I'm setting up an area for photographing items we make for sale. I bought different colored 9' wide paper backdrops. As the area for photographing is in the living room, the rolls need to be easily retracted off the floor when people are living nearby. Some of the items are tall, so the backdrop needed to be hung near the ceiling. I decided bevel gears would work well for the application.
Both left and right spindles are slightly tapered to fit in the backdrop core tightly. I made them on the lathe. They both stick into the core about 3".
The left spindle slides inwards and outwards on a snug cherry dovetail. This allows for changing the roll, and allowed the hanging screws to go into the studs.
I wanted to make this quickly, so I didn't bother too much with visual details. The entire thing is made from scraps: maple, cherry, hickory, walnut, birch for the gears. Above is the indentation from the lathe drive center. It will be nice to have the centers marked in case I ever need to modify it.
Here is the rod that spins the gear. I figured two pins mated with oversize holes used like this would be a sort of universal coupling.
The gear is held to the spindle with two setscrews in case I ever want to take it apart. The only glue I used was to connect the parts of the handle (below)
60 degree dovetail.
