Invent Design Make

Entry 9 – Corner Pulley

The corner pulley serves to direct the rope vertically down to the cleat, and horizontally across to the end and middle pulley supports.  It should also prevent the two ropes from undesirable tangling.

This was made without any ball bearings, and while perhaps not quite as satisfyingly smooth, is used here to demonstrate the practical effectiveness of a  ‘simple’ solution.

Here are the scraps used for the corner pulley:  one of the last off cuts from the eucalyptus we used on the other pulley, will now form a base plate for this one;  we use the remains of the coil we took magnet wire from; and a scrap of pipe.  The contact block (found in skip) will be used elsewhere.

After levering the wire apart with a flat bladed screwdriver, a hole is drilled.

The pipe is bent a bit more. A hole is drilled and tapped to accept a bolt. This is very easy but fiddly in thin copper (remember to wear ocular safety apparatus).

Hole drilled in the eucalyptus backing board, with room for the bolt head to snuggle into.

A bolt is put through the pre-prepared hole in the wood and the coil, and up into the thread cut in the copper pipe. Another hole is made for a long bolt at the end of the pipe, to enclose the rope and add another wall fixing point.  Here, the corner pulley is nearly ready.