Used brake rotors good for anything?

[mickeyf]

I know some people use new ones for tramming. I have used a large fly wheel from a truck as a base for a grinder stand. It seems like even a largish brake rotor is too light weight and not wide enough to be very effective for that. So, just more scrap, or good for anything?

[Dan_the_Chemist]

The outrigger support post for my Horrible Fright band saw is made with a brake rotor. You're right that a brake rotor is too small for a grinder stand, but it holds overhanging stock very nicely.

[fixerup]

I have made a lazy susan for my 45 gal drum garden. Welded a skirt on the bottom edge and filled it with golf balls. Another simpler version was used for my patio umbrella. It was just a welded tube to a rotor driven in the ground and a second rotor attached to the umbrella

[RB211]

Windy Hill Foundry uses them to recast into other things with a diesel burning furnace.

[A.K. Boomer]

I have made a lazy susan for my 45 gal drum garden. Welded a skirt on the bottom edge and filled it with golf balls. Another simpler version was used for my patio umbrella. It was just a welded tube to a rotor driven in the ground and a second rotor attached to the umbrella

Nice work I like that, and pretty smooth operation I bet,

I use them on my squat rack - too cheap to buy disc's and too old of a meathead to use huge weight anyways so they suffice...

[boslab]

I used 3 of them for a long time as welding supports to stop me torching the bench, you know, 3 points are a plane, they worked fine.
mark

[JustJim]

Yes - The roller on top has PTFE bushings and it has a simple 1/2-13 threaded height adjuster.

[rklopp]

My air hose reel is mounted on one from an old VW Jetta. It’s too light. If I yank the hose to unreel it, it slides.

[Lew Hartswick]

A friend replaced a couple on his 250 ford PickUp and I took one to make an excellent head tramming disc for the Bridgeports at school . Checked the thickness all the way around, couldn't see any variation and as still smooth.
...lew....

[Dan Dubeau]

Currently just stack them up, and have 3 stacks about 3' tall. Only posting that as a way of bookmarking and keeping an eye on this thread for ideas.

Eventually I'd figure Id use a few for stands when I needed them etc, and just scrap the rest.

[wmgeorge]

Do you have a boat?

[mickeyf]

Some good ideas - I like the golf ball bearings!

Do you have a boat?

Hah! Not any more, if you're thinking "anchor". Just a Kayak.

[Dieseldoctor]

[CalM]

I have a stack of 'em! A bunch are used for adding weight to the garden tractor in winter. A simple "post" goes on the hitch mount, and the brake discs are stacked on.
IIRC its a pile of 8 , so the weight is not trivial, Makes a huge difference when plowing snow.

Another use, a bit off the normal, is I use them for rough and ready lapping wheels. I have a precision "Lapmaster" from my optics days, and easily attach an old disc brake rotor to the machine with MAGNETS. It's just the thing for "flattening" most anything, using various grinding or polishing "grits". From "Black Beauty" sand blasting grit to fine clover polish, there is always something that needs a better finish. Planer knives, Plane blades, etc. Not for everyone, but something ;-)

Oh! and bases for support stands ;-)

[old mart]

There are a couple of 11" solid discs under the junk bench in the museum workshop, one day I will find a use for them.