Gear creating software

Wow, well over 3,000 views and going on 90 replies. This thread is a hit! :)

Guys, I may have a new spin (no pun intended) on how to set you gears on a shaft and with a little TLC, have the least resistance possible and no slop going on. This here little gizmo should be familiar to most router heads. It's a "roller bearing":

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...lerBearing.jpg

This particular little puppy came off of a 1/2" shank router bit, so naturally the inner hole is exactly 1/2" diameter, which should fit very snugly over 1/2" dowel rod with maybe a little persuasion. The outer diameter is 1 1/4", easy enough to cut your center hole to fit with maybe a little glue. The bearing is about 1/4" thick.

The inner and outer rings spin independently of one another on sealed greased bearings. Smooth as silk. Similar to shoulder bolts, this set-up would allow you to securely fasten your rod (axle) to your base (you DON'T want your rods to spin!), while allowing your gears to spin freely and securely.

Make sense? hmmm.... http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIDENTIFIED...item5d2e7bc1c8

p.s. Never mind those harmonicas in the background of the pic. I can't play. :(

p.s. Never mind those harmonicas in the background of the pic. I can't play.
Don't they also call that a mouth organ?:eek:

Let me ask, if you have small gears like the ones you've cut so far do you really need the bearings? I know i mentioned using a washer to just raise the gear enough off the surface to keep the friction down but these bearings look like they are made to help rotate around the shaft as opposed to help rotate something laying on top of them? If the ball stuck proud of the bearing surface wouldn't that be better?
Reading the item description it seems these are more meant to roll something on the outside edge as if they were sitting on their sides. In that case you could make the hole on the gear large enough to fit over the outside edge and would give you the benefit? Keep up the research and design:D

Jack I think the roller bearings are the way to go. If your material is thick enough, you could actually cut a pocket in the back of your gears for them to fit in snugly (with a little adhesive to make sure nothing slips). The result? No visible hardware on the fronts!

I don't know when I'll get to my next gear project, but roller bearings it will be! Here's some more: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bearings-for...item4ab573dc43

Edit to say: I bought those bearings. :)

Ryan,
What is the blue material you have for the gear backing?:confused:

Jack, what kind of motors did you order?

it was the motor and power supply in the links you gave me from MPJA. I got them the other day, i just haven't had the opportunity to do anything yet.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by myxpykalix

it was the motor and power supply in the links you gave me from MPJA. I got them the other day, i just haven't had the opportunity to do anything yet.

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Naw, that was Steve. Those motors have the tiny shafts.

I would like to get a small motor to use as a generator. Connect it to a small light and Kids could play with the different gear ratios to see how bright they can get the light.
The blue material is ColorCore http://www.kingplastic.com/products/all-products/king-colorcore/. After drilling the holes I tapped them to be able to mount the shoulder bolts. The shoulder bolts worked will but would be better if bearings were used as Mark suggests.

Folks, I have been messaging Brett Dickins, the master gear sculptor from Australia that I mentioned at the beginning of this thread and come to find out, Brett uses dowel rods and roller bearings. The following info is straight from Brett:

Mark,

The dowels are hardwood, usually some variety of Oak (any hardwood dowel will do) and I buy them at my local hardware store. The bearings are from a bearing specialty store, I'm sure you will find one nearby with a bit of a search. First I degrease the outer edge of the bearing, and add epoxy to the center of the hole of the gear.. Place the bearing inside the hole and let it set sitting on a flat surface so that gear and bearing are flush with each other rather than the bearing being crooked inside the hole. I then add epoxy to the front and rear of the edge where the bearing meets the gear center so that it can't go anywhere. The 8mm center of the bearing goes over the dowel, I use a piece of PVC pipe and a hammer to persuade them onto the dowel, then some epoxy front and back where the bearing meets the dowel to ensure it will never go anywhere either. At this stage you have a gear mounted to a bearing on an axle, and it's ready to go into your sculpture. I also sand the gears and add a circular wooden piece to the front end of the axle to hide the bearing underneath, and clear coat everything a few times for a nice glossy finish, all cosmetic.

You will very much learn from experience what works best for you as you go along. It actually took me the best part of 2 years of development (my degree is in visual art, not engineering) to get my works to the stage where I was comfortable selling them and knowing that barring any stresses that they weren't designed for such as being dropped, then they will run smoothly for many years to come.

Well there you have it guys, straight from the horses mouth, and I can't take credit for the idea.

Brett has his gears laser cut, but obviously it makes no difference how they are cut as long as it's accurate. The bearings he uses have an 8mm center hole, and here's a link I found for 8mm wooden dowel rod: http://www.thehardwarehut.com/catalo...p?p_ref=260423

I've made a few sets of motorized gears and now I'm really itching to get to my next set. I can see how the roller bearing & dowel rod axle set-up will eliminate so many problems and frustrations I have encountered previously, which has stopped me from tackling more complex and intricate designs. It's the way to go, no doubt. I'll probably use 10mm sheet PVC for the gears (I like the way PVC cuts and it's fun and easy to paint), with a hole pocketed (counter sunk) in the back of the gears for the bearing and axle assemblies (nothing visible on the fronts).

I still haven't decided on a motor. It needs to meet several requirements for me: small, quiet, readily available, relatively inexpensive, 120 v., already wired up (or easily wired up) with a plug, easily mountable, a hefty and adaptable shaft, and low rpm. Any suggestions?

Once I have everything I need, it's gonna get crazy! :)

I'm gonna send Brett a link to this thread and see if he might like to join in.

After reviewing this thread, I see that Steve had posted a link earlier for the PERFECT motor for me! Thanks, Steve!

http://www.micromark.com/animation-gearmotor,7886.html

That's the one!!! :)