More of Mike's Drivetrain Build

Yesterday we left off with the first foot's drivetrain having been drilled for the axels. Today the second housing was drilled, using a 3/4" hole saw.



The keys that go through the keyways that lock the axels, wheels and gears to each other needed a little grinding on the bench grinder. I never miss an opportunity to post a picture of sparks!



The bushings were pressed into place.



So... this second drivetrain ran into a little trouble at this point. Yesterday I mentioned the goal of avoiding a chain-tensioning system by drilling the axel holes apart from each other at a distance pre-determined by a specific length of chain. Well, the holes on the second drivetrain wound up making the pre-determined length of chain too tight. Adding a link made the chain too loose.

Mike is going to add the ability to tension the chain by adding a third gear in a triangle pattern, to pick up the slack in the chain. More on this as parts are ordered and delivered, and I have time to get back over there. Remember, this is all prototyping, so part of it is a journey of discovery. Yeah, I like the spin on that.