Thanks to Bill Blades for simplifying this. I was going to make it super complicated with machined aluminum blocks this is wayyyyyy easier.
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Hey Mike, thanks for the mention! Glad to see you got this done. Are the coupling nuts long enough to do the job? Almost looks as if the bearing is still bottoming out.
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Thanks Alex! I know you specifically asked Mike, but here’s a link to the ones I used:
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I’m new here so forgive me if this has been covered, but is there a reason you all decided you’d rather not let the bearing take the pressure? Is it just sort of a general principle about not touching that part if you can avoid it? I like to learn from people who know better than me and I have no experience in machining of any kind so if that’s a generally held belief I’ll incorporate that into my knowledge base.
Thank you both, just tossed them in my cart… appreciate it!
-Alex
It was my opinion that it would serve as a more repeatable stop, rather than stopping against the bearings which could potentially, after time, move. They are precision set from the factory, but I believe a solid stop is more appropriate.
Thank you. I appreciate the insight. I ordered a machine last week and appreciate you all taking the time to pass on information like this.
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another great idea from a great group
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I think it’s just the camera angle. There’s definitely a bit of a gap there. I used 20mm nuts and I think I measured the bearing stick out at 18.6mm. I do think I’ll add a couple of flat washers as well just to give a bit more room in case of dust buildup.
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Agreed and also I had issues with dust buildup causing machine to home out of square the stops should help to prevent this as well.
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Yeah, I figured that was probably the case. 20mm offsets it nicely & gives room so the bearing doesn’t home against dust/debris.
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Thanks to you and @Machinist for posting this! I was a little concerned about using the actual bearings as stall stops; I would think that the set screws could loosen over time causing bearings to move. I ordered some of these and will be outfitting my machine with them when I set it up!
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So these are 20mm long M5 threaded spacers? If so, I can get those local.
Yes, I’ve added a couple of flat washers as well just to give a bit more clearance for dust. Changed the limits to 813mm with 20mm connector nuts and 2 flat washers with each.
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So 813mm still gives you right about 32" of usable cutting area. I was going to add 1mm washers to each standoff. Anyone see an issue with nylon washers instead of steel?
I think you are all over looking that the bearings are tucked inside a steel casing that protects them plenty against a little bump against the stop. I think it is a non issue.
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Alden,
For me its not about the bearings, I know OF built a tank of a machine so the last thing I think is the bearings are going to go bad, they designed it to be the stop.
For me its the dust I find myself cleaning out the ring of sawdust that the bearings sweep to the frame before every carve. This will give that stuff a bit of a buffer to build up without issue. At least that’s how it will work in my mind… haha.
-Ale
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Agree my machine got .030” out of square over 11” in a big hurry from dust buildup. As for the bearings I don’t think it would hurt them but the bump and grind could lead to them moving, the vibration might lead to set screws coming loose as well. Although I suppose the vibration is there either way.
As long as the nylon doesn’t compress from one fastener to another I can’t imagine why it would make a difference. And yes 813mm is 32” and a bit of change.
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