Help with Slip Roller Build

I am in need of a slip roller for doing some small sheets of 16ga, probably no longer than 12-18".

I ran across this seemingly simple design on eBay of all places, and it seems easy enough to fabricate.

I've got all the materials, but here's the catch: I don't have a lathe.

I DO have large mill, drill presses, etc.

What would be the best/most sensible way to center drill the rounds? Find someone that has a lathe?





Thanks,,

You just need to put a hole in the center of the round bar?

You have a mill, but the real question is: do you have a dial indicator?

you'll get more help at the hobby machinist sites.

I would lay out the center of each bar with a center square, center punch and drill in a drill press. Use two vises if you have them, one on the bottom, and one on the table, but hanging over the edge or bolted to an angle plate to let the bar pass by. Centerdrill, drill and tap each bar before going to the next. Should be able to get within .010, close enough for a slip roll.

What kind of mill? When I think "large," I'm thinking something like a 5-ton Cinci or K&T or such, either horizontal or fixed head vertical. If you have a horizontal mill, this would be easy-peasy. If you have a vertical mill, however, the issues are fixturing and amount of travel - even if you have the head room to stand the 18" piece of steel on the table and drill the end, how will you hold it securely so the top end doesn't wiggle around like spaghetti?

But if, by chance, your definition of a large mill is a Bridgeport or similar mill, then you have some additional options. Use a right-angle plate right at the edge of the table, and secure the piece so that most of the piece hangs down below the table - all of the clamping is done up at the top where the drilling needs to occur. Swivel the head and move it in or out as needed to reach the piece, center it, and drill away.

PocoLoco - sounds good. That's all the accuracy I'm looking for.

awake - I have a 3hp 2.5ton Cinci.. and your suggestion just reminded me that it has T-slots on the side of the table as well.. Angle plate is a good idea...
Now time to figure out how to secure it all in...

OK- I think this should give me a good start. Thank you all for the help

digger doug said:

you'll get more help at the hobby machinist sites.

Click to expand...

and probably less rude comments from hateful people with someone else spit in their coffee

If you hang it over the side, to find center you could use a piece of 1/2" or so round stock in a collet and use a piece of thin shim or paper to find/feel the left edge on the x-axis and then find the right edge and calculate the center on x and do the same for the y. Should be easy enough even the first time through to get to better than within +/- .001 or so each way. It would be much quicker and more accurate to indicate in the center with a DTI held in a chuck or collet, of course. But with care, a bit of shim and a pin in the collet, very good work can be done and closer than +/- .001 too. Rotate the pin 180 when switching from left to right so that you are trapping the shim between the same pin face and the shaft. That gets rid of the error introduced by pin non-straightness and collet or chuck eccentricity.

It looks to me like the better the centering of the shaft holes the better the roll should function. I must say I have seen better designs. This one looks pretty rudimentary and I would expect it to be pretty jerky-jerky and not very durable. Don’t want to be discouraging. Just saying.

Denis