Electric Eel Wheel Builder's Guide (Structure)

Image

Description

1/2” High Quality Plywood

(7”x5” Front; 7”x5” Back; 5”x8” Left; 5”x8” Right; 7”x9” Bottom)

From local hardware store

3/4” x 1 1/2” Oak

(6 1/2” break; 5 1/2” flyer)

From local hardware store

1/2” Oak Dowel

(2x 5 1/2” pieces for flyer)

From local hardware store

1/8" -> 3/8” Shaft Collar

1" Pulley

4" Pulley

5/8" Flyer Pipe 9 1/2” long

5/8” Shaft Collar for Flyer

Plastic Tubing for Flyer 5" long

3” Wooden Circles

Made from 1/4” plywood at local hardware store and a hole saw

1/8” Neoprene belt (12 3/4” long)

Flyer Ring

Made from 1” keyring and elastic hair band

5' of 3/4” Nylon Webbing

Small Eye Hook

From local hardware store

4” piece of 3/4” Flat Bungee

From local hardware store

1/4” Lock Nut and 1 1/2” x 1/4” Bolt

1/2” #4 Screw

Wooden Knob

From local hardware store

Sticky Feet

From local hardware store

Electric Eel Wheel Control Sticker (printed on clear sticky paper)

(Download pdf here)

Paper Clip

From local store

Below is Diagram #1. Many of the later steps refer back to this.

Bottom

(No drilling or cutting needed)

Left

(No drilling or cutting needed)

Right – Cut a 1x1 1/2” notch out with a saw. Refer back to Diagram #1 to see how this cut needs to be made.

Front

1) Drill a 5/8” hole through this piece and then use a saw to create the slot seen at the bottom of this picture.

2) Drill 2 3/4” holes 3/8” through the 1/2” thick plywood. Then use a 7/16” and 3/8” drill bits to create the correct sized hole the rest of the way through.

3) Drill the 1/4” hole.

Refer back to Diagram #1 to see details on where to make these holes and cuts.

Back

1) Drill a 1/4” hole through this piece.

2) Drill a 5/8” hole through this piece and then use a saw to create the slot seen in this picture.

Refer back to Diagram #1 to see details on where to make these holes and cuts.

Layout the bottom, left, right, front, and back. It should look like this.

Use wood glue to connect the left, right, front, and back together. I recommend using clamps, but weights or elastic bands should also work. Check to make sure all the corners are square. The 5/8” slots on the front/back and the 1x1 1/2” notch on the side should all be facing up.

Then glue these four sides to the bottom.

Let the glue dry before handling this piece again.

Drill two 1/2” holes and one 5/8” hole into the 5 1/2” piece of oak that is used for the flyer.

Refer back to Diagram #1 to see details on where to make these holes.

In one of the dowels drill a 5/64” hole 1 1/2” from the end. Then screw the eye hook into that hole.

Refer back to Diagram #1 to see details on where to make this hole.

Use wood glue to glue the dowel pieces into the holes you drilled into the oak.

In the 6 1/2” piece of oak drill a 1/4” hole. Then I used a 3” hole saw to create the curve in the image to the left, but cutting a 'v' into the wood with a hand saw would work fine.

Refer back to Diagram #1 to see details on where to make these holes and cuts.

Glue the flat elastic bungee onto the break. I use “Goop Glue”. You want to make sure the bungee is stretched when glued. Clamps work great to hold the bungee while the grue dries. If you have a staple gun that will also work here.

Let the glue dry before handling this piece again.

Take the aluminum tube and use drill hole punch to make a dent to help start a drill 3” from one end of the tube.

Use a 7/16” drill to go through one the pipe on one side.

Put the 4” pulley onto the aluminum pipe and align it as it is in the picture. Use a hex wrench to tighten it into place.

Put the wooden flyer onto the aluminum pipe. Don't glue it into place yet. You will glue it on the next step.

Put the shaft collar onto the aluminum tube and then use the plastic tube as a spacer to position it so the plastic tubing can wiggle about 1/4” back and forth on the aluminum pipe. Then use a hex wrench to tighten the shaft collar into place.

Now glue the wooden part of the flyer to the 4” pulley. I used “Goop Glue”.

Let the glue dry before handling this piece again.

Tighten the 1/4” lock nut and bolt into place. Make sure it is tight enough so the brake is stiff when moving it.

Screw on the wooden handle.

Test fix the motor controller board. Make sure both the on/off switch and the speed control dial have all their nuts removed or the controller won't fit into place. This was completed in the Builder's Guide for the motor controller.

Next use a 1/2” drill to make the hole for the power plug. The test fitting of the motor controller board was to help you line up the correct place to drill this hole. Make sure you remove the motor controller board when you drill this hole or you may damage the motor controller with the drill.

This is what the hole will look like after you have finished drilling it.

Cut out Electric Eel Wheel sticker alone the dotted lines and then apply it.

Then mount motor controller into place. Tighten the on/off nut and the speed control dial nut. Then use a screwdriver to put the dial into place.

Put the heat sink into the location shown on the picture and use the #4 screw to hold it in place. It might help to drill a 1/16” pilot hole for the screw.

Cut the nylon strap into two equal pieces and put them on to place as shown in the picture. I used a staple gun, but glue would also work.

Put the 4 sticky feet on the bottom.

Put the collar shaft onto the motor and tighten with a hex wrench.

Put the 1” pulley on the collar shaft and tighten with a hex wrench.

Align the motor's pulley with the large pulley. Note that the big and little pulley are on the same side as the motor controller. Then use a liberal amount of glue to hold the motor into place. I use “Goop Glue”.

Don't do anything with this until the glue has fully dried.

Assemble the bobbin by sliding the wooden circles onto the plastic tube. You need 1/16” overhang on one side and 1 1/4” overhand on the other. You should then test to make sure this works with your spinning wheel. Then you can glue the circles into place.

Take the paper clip and bend it into the shape shown in the picture.

This will be used as an orifice hook to pull the roving through the flyer when you start spinning a new bobbin.

Congratulations! You are now finished with the construction of you Electric Eel Wheel spinning wheel. Refer too the User's Guide for directions operating it.

Here is an image of a finished Electric Eel Wheel.

Next see the User's Guide to see about installing the bobbin, belt, and lubricating the flyer.