Winter project....Wooden derailleur

[futuristicoldman]

Its raining and im bored so ive decided im going to build a rear mech at home out of wood. I dont have any tools of any merit but does not matter because I was hypnotised some years ago and now believe that I can do absolutely anything if I put my mind to it.
It will have some off the shelf jockeys and metal pivots and bolts but the rest will be straight from the earth. Im mentioning it here so hopefully peeps will nudge me to finish it!....I believe I can do anything but am easily distracted. If it goes to plan and works I will do a front mech too!
Disbelievers please feel free to laugh
Stay tuned

 

[Russell]

If you can make a mech, you can make a couple of jockey wheels... You know it makes sense.

 

[Koupe]

Self-lubricating wood

 

[Russell]

Self-lubricating wood

Titter.

 

[Raging_Bulls]

Theoretically a wooden mech can work. However : due to its organic nature, wood can flex more easily than metal. So expect it to be a bit slower at shifting than a normal one and inprecise.
I'd suggest friction thumbies, because index shifters will need adjustment depending on humidity and air temperature.

You'll also need to spend extra attention to paint, wax or whatever you plan on using to protect the surface.
The slightest bit of moisture in the wood on one part of the cage can be enough to move the bottom section nearly half a gear. As you know, mechs do get wet and muddy.

Either way, balsa wood won't cope with the forces.
You'll need something strong, so I'd suggest having a look at the Janka Scale and choosing some of the higher ranked woods on there.

 

[sylus]

Self-lubricating wood

Titter.

Phnar phnar

 

[futuristicoldman]

That sounds like a pivot bolt in the making. The majority of it will be african blackwood because I have a bag of it in my cupboard. Its great stuff, you can tap a fine thread into it and its as tough as old booties.

 

[futuristicoldman]

It will probably be a 6 speed mech to go on my daft old mountain klein thats about to start taking shape, I figure the less gears it has to cover then the more it can twist buckle and warp!

 

[lae]

What a wonderful idea.

Are you going to go for a parallelogram or something simpler?

 

[Koupe]

Self-lubricating wood

Titter.

Phnar phnar

:facepalm: I must be tired