I cheat and tap the ends of 3/16" SS tubing for a 6-32 stud to mount knobs on. I have to bore the pinion hubs out for the bigger shaft diameter, but it's easier than cutting outside threads on stainless.
I cheat and tap the ends of 3/16" SS tubing for a 6-32 stud to mount knobs on. I have to bore the pinion hubs out for the bigger shaft diameter, but it's easier than cutting outside threads on stainless.
Hello Colin,
With all my thought I would have never come up with such an elegant solution. It fits all the criteria, a seamless junction and a clean appearance. I was even looking at couplers at one point but that's like hitting a nail with a sledge hammer.
Thanks,
Curt
You're welcome Curt, glad that was helpful. Another benefit to using tubing for the shaft is that, with a bottoming tap, you can continue the set screw thread from the pinion gear into the shaft so it really locks the gears in place with no backlash at all.
I have used it a fair bit, it is easy to work with. Copper, Nickel, & Zinc mix. Machinable, reasonably strong (very strong for a non ferrous metal), polishes well and has a stainless steel or chrome look to it if highly polished. Easy to silver solder but when you solder it you have to make sure the parts are flush with no gaps or rough edges because a solder line will be present. Takes electroplating very well. Don't know what else to tell you, certainley not a replacement for steel.
Hollow shafts work fine. They also reduce weight and if more rigidity is required, increase the outside diameter as the strength goes up by the square. Or, double the diameter, strength increase goes up four times. Most of the stress on a round is located near the outside diameter leaving the inside diameter with rather low stress.
Hollow drive shafts are common in everything from industrial machinery to race cars..
Bernice
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