Modular is king...

After a quick brainstorming session, Thom, Jeff and I decided that the first task was to design and build a modular roller system. The original Leary prototype is based in an antique wash roller that was modified to remove the outer "husk" from the millet.




We wanted to create a simple but robust roller module that could be built from sheet stock and the same design could be used for both top and bottom (hence the "2 pass" name) rollers.

Jeff, in his mechanically "savant" way, built the first set of working prototypes in a single day, and they worked perfectly. Building off this great start, we built a second complete set out of durable material and gave it a spin...

Once we got the first set spinning, we assembled the second set, mounted it to a temporary frame and added some pulleys and belts to spin both. We plan to use sprockets and chain for the final device, but this was a way to get us up and running quickly.