Magnetic Shop Sweeper from an Electric Motor

I saw a magnetic sweeper used to pick up ferrous bits and pieces from your shop floor a couple of months ago. I thought this was pretty cool, and then I looked at the price tag and decided it wasn't that cool after all. Shortly after that my shredder crapped out so I ripped it apart and one of the things I was left with was the magnets in the motor housing. I had a bright idea to build my own magnetic shop sweeper, but no motivation until this contest came up. So this is how I built a magnetic shop sweeper out of stuff I had accumulated in my parts collection. I had to buy one part. So the reuse aspect and fact I didn't buy something that had to be transported halfway around the world from where it was made, makes this project green. Plus you can recycle all the little bits you pick up.

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Step 1: Materials Used

This is a list of materials I used. This is meant to be a guide not an exclusive list as everyone will have a different parts hoard.

1 motor housing (or other big honkin' magnet)
2 Castors or wheels of some sort
Metal rod (or a suitable alternative to serve as an axle) Mine happened to have threaded holes for screws in it.
4 screws w/ nuts
1 ¾" dowel rod
2 pieces of scrap metal
Metal bonding epoxy
General use epoxy
2 Plastic buttons from an electronic device (or other suitable material to serve as a hub cap)

BigCoCo says: May 7, 2008. 2:10 PM

this is awesome! i need to make one of these to use after my brother does all of his metalwork. the plasma cutter and grinder tend to leave really sharp pieces of metal on the ground that are to small to see and pick up but have no trouble sticking into the bottom of my feet

RadBear (author) in reply to BigCoCoMay 8, 2008. 5:24 AM

Yeah, our dogs have to walk through my workshop to make it to the back yard and I'd be in deep trouble if paws became impaled.

incorrigible packrat says: May 7, 2008. 7:12 PM

By "shredder" are you referring to document, leaf, villain from Ninja Turtles, or some other type of shredder I'm not familiar with? I'm not trying to be a knob or anything, I just wouldn't expect a shredder to use a permanent magnet motor. Not that I have any experience with shredders, being more the type to keep sensitive documents squirrelled away for all eternity.

Here's a suggestion. If you made a removable cover, for the magnets, out of 'looneymum or Orange Crush bottle plastic, you could pull it off and get all them screws offa there in one swell foop. Or perhaps you already did so, and just removed it for picture clarity.

I reeeealy don't wanna sound like a nit-picker, (I've plenty of my own and they itch terribly) but I gotta call "homonym alert" on Step 1, which should read "parts hoard", rather than "parts horde", unless your collection of parts include a clan of Roombas, that prowl the carpeted steps (steppes). I'm not criticising here, I just thought others could benefit from the grammar lessons drummed into me by (strangely enough) Hekyll and Jekyll, on the early 80's Mighty Mouse cartoon (the Filmation Mighty Mouse, not the supposedly coke-sniffing Ralph Bakshi Mighty Mouse). Uhhhh where was I? It's a good thing you didn't use the other homonym of that word. Who knows what would have been said about, "parts whored".

Oh Lordy! I do get carried away sometimes (mostly in restraints, in the back of black vans with wire mesh over the windows).

RadBear (author) in reply to incorrigible packratMay 8, 2008. 5:23 AM

I forgot to mention...that idea for a cover for the magnets is a really good one. I wish I had thought of it. I'll have to try and magic one up in the near future.

RadBear (author) in reply to incorrigible packratMay 8, 2008. 5:20 AM

I'm referring to a desk top paper shredder. Worked very nicely for about 10 months and then died from over use. Horde/hoard correction made. You avoided being a pedantic wanker by having a sense of humor. :) Also my brother has an English degree so I'm used to grammar correction.