Gear creating software

[brian harnett]

I been using this program for a few days, it works very well the download version was 26.00 well worth it, the interface is very easy it will create quite a few gear types and chain drives.

I was able to export a dxf and go right to cutting without any file cleanup.

Link http://woodgears.ca/gear/index.html

A few examples of what I have cut.

[Mark Tucker]

Gears are fun. Here's a set I did last year. The drive motor is a 3rpm microwave turntable motor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj9Xt...tJayUy3glECFP7

...and here's a prototype of another set I was working on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=ZWoprtB_7zE

Some of the working examples you can find on youtube are astounding! Check this guy out. He's in Australia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--GzAChLSz4

[Chris Schaie]

I'll also give a shout out to "Gearotic Motion" I have bought the full versions of both.

http://www.gearotic.com/

and @ Mark: what kind of torque do you get from a micro table motor? Thats a great source of low cost, low RPM motors I hadn't considered.

[Mark Tucker]

Chris,...those little motors have an amazing amount of torque. Connecting them to the drive gear can be a little tricky but yes, these motors are readily available in various RPM's for not a lot of money and they are quiet. Most of the noise you hear from a typical microwave oven comes from the fans.

The fellow in Australia (Brett Dickins), uses motors from old VCR/VHS players. I haven't seen one of those in 10 years.

[Chris Schaie]

Thanks Mark, off to the salvage yard...

I am assuming these are typicaly 120v AC motors? or are they stepped down DC? (I'm sure I will find out, just thinking about power supplies)
..And nice thought too on VCR's, though I dont think I've seen one of those for a while either. Note to self: drop by goodwill.

[Russ Wood]

Chris that second one from Austrailia looks like something you would come up with! Russ

[Mark Tucker]

Chris - I always look for the 120v, preferably with a metal drive shaft and not plastic, although the plastic ones may be fine I dunno. The shafts are short, about 1/2", typically 1/4" diameter with a "D" profile. Ideally, you'll want the little plastic cog that slides over the shaft and fits in a pocket under a glass microwave turntable, and the cogs can be hard to find. Here's a motor on ebay that comes with a cog, but the seller is not very descriptive about the motor itself: http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMANA-MICROW...item3f0b360978

(Usually on ebay they don't come with the cogs.) What I have done before is to fasten the cog to the back of the drive gear with some small screws then slide that over the drive shaft of the motor.

Goodwill would be a good resource for the entire oven. I bought a nice one there for $10.00, then proceeded to dismantle it and ended up with the motor and the cog.

[Brad Winesett]

Mark and Chris - Come on now about the VCRs. They are not that antiquated! I still use mine 2 or 3 times a week to record TV shows, no kidding. The VHS blank tapes are getting hard to find though.

I also don't text with my cellphone. It doesn't even have a qwerty pad.

Makes me wonder how I ever came to own a Shopbot.

[Jeff Hedlund]

u can still get vcr blanks at radioshack

[Randy D]

TV Tuner in the laptop. Record my shows that way