[bassman74]

I have a hard time finding cheap shaft, pillow and bearing. Is there any chinese parts? Is there a U.S. or canadian manufacturer that is selling cheap?

I wanna build the best CNC router possible and i can't get used to pipe and roller skate bearing design.....

Is there any other solution then linear motion?

Thanks for your help

Francois

[ger21]

http://www.vxb.com/page/bearings/CTGY/LM

http://www.lm76.com/

[ostranenie]

How's $35 sound?

http://athreocnc.com/linear_slides

[ostranenie]

http://athreocnc.com/linear_slides

[Zumba]

MDF? $35 sounds pretty bad for MDF. $3.50, maybe.

[bassman74]

35$ is for a complete axis assembly, but it still MDF....

I'm glad they offer the same axis assembly in plastic/aluminum mix and complete aluminum for 50% and 70$, now that's cheap

Thank you guys for your help, if you still have some cheap part source, please reply....

Francois

[ostranenie]

For $15 more he sells a plastic-and-aluminum version and for double that you can get the all-aluminum version. It also has the screw, bearings and mounts built-in. If you can find a cheaper already-put-together hobbyist linear slide you can hook a motor to, I'd love to hear about it. (No, used parts on eBay don't count.)

[ahren]

I sell a set of parts intended to mount to 8020 aluminum extrusion from my website. Right now, I only have the motor mounts and screw bearings, but I am working on a linear bearing solution as well. Also, my site currently only shows NEMA 23 mounts, but I should receive NEMA 34 mounts that work with the same system sometime next week. Feel free to check it out if interested: www.cncrouterparts.com.

Thanks,

Ahren
www.cncrouterparts.com

[ckm]

Keling has linear slides for pretty cheap. http://www.kelinginc.net/SlideBlock.html

60" x 20mm for $41 and the bushing is $6.

Linear rail is roughly $1 per cm, with blocks around $45....

Chris.

[lgalla]

Thanks Jerry for the VBX.
They have 20mm round rail with aluminum support rails,50"with 2 blocks for $149.00.Sorry don't know how to read the load ratings.Dynamic con 882.Static 1370.Larken uses round rail and claims .oo1.At this price my project and other members machines may get built sooner at these prices.Perhaps Jerry could fill us in on the plus or minus on this type of rails.
Larry

[Nutzy]

Hello from a keen CNC noob!

Have any of you looked at these?

http://www.rolloncorp.com/products/x_rail/index.shtml

They look pretty good, have an eccentric to remove slop, and have huge torque ratings.

I have to consider all options, here in Australia everything costs a small fortune!

[bassman74]

thank you i've just order the rollon corp pricelist and catalogue. Their linear system look very nice. I hope tjey're not too expensive, if they do Athreo CNC is the way to go!!!

[rowbare]

The x-rail looks better suited to a car-wash than a precision machine but the Uniline series looks interesting

[ostranenie]

If you have to ask how much it costs, you probably can't afford it ;-)

Now..have you checked eBay for THK rails and suchlike? They usually have some pretty decent deals for precision parts people are throwing out.

[Glacern]

Larry, I have a set of those VXB rails and blocks. I tried them out awhile back when I was looking for an alternative to Hiwins. They fine for a small hobby router, but I wouldn't use them for heavy duty applications. The cost savings just isn't there. You're paying 65% cost for 20% the load capacity. You also can't get them in custom lengths, and there is a shipping fee, unlike automation4less who ships hiwins for free and charges per 100mm of rail. The wasted rail lengths + shipping fees shrinks the price gap down to about 10-20%.

The VXBs pictured are also much more prone to contamination. One thing they have going for them is that the ball cages inside the pillow blocks are dirt cheap. You can replace them for $5.00 a pop. I contacted a supplier in China a year ago and they sold them in quantity for $1.37. So they're basically consumables.

The VXB hardened rail is bulletproof. They're similar in quality to genuine Thomson rail, which I often use for various setup applications around the shop. You can chuck them up on a lathe with hardened steel jaws and not scratch them.

The pillowblocks are okay. They're extruded aluminum so they won't have nearly the same precision as a ground Hiwin/THK. Probably not a big deal for most wood routers. However, what is a big deal is that the the pillow blocks are attached to the bearings with a single set screw. A bit too flimsy IMO.

I think they'd be a good alternative if VXB could offer the rail in custom lengths and offer cheaper shipping without increasing the price. Until then, Hiwins and/or ebay THKs are far superior in terms of both overall performance and bang for the buck.

[Nutzy]

thank you i've just order the rollon corp pricelist and catalogue. Their linear system look very nice. I hope tjey're not too expensive, if they do Athreo CNC is the way to go!!!

Hey Bassman, how did you get on with the catalogue from Rollon?

Pete