Bearings for the HB2

I received the ball bearings last night. Only a couple of bucks (dollars) each. Amazing what Chinese mass production can do for the price of precision components. These bearings are very similar to the in-line skate bearings I used on HB1, being double shielded with deep races. The deep races will help with the preload and thrust loads that will be exerted by the linear screws. A very heavy duty system might possibly need thrust bearings as well as radial bearings but I haven’t seen that done in any of the smaller machine designs or in manufacturer’s linear screw technical specs. The linear screw makers I have investigated DO show two radial bearings at each end of the screw as being the most rigid design. On small HB2 type machines I haven’t seen that being done.

As soon as my rails show up I will be able to drill and paint the steel rail parts. I have a color picked. That’s the fun of rolling your own. I can paint it any color I desire, a secret for now. 🙂 I am holding off drilling just to be SURE the mounting holes will be correctly spaced. One thing I have is time to do it right the first time.

Dan’l