Your situation is a normal finding. Most high volume producers of manufactured sieve size materials arrive at the same conclusion you have.

You'll want to determine the level of output rate you need, since roll crushers come in various sizes and capacities. Because they're a comparatively simple piece of equipment, there'll be a lot of options available from many manufacturers.

For example, the very foundry sand we use to make our molds is produced by a supplier with a homemade roll crusher, using a steel tubing affair for the arbor. We make a sleeve-like wear liner (roll shell) from a high hardness chrome iron material that is rather small in diameter, though long, and it produces at an acceptable rate.

Some of the manufacturers of roll crushers for your needs are: Gruendler Crusher (St. Louis, MO), FFE Minerals USA, Inc. (Bethlehem, PA), and McLanahan Corp. (Hollidaysburg, PA). There's also a substantial used crusher market, and your local equipment dealers should be able to locate something for you. Common aggregate roll crushers such as Cedarapids, Universal or Pioneer could be modified to suit your needs as well.

You've got a lot of options to look at before taking on making something yourself from scratch. Your inquiry doesn't note what type of crusher you're considering - there are as many types and sizes of crushers as there are foreign automobiles.

Size is the issue where you'll have to make your most difficult decision. Don't cut yourself short on what you figure you're going to be crushing, with whatever you get: a machine that's a little bigger than you'd think is necessary is better -- much better.

The most common machines are jaw crushers and cone crushers, followed by impactor and roll crushers. Domestic North American manufacturers of several suitable crushing machines are: Johnson Crushers International (Eugene, OR); Cedarapids, Inc. (Cedar Rapids, IA); and Telsmith, Inc. (Mequon, WI). Making the best choice of machine is predicated on defining what you intend to crush with it. There's also a tremendous used crusher market out there -- your local equipment dealers may find something suitable for you.

This will be an opinion-based response with plenty of counter views, but it goes like this:

The rotation of the mainshaft in a cone crusher is similar to (but not the same as) that of a crankshaft in an automotive application. There's plenty of "bumps and bangs" along the way with each revolution. These "bumps and bangs" could be considered similar to detonation, while the revolution itself is a smooth series of power strokes.

Retention and guidance of the shaft by itself is best suited to bushing-like confinement. A bushing with proper clearance and oil pressure is more than adequate to serve as the source of guidance and support, while being more forgiving in its willingness to accept the "bumps and bangs".

Bearings are more suitable in rotating assemblies that are not subjected to interruptions in a smooth transfer of motion. A wheel bearing, for example, has a suspension, shock absorbing device and a tire sidewall to absorb those "bumps and bangs". Bushings have their place, as do roller bearings. Rollers may be a bit too scientific for a rock crusher.

Here's my opinionated suggestion for a crusher -- hands down, a genuine Symons cone. We make parts for most all of the different crushers in the world, and we get to the bottom line the easiest, furthest and fastest with the original Symons cone crushers, for a multitude of reasons. That's an opinion that opens avenues of debate as well.

Having heard and seen all the stories, that's the view from here.

We have patterns for several models of the original Birdsboro-Buchanan jaw crushers and some even with slab-tooth design jaw dies here at Columbia Steel. If basic pattern equipment exists for a given model of the Birdsboro crusher, we can get to a "slab buster" jaw design fairly easy. If the basic pattern equipment doesn't exist, then the cost of the project is amplified considerably.

In order to identify what parts you need, it's important that the size and model type are identified properly. It's even better to find the actual part numbers on the castings needed. Old Birdsboro went about doing things more than one way. For example, they'd call out a crusher as 60x84 type "C". There can be another version of a similar sized crusher known as a 60x84 type "C-DF" -- and it would use altogether different parts than the other one.

The people that are really in the know on these crushers, and who may make some of the other items you're looking for, are known as P.R. Engineering in Oshawa, Ontario. They may be able to help you with the spacer wedge and toggles. There's another outfit up there in Kitchener, Ontario, known as Automatic Welding Machine and Supply Company that specializes in hydraulic toggles for many different models of jaw crushers. They make some pretty nice gear. Let our Columbia Customer Service Department know if we can help you with the "slab busters".

Had to do some research on this one with our resident Cedarapids expert (he used to sell them), and we came up blank as far as the original CR ever being involved in out-of-the country licenses. The older line mining crusher suppliers like Traylor Engineering (now FFE Minerals), or Allis-Chalmers (now Metso) were the jaw crusher manufacturers most likely to get involved in short lived arrangements like that.

Currently there is a new model with a crusher that size, the “world crusher” (that’s a Jaques / Cedarapids deal from Terex). Jaw dies for this crusher look like a Cedarapids with the stable jaw having end flanges with cheek plate lands on the sides, and the movable jaw just having the tapered ends -- held in with a wedge.

Not much help I’m afraid. Sketches with the basic fitting dimensions can be compared to existing equipment to make a cross match. That kind of information combined with photos work pretty well for identification. We’ve had to do that many times on inquiries like this.