[WilliamJames]

Hi Guys,

What would be an inexpensive option for linear rails? I'm looking for something that looks like the ones offered by rcfoamcutter.com , but less expensive. I am not looking for electronics, just simply linear rails and all of the components required to provide linear travel.

Thanks
Ehsan

[hub]

Hi Guys,

What would be an inexpensive option for linear rails? I'm looking for something that looks like the ones offered by rcfoamcutter.com , but less expensive. I am not looking for electronics, just simply linear rails and all of the components required to provide linear travel.

Thanks
Ehsan

For example, you could use DIN rail (American Electrical, Inc. - TS3575SL - DIN Rail Products - DIN Mounting Rails - Allied Electronics) & V-bearings. It's inexpensive. Not sure how long it would last etc..
Inexpensive = less rigid, less precise, less lifetime etc.

[WilliamJames]

@hub, Thank you for your reply. Less rigid and less lifetime are compromises I am prepared to make. I do have a couple of questions with respect to DIN rails: (i.) With DIN rails, is there not a lot of play? I am using it for wing cutting so the tolerance levels are much more lenient.... but I thought it may still be a good idea to ask. (ii.) I will need to mount a vertical axis on the horizontal carriage (similar to the one shown on the rcfoamcutter.com website). A DIN rail is pretty narrow to mount anything on top of it. Do you have any suggestions for making the base wider? In other words, is there such a thing as DIN rails like the one you have recommended, but only wider in width?

Thank you

[hub]

You would need to make the play adjustable.
You could make a carriage plate with V-bearings to which you could fix what you need from the top.
Or maybe steel flat bar that's wider. Or other types of steel profiles.

I found this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDjUn1ZxcRU

[WilliamJames]

Thank you so much

[3Dsigns]

Made mine from 1/4'' x 1 1/2" cold-rolled steel flatbar. Beveled the edges 90 degrees for v-groove bearings.

[rowbare]

If you put in a real location people might be better able to point you in the right direction i.e. suppliers etc...

First a few questions:
What work envelope are you aiming for? There are all kinds of linear rails/shafts available on eBay for a reasonable amount, but there are length limitations.
Speaking of reasonable amounts. what is a reasonable amount for you? How much are you looking to spend per rail?
What fabrication tools do you have at your disposal? Just hand tools? Lathe? Mill?
What is your time budget relative to your cash budget? . A lot of the diy liner rail implementations are cheap to put together but take an inordinate amout of time to put together.
How much ongoing maintenance can you do? Do you need something that can go for a long time with minimal maintenance outside of cleaning and lubrication or are you willing to frequently adjust and/or swap out worn components?

The above mentioned solutions are a good starting point. If your budget is really tight, don't discount the effectiveness of a well lubricated piece of hardwood (like maple) as a bearing over some 3/4" electrical conduit. It won't be perfect and might wear fast but will be cheap. Also most kitchen cutting boards are UHMW plastic which is pretty slick and makes a decent bearing (either a flat bearing or a bushing). I have a 1" thick one I bought for about $15.

Since you don't have to deal with huge cutting forces, you have some more options. 3DSigns mentioned making bearings from flatbar. Along the same line, I have seen rails made from 1x6 lumber with angle iron attached to the edges something like this <=====>. There you could use vee bearings or a preloaded UHMW slider.


There are a lot of options, most of which have been explored on this site at one time or another. Not all are suitable for everything but many are good enough.

good luck!
bob

[WilliamJames]

Made mine from 1/4'' x 1 1/2" cold-rolled steel flatbar. Beveled the edges 90 degrees for v-groove bearings.

Thank you for your reply. If you have any pictures you'd like to share, I would love to see it so it gives me something to go by Many thanks!

[WilliamJames]

If you put in a real location people might be better able to point you in the right direction i.e. suppliers etc...

First a few questions:
What work envelope are you aiming for? There are all kinds of linear rails/shafts available on eBay for a reasonable amount, but there are length limitations.
Speaking of reasonable amounts. what is a reasonable amount for you? How much are you looking to spend per rail?
What fabrication tools do you have at your disposal? Just hand tools? Lathe? Mill?
What is your time budget relative to your cash budget? . A lot of the diy liner rail implementations are cheap to put together but take an inordinate amout of time to put together.
How much ongoing maintenance can you do? Do you need something that can go for a long time with minimal maintenance outside of cleaning and lubrication or are you willing to frequently adjust and/or swap out worn components?

The above mentioned solutions are a good starting point. If your budget is really tight, don't discount the effectiveness of a well lubricated piece of hardwood (like maple) as a bearing over some 3/4" electrical conduit. It won't be perfect and might wear fast but will be cheap. Also most kitchen cutting boards are UHMW plastic which is pretty slick and makes a decent bearing (either a flat bearing or a bushing). I have a 1" thick one I bought for about $15.

Since you don't have to deal with huge cutting forces, you have some more options. 3DSigns mentioned making bearings from flatbar. Along the same line, I have seen rails made from 1x6 lumber with angle iron attached to the edges something like this <=====>. There you could use vee bearings or a preloaded UHMW slider.


There are a lot of options, most of which have been explored on this site at one time or another. Not all are suitable for everything but many are good enough.

good luck!
bob

Thank you so much for your reply Rowbare. Your questions are very good ones, and I'm sorry for not including this information earlier. Let me try to answer as many of them as I can:
1) Location: Vancouver, Canada
2) What work envelope are you aiming for? : I am looking to build a 4-axis hot wire foam cutter. This will be used to cut out foam wings and fuselage.
3) Length limitation: I am looking to get linear rails that are approximately 40-50 inches in length for the horizontal axis. There are two horizontal axis and two vertical. For the vertical axis, however, I can get away with just 15 to 20 inches
4) How much are you looking to spend per rail? - Per rail, I can spend about $70. I understand that at this price point I will need to build my own truck. But, essentially, all I'm looking for is to get something that will yield smooth linear motion with forces exerted on it from more than one direction.
5) What fabrication tools do you have at your disposal? : Hand tools and that's about all.
6)What is your time budget relative to your cash budget? - I don't really have a time budget. My main restriction is the tools I have available. If I can get something that's ready made for twice the amount I have in mind (above) then I'll take it ...by ready made, I'm referring to a ready made linear rail system.
7) Maintenance is not an issue and I don't mind working on it to upkeep it.

Thank you in advance for your help

[3Dsigns]

[3Dsigns]

[3Dsigns]

The first one is the cold-rolled steel. The second photo is when I experimented with hot rolled but was afraid it wasn't smooth enough. Probably would have been OK though. The bearings I'm using are the "Bishop-Wisecarver" style. You can get similar ones on Ebay for about $6 or $7 each or even less if you buy them in quantity. The jig I used to make the bevels is found on the Mach3 website, I think. One of the guys there invented it and sells the laser-cut frame. You will have to add your own spacers, bearings, eccentrics, bolts and a grinder.

[3Dsigns]

If you make the jig, use a sanding wheel instead of the grinder wheel. I wish someone had told me that at first. You will also need a model of angle grinder with the right bolt pattern to fit the jig. Mine is a DeWalt DW818 which fit it perfectly. I think other models will work but don't know which ones.

[WilliamJames]

3Dsigns... Thank you so much for posting those pictures, and for the detailed explanation. I am unclear on the following items:
(i) The rail grinder - To be honest, this is the first time I've heard this term. What is the purpose of a rail grinder as it relates to our application?
(ii) Was unable to locate the jig on the mach3 website
(iii) For the spacers, bearings, eccentrics, and bolts.... how do I go about determining which size I need for to match bearings I ultimately choose. May I know what you used, and how you found out this information?
(iv) I saw this video where this gentleman used DIN rails. Is it fair to say that your approach is more sturdy, or is there more to it?

My apologies if some of the questions I'm asking are at a basic level. I am relatively new to all of this and even though I've read quite a bit on the matter, I still find that there is always a lot more to learn

[3Dsigns]

3Dsigns... Thank you so much for posting those pictures, and for the detailed explanation. I am unclear on the following items:
(i) The rail grinder - To be honest, this is the first time I've heard this term. What is the purpose of a rail grinder as it relates to our application?
(ii) Was unable to locate the jig on the mach3 website
(iii) For the spacers, bearings, eccentrics, and bolts.... how do I go about determining which size I need for to match bearings I ultimately choose. May I know what you used, and how you found out this information?
(iv) I saw this video where this gentleman used DIN rails. Is it fair to say that your approach is more sturdy, or is there more to it?

My apologies if some of the questions I'm asking are at a basic level. I am relatively new to all of this and even though I've read quite a bit on the matter, I still find that there is always a lot more to learn

Maybe it wasn't Mach3; maybe Mechmate? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t210hoRXURs

Grinding the edge of the flat bar, 90 degrees on each side makes a ointed edge for a v-bearing to ride on. The machine I built is made to cut two full-sized blocks of foam at a time, so it needed to be heavy duty. If your are using yours to cut plane wings, the DIN rail design should be fine. If you buy the jig, you can add the parts which suit your application. But the v bearings I used have 3/8"inside diameter so I used 3/8" diameter eccentrics.

Here are some more rail grinders MechMate CNC Router Forum : <font color="ff0000">&#42;</font> &#34;Hand-made&#34; V-Rails using a baby 4.5&#34; angle grinder

[beone]

My old skate bearing and supported conduit router is still running strong after 9 years. Very accurate and plenty rigid for a router. I routinely engrave Al to .070 with no problems.
Dave

[beone]

My old skate bearing and supported conduit router is still running strong after 9 years. Very accurate and plenty rigid for a router. I routinely engrave Al to .070 with no problems.
Dave