Worms

Resisting the temptations to make obvious bad jokes, have a look at:

There are much better tutorials on the technique (Google is your friend), but this is *my* attempt.

-- Jeff R.

================= Far too long and detailed a topic for complete NG reply.

If you intend to use the worm with standard gears you will need an approximation to Pi [3.1416] in the change gear train or the ability to shift to DP/module pitches with your QC gearbox.

If you use the worm with straight cut spur gears you will have to angle the worm. If you use helical gears the worm can be at right angles to the gear shaft but you will have to adjust the worm diameter for the correct helix angle.

For enough info to get started I suggest Ivan Law's Gears and Gear Cutting #17 in the Workshop Practice Series

also see "Milling Operations in the Lathe" by Tubal Cain [#5 in the Workshop Practice series] change gear calculations for Pi

I'm still waiting for the next installment. Did you ever finish the pages?

Wes

This is one of my defining characteristics, Wes. Start it - never finish it - start something else...

I'm *really* looking forward to retirement so I can finish off a couple of dozen projects.

(Besides, I weakened and bought one of the lovely Manfrotto worm-drive heads.)

I AM going to finish that brass worm-drive head, though. Just as soon as I finish the

series]

for change gear calculations for Pi

Thank you, George. I see that Wise Owl has the book which you mentioned, so I will order it from them. I have only ordered from Wise Owl once before, but I was happy with the result. I bought the book on experimental flash steam.

In the meantime, today I bought a worm gear winch at Harbor Freight Tools, here in the Austin, Texas area. I have the idea of using it as a speed-reducer for the propulsion system of a riding mower which I am designing. The gear ratio is forty-to-one.

As long as I am on the subject, I might as well mention that I also have the idea of giving the mower a variable-width cut. I will do this by having two blades, with an adjustable angle. At the narrowest- cut setting, one blade will be directly in front of the other, and, at the widest-cut setting, the blades will be almost side-by-side. I will adjust the cutting width to match the condition of the grass.

Jeff, I enjoyed your photo essay. Now that the resolution of the low- end web cams has gone up, I need to get one. Fortunately, here in the Austin area, we have a Fry's walk-in store.

I understamd exactly what you mean about finishing projects, because I have the same problem. Whenever I get stuck on a project, I either switch to one of my other projects, or else I start a brand new one.

Me too. Hence my need for a five-car garage.

-- Jeff R. (not for *cars* neither!)