[lukaslouw]

I am planning to build a fixed gantry router, and have the general design more or less figured out, and need help with one last bugaboo.

From reading posts here and some googling, it's clear that the leadscrew should be supported independently, and not depend on teh stepper motor for mechanical support.

Now, is there an easy method to support teh screw properly on threads? All of the methods I see seem to have the threads taken off on a lathe so that there is a smooth surface for bearings to mount on. I want to do this as cheap as possible, and do not have access to a lathe, so can anyone reccommend a method to fix bearings onto a threaded part of the screws at the ends?

Thnaks,
Lukas

[a3dcreator]

Ive been trying to figure this out myself. Im hoping i can mount the threaded ends of my leadscrew into the bearing.
Did you ever figure this out?

[awerby]

I suppose you could make a bushing that's threaded on the inside, so it could thread onto the end of your shaft and provide a smooth surface on the outside. It would be easiest to do on a lathe, but if you started with bushing stock that had a hole going through it, you could enlarge the hole to the right size for threading. Here's a source: .5 x .875 - .687 x .875 : ASB, Bronze Bushings and Bearings . If you do this, use Loctite or something to keep the threads from shifting under load.

[fretman_2]

I didn't remove threads. I just found a bearing with an ID the same size as my rod then used a treaded collar to tension the rod slightly between the bearing blocks.