach, hang a free-wheeling sprocket there, loop the chain
over it, and use the chain to pull the load up? That's the way it's
done on lots of forklifts. This has the distinct advantage of needing
no custom-machined rack.

One pair of notes:

If you want the rack to travel and the pinion to stay fixed, bear in
mind that the rack must have someplace to go, *and* somplace to start
from. If it's intended to rise 3 feet, there has to be at least three
feet of space below it for the rack to occupy before it starrts to
rise.

Machining may not be needed; just weld the ends of a piece of chain to
a flat steel bar, and voila! A rack.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
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Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
under.

I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.


I think what you are trying to describe is a rack/pinion gear device.










Just nail a chain to a board...dah

Subject: a bicycle-powered forklift?
From: Matthew Montchalin
Date: 7/30/2004 3:39 PM US Eastern Standard Time
Message-id:

On Fri, 30 Jul 2004, Pete wrote:
|"Matthew Montchalin" wrote
|
| Can anybody speculate what kind of a price should I expect to pay for a
| straight-edge that has one of its sides notched in the fashion described
| above?
|
| |I'm trying to build a bicycle-powered 'forklift' if that helps anybody
| |understand my objective here. The platform is supposed to rise up from
| |the jacking action of a cogwheel cranking the straight-edge up from
| |under.
| |
| |I only want the 'forklift' to go up 3 or 4 feet or so, and no higher.
|
| Whoooops, I meant to write 'platform' in the sentence above.
|
|Go to www.emachineshop.com

Thanks for the lead!

|Get the free CAD program, design it, and submit it for pricing.
|
|Or....another design...use the chains(s) to actuate a block and tackle
|contraption, raising your platform.

Thanks, I'll give it some thought.

I think you'd have more luck looking in sailboat parts...this is definitely OT