Category: Member Projects

Member Projects

Log Lift Project

Log Lift Need

My son in New York State burns 10 cords of firewood annually.  

He splits each round using a tractor-mounted hydraulic splitter.  

Most of the wood comes from tree services that willingly drop it at his house rather than pay to have the logs landfilled.

The log lift idea was mine.  I was tired of lifting heavy rounds to the splitter.

 

Requirements

Attach to the existing splitter

Use existing 22 GPM, 2250 PSI hydraulic pump 

Handle up to 3 rounds simultaneously.

 

Costs

Hydraulic cylinder — $70 Facebook Marketplace

Dual spool hydraulic valve & variable flow control — $450

Hydraulic hoses & fittings — $175

Steel — Used scrap steel at FMS

Pig Rotisserie Project

Why Build a Rotisserie?

  • Pig roasts are great fun.  
  • Any day can become an EVENT with fire, a slow-cooking pig, many friends (often with excited children), and some beer.  
  • The rotisserie is the centerpiece.  Simple ones can be rented for $400/weekend.  
  • My son and his friends are experienced roasters.  They wanted a special rotisserie.

 

Pig Rotisserie Requirements

  • Support a 150 lb pig with a 3x safety factor with a spit rotation of 2-3 RPM
  • Fire tray should be 30 inches above the ground
  • Spit should be adjustable in height from 12-30 inches above the fire tray
  • Spit offset bar to be adjustable from 6-10 inches from the spit centerline
  • Skewers (4-6) should have four prongs. The length of each prong should be 6-7 inches 
  • Motor should support continuous operation for 8-10 hours
  • Drive should be simple, reliable, and safe  
  • The whole rotisserie should be mobile with turf-capable tires on one end and a handle on the other to allow it to be wheeled around on grass
  • The rotisserie should be easily disassembled to be stored inside a garage

 

Costs

  • Gear motor (¼ HP) — $100 on Facebook Marketplace
  • Steel — $300
  • Sprockets, chain, and 1-inch stainless shaft — $60
  • Turf tires, wheels, axle, and retaining pins — $105

Roomba Robot Project

We are repurposing some older iRobot Roomba vacuum cleaners as robotic learning platforms.  One goal is to mount a Raspberry Pi with WiFi and camera and have the Roomba follow a colored ball (it’s been done but…).  We could explore simple algorithms like birds flocking and related emergent behavior if we get enough of them.  Also as a learning platform to play with “Robot Operating System” (ROS2).  These are a good basic robot platform and are inexpensive if you can find a cheap older (500 or 600 series) Roomba at a yard sale.  Replacement batteries are about $20 and they have a serial port (5V TTL level) for communication and control.  Lots of library support out there also.  We now have a group of us at FMS that are getting familiar with this platform and can help others who want to convert one.

This work should feed directly into the electric wheelchair robot project.  Same software functionality but on a larger more capable platform.

If you have an older iRobot Roomba vacuum that you would like to donate contact us at info@framinghammakerspace.org