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Step 2Some Ideas For How To Make The Cheese Pumps
Our pumps are made from off the shelf PVC pipe and fittings. Each pump uses a 23" length of 1 1/4" Schedule 40 PVC pipe. PVC is made in several thicknesses for various applications, and we chose Schedule 40 over the more-common Schedule 20 because it is thicker and stronger. In addition to the pipe we need a matching 1 1/4" Tee, a Cap and two Plugs per pump.
Inside each pump is an auger made from a 24" length of 1 1/4" wooden dowel rod, which is also found at the Home Center. (See more on this in Step 3)
Our investigations led us to a variation on the classic Archimedes screw, which has been used to raise liquids for several thousand years. We were further inspired by the US Patent from 1930 shown below.
We start the pump construction by working on the PVC pump body. We epoxied a hardwood plug into the PVC plug to be a food-safe bearing. The trick is how to drill the hole dead-center on this plug. Making a jamb-chuck on my mini-lathe was as simple as mounting a chunk of pine lumber to a faceplate using wood screws. A recess (hole) is then turned into the block that closely matches the O.D. (Outside Diameter) of the plug. This is then turned true with a parting tool and a dimple is turned to help center the drill bit. The bit is mounted in a drill chuck and is pressed through the spinning plug. If the bit drives in without wobbling, it's centered properly.
For this step we used a Chopsaw to cut the PVC pipe to length, a Shopsmith Mark V as a horizontal drill and a Jet Mini-Wood Lathe.
Don't miss the VIDEO of the Six Cheese Fountain in action on Step 9!
Inside each pump is an auger made from a 24" length of 1 1/4" wooden dowel rod, which is also found at the Home Center. (See more on this in Step 3)
Our investigations led us to a variation on the classic Archimedes screw, which has been used to raise liquids for several thousand years. We were further inspired by the US Patent from 1930 shown below.
We start the pump construction by working on the PVC pump body. We epoxied a hardwood plug into the PVC plug to be a food-safe bearing. The trick is how to drill the hole dead-center on this plug. Making a jamb-chuck on my mini-lathe was as simple as mounting a chunk of pine lumber to a faceplate using wood screws. A recess (hole) is then turned into the block that closely matches the O.D. (Outside Diameter) of the plug. This is then turned true with a parting tool and a dimple is turned to help center the drill bit. The bit is mounted in a drill chuck and is pressed through the spinning plug. If the bit drives in without wobbling, it's centered properly.
For this step we used a Chopsaw to cut the PVC pipe to length, a Shopsmith Mark V as a horizontal drill and a Jet Mini-Wood Lathe.
Don't miss the VIDEO of the Six Cheese Fountain in action on Step 9!
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