Wood Automata Tips & Tricks by Ken Schweim

Wood Automata Tips & Tricks by Ken Schweim

Author:Ken Schweim [Schweim, Ken]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ken Schweim
Published: 2011-02-09T23:00:00+00:00


Now we can use a disk sander to smooth edges and form a more perfect circle. A method I use to insure the center is using a jig as shown below.

On a scrap piece of wood, drill a hole, close to the edge, with the exact diameter of the shaft. Insert a scrap piece of appropriate sized wood dowel into the hole. Set the gear onto the shaft. Make sure the gear spins easily. Clamp the board in position next to a disk sander as shown below. Turn on the sander and slowly spin the gear. After each rotation move the gear a little closer to the disk sander and repeat the sanding. Use the outside circle on the paper for a guide.

Now you can cut the gear teeth. If you follow the paper design closely, the tips of the teeth will now have a sharp edge. They have to be sanded down because the wood tips are very fragile and the gears are difficult to mesh with a sharp tip. Trial and error is the best method I have found for determining how much to sand off the tips. Use the sanding jig described above to sand the gear tips. Obviously you will have to have two gears so rotate them together and sand the tips as necessary to allow a smooth rotation. As you gain experience with making wood gears, you will have a good idea of how much to remove from the gear teeth tips. On future gears you may find it easier to just make another circle on your drawing to showing the sanding point on the teeth.

The last thing we have to do to make a gear is find a way to attach the gear to the axle. The easiest method is simply glue the gear to the axle. However I cannot believe how many times I have had to remove a gear while building the project. To make construction easier, I always add a wood collar to attach the gear. The wood collar can be made from a scrap piece of wood as shown below. You could also use a piece of wood dowel. The diameter of the collar should be ~ ½” larger than the size of the shaft it’s mounted on.



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