Originally Posted by
bobotech
Neat tool. Looks like you could easily make one by building a frame for the wheels with a big cutout in the middle and using something to push the center of the wheel down. I wonder if you could even use something as simple as a lever?
Anyone can build one bobotech, the fundamental issue is the following:
"Control"
1. Determining the limits to operate in for a given wheel that is being built in volume...
AND
2. Ensuring the the minimal amount of stress relief is occuring to ensure a properly stress relieve wheel.
So testing, scale determination, and calibration is required as part of the tool design.
The benefits are - anyone can do it on the line with minimal training - AND it can function in a high volume environment. Like a spoke machine - it would pay for itself pretty quickly.
Using the hard parallel squeeze method works fine - but it's slower AND some folks back off on "hard" thinking they're going to damage the wheel - not realizing you'd probably bust your own fingers and palms or cry like a baby before you can do that - resulting in a wheel that still is not stress relieved.
One misinterpretation some folks have with Jobst is the belief that he is against the method picture in the video - manipulating the hub, OR the rim. The truth is he against it in the absence of controls to avoid destruction of the wheel.
=8-)