Section 1: V-Wheel sub-assemblies ================================== .. raw:: html .. figure:: Section1_start.png :width: 80% V-Wheels are what allow the Gantry of the CNC to move in the X and Y directions along the extrusions. This first section will describe how the wheel's are assembled. .. _Bearings: Option 1: Derek’s Hammer Method ------------------------------- YouTube Bookmark: https://youtu.be/ZkZot-WJXo8?t=24 In the video, Derek give’s us all a fine demonstration of the time honored American tradition of “Redneck Engineering” leveraging a block of wood and a hammer as the most minimal set of tools required to get bearings into a v-wheel. Section 1a: Supplies needed ``````````````````````````` #. Parts Needed: #. V-Wheel (12) #. Bearings (24) #. M8 flat washer (12) #. Tools Needed: #. A small square of wood (3”x3” or larger should be fine and 1/2” thick just to be safe) #. 1 hammer or an arbor press or a drill press #. A sturdy surface that can survive a beating (The author don’t suggest the dining room table unless you don’t fear your spouse killing you) Section 1b: Install the first bearing per V-Wheel ````````````````````````````````````````````````` YouTube Bookmark: https://youtu.be/ZkZot-WJXo8?t=82 .. figure:: section_1b_header.png :width: 80% These steps will need to be repeated for all 12 V-Wheels 1. Lay the V-Wheel flat on the surface 2. Place a bearing on the opening of the V-Wheel being careful to center it .. figure:: section_1b_wheel_bearing_1.png :width: 10% 3. Place the block of wood on the bearing 4. Strike the wood firmly trying to hit above where the center of the bearing is .. figure:: section_1b_wheel_and_hammer.png :width: 80% .. important:: You are not trying to pound the bearing to the center of the earth. This isn’t hammering a spike into concrete, think tapping in a finishing nail. If you hammer it like you are swinging a sledge hammer you can destroy both the bearing and the V-wheel. 5. Repeat this step for the remaining 11 wheels Section 1c: Finish the V-Wheel sub-assembly ``````````````````````````````````````````` YouTube Bookmark: https://youtu.be/ZkZot-WJXo8?t=105 Now that the first bearing is seated in the V-Wheel and you have a good sense of how hard to hit the bearings with the hammer its time to finish out the V-Wheel sub-assembly. 1. Flip over the V-Wheel so the side without a bearing is facing up. .. figure:: section_1c_first_bearing_in.png :width: 10% 2. Place an M8 flat washer inside the V-Wheel. .. important:: You must have this washer in between the 2 bearings to ensure the V-Wheels can roll correctly. Don’t forget it! 3. Repeat this step for the remaining 11 wheels Option 2: Use a Drill Press or arbor press ------------------------------------------ This was a suggestion from the MillRight CNC Facebook group. In industry, bearings are press fit into their sub-assembles via a tool called an Arbor press. If your home workshop is well supplied you may already have one as a basic one comes in handy for automotive repairs. While not as good as a dedicated Arbor press a Drill Press can be lowered with enough torque to serve the same purpose. If you don’t have either the author recommends you update your birthday/holiday wish list or make friends with people who have better tools! Section 1d: Supplies needed ``````````````````````````` #. Parts Needed: #. V-Wheel (12) #. Bearings (24) #. M8 flat washer (12) #. Tools Needed: #. 2 small square of wood (3”x3” or larger should be fine and 1/2” thick just to be safe) #. 1 Arbor press or a drill press .. note:: Harbor Freight sells a basic 1 ton press https://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-arbor-press-3552.html Section 1e: Install the first bearing per V-Wheel ````````````````````````````````````````````````` 1. Clamp down a piece of wood to the base of the press to give a flat surface 2. Lay the V-Wheel flat on the bed of the arbor or drill press. 3. Place a V-Wheel on the bed 4. Place a bearing on the opening of the V-Wheel being careful to center it 5. Gently lower the chuck and align the bearing center under the chuck. Use a pencil or tape to mark where the V-Wheel is. This makes it much easier to repeat 24 times 6. Back off the chuck an inch or 2 7. Place the block of wood on the bearing 8. Lower the arbor/drill press chuck onto the wood 9. Pull down and either kind of press should slide the bearing into the V-Wheel like buttah! 10. Repeat this step for the remaining 11 wheels Section 1f: Finish the V-Wheel sub-assembly ``````````````````````````````````````````` Now that the first bearing is seated in the V-Wheel its time to finish out the V-Wheel sub-assembly. 1. Flip over the V-Wheel so the side without a bearing is facing up. 2. Drop in an M8 flat washer inside the V-Wheel. It's ok if the washer isn’t perfectly aligned with the hole in the bearing. You can fix it later with the Allen key/screwdriver from the tools list .. note:: You must have the M8 washer in between the 2 bearings to ensure the V-Wheels can roll correctly. Don’t forget it! 3. Put the V-Wheel on your mark on the press 4. Place a bearing on the opening of the V-Wheel being careful to center it 5. Place the block of wood on the bearing 6. Lower the arbor/drill press chuck 7. Pull down and either kind of press should slide the bearing into the V-Wheel like buttah again * Optionally cringe at the fact that a Yankee is authoring the manual for a Southerner's CNC machine 8. Repeat this step for the remaining 11 wheels Option 3: Use a Pipe Clamp -------------------------- This was another suggestion from the MillRight CNC Facebook group. A pipe clamp is a low cost and effective way to apply the needed pressure to seat the bearings in the v-wheel. Section 1g: Install the first bearing per V-Wheel ````````````````````````````````````````````````` .. figure:: section_1g_v_wheel-assembly-pipe_clamp-0.jpg :width: 75% 1. Separate the jaws of the clamp to be just slightly larger than the v-wheel and bearing 2. Place a bearing on the opening of the V-Wheel being careful to center it 3. Tighten the clamp so that it holds the v-wheel and bearing via friction 4. Ensure the bearing is centered on the opening of the v-wheel 5. Tighten the clamp until the bearing is fully seated in the v-wheel 6. Back off the clamp and remove the assembly 7. Repeat this step for the remaining 11 wheels Section 1h: Finish the V-Wheel Sub-Assembly ``````````````````````````````````````````` 1. Drop in an M8 flat washer inside the V-Wheel. It's ok if the washer isn’t perfectly aligned with the hole in the bearing. You can fix it later with the Allen key/screwdriver from the tools list .. note:: You must have the M8 washer in between the 2 bearings to ensure the V-Wheels can roll correctly. Don’t forget it! 3. Align a bearing with the opening in the v-wheel 4. Place the v-wheel and bearing back between the clamp jaws and tight till friction just holds them. 5. Verify the alignment of the bearing and v-wheel opening 6. Tighten the clamp until the second bearing is fully seated 7. Repeat this step for the remaining 11 wheels