How to build a Deburring Bucket for Your Parts

Tumbler Update......To aid in the mixing motion inside the bucket, and eliminate the waterfall drop, I added 3 more ribs and also reduced the height of all of them to 3/4". The sound and performance is much more stable.

A new level of precision in the world of tumblers. Although, the one that still sticks in my memory was the guy who used a old metal tool box chained to a tractor wheel as he drove around his property an hour.

Yep, using the metal drill on wood and the metal lathe as a rock tumbler. What could be next!!

You're a classy guy Joe, we use an old cement mixer and rocks

I did the same thing almost 20 years ago. The first proof of concept was a 1 gallon paint bucket. Held it in a three jaw chuck and supported it with a live center. I just used sharp concrete aggregate. That worked a treat. So I welded up a hexagonal drum from 1/4” plate. If you think your bucket is loud…. Eventually I got a commercially available 36” barrel. Rubber lined and the rubber is about 1.25” thick. Much better. Quiet! We do the process wet and add a soap like additive. It accelerates the process and keeps the dust down.

New challenge: use that set up to make ice cream while running two other machines.

I use my concrete mixer and pea gravel

If you're reading this for a DIY project, look into the tire tumblers as well. They use an old tire as the "drum". No worries about gradually wearing thru the other kinds of of drums. Several examples on YouTube.

Add some coolant from the CNC to the bucket, keeps dust down and prevents rust.

Clever as always. Make another with a polishing media. De- Burr then polish.

I once saw a guy use a harbor freight cement mixer as a large tumbler 😂

I use a tumbler with stainless steel media to clean my brass. I also use a tumbler with media to make air float charcoal. I never would have thought to use it to debur parts.

Nice, I’ve been using a cement mixer for this, dump it all into a wheelbarrow once done. Off the shelf ghetto solution

Very cool DIY. Adding some water (assuming the bucket is sealed) may help with that. I"ve built three ball mills in the past.... so yes, tumbling makes a lot of noise. As an alternative for smaller scale - fill that bucket with some insulating wool, place and secure a smaller container in there - now you won't hear the noise.

make a wire mesh grid for another bucket to dump the abrasives in that would sift out the fines , keep the large chunks and the finished pieces separated

That was awesome thinking outside the preverbal box. Yes I was trying to figure out how he was going to spin that bucket. Never in a million years, would I've guessed, using a Metal Lathe. Hand to Face slap. Why didn't I think of that.. That's why it's important to watch Mr. Joe Pie's (a.k.a, Mr. PUZZLE MAN.) video's. Thanks so much for sharing, and taking the time to make this video.

This would be good for case preparation with walnut media.

Hi Joe, Tumblers are very useful for cleaning up parts. I knew of a company that had a few of them that were actually made of wood, similar to small barels that had openable hatches, that stood up to the abrasion for decades. Tbey had multiple barrels mounted in a vertical frame driven from an electric motor via a chain drive. They used things like broken ceramic tiles for the abrasive, which seemed to work amazingly well. Not sure how well the plastic bucket will last. Regards Dennis

Nice - those polished parts resemble the clamps that are coming with my tool holder !! Thanks. John

I have used a Harbor Freight cement mixer. (The one with the plastic drum) - We had it anyway to use for mixing concrete for smallmachine bases and things like that (Millwright Contractors), Just got the stone pyramids and a little water and let 'er rip. Dump it onto a sheet of plywood when done and have the kid pick the parts out and shove the stones back into the mixer for the next time. - Don't think they sell it anymore but at the time (over 20 years ago) I thing we paid something like a C-note for it. Still got it sitting behind the barn. Needs a motor but other then that it's ready for fence posts or deburring parts. - Wounder what the rocks cost these days though. Wounder if you could just use gravel or marble chips?