Bearings

This is a front view of my nylon bearing. They are easy
to make and work very well for all of my moving parts.
I buy 24" rods of white delrin and cut it into 1" pieces.
Next, each one is loaded into a lathe and the edges are
chamfered - one side and then the other. Then
I drill a hole in each one, and insert a 3/8"
diameter of the bronze bearing. The bronze 
is also an inch long and it fits right in. Since I have
a whole bunch of 1/4" stainless steel, I buy the bearings
with a 1/4" ID. Oil impregnated bronze bearings.
Movement brings out the lubricant, perfect for
intermittent RBS kinematic sculptures.
 
It looks like two 1/8" wires go right through
the nylon? They do. In two places next to each other.
After sliding the two wires in, I can weld to the ends and
secure the bearing in any position. A nice advantage of
this method is that you can leave it unsecured, allowing
it to move. If you are trying to get the weight just right for
something like a tipping arm, then it is easy to slide the bearing
back and forth until you achieve the balance/imbalance you need.



Here is the thrust bearing installed on the connector.
This part gets turned over and put over the motor shaft.
The shaft on the lift rides on the flange, and all of the
weight is on the bearing, not the shaft of the motor.




I had to put the bearing into the center of the sprocket.
It is an oil impregnated bronze bearing. 1/4" id and 3/8" od




This is a flanged bearing that goes over the shaft at the top
of the lift to keep it in place. The flange on the bearing keeps if
from falling through, and holds it in place. Search for flanged bearing
when looking for these. This one is 3/4" for a 3/4" shaft.
My new helical lifts have a 1" tube for added strength.