[Swede]

I've been messing a bit with replacing my brushed servos (NEMA 23's) with a pair of very high quality brushless servos by MCG. These came from eBay with a brake, which can be detached, leaving about 2" of shaft on the rear. Additionally, the output shaft is a whopping 5/8" OD (Big for a 23-size) and they are a bit long.

Essentially, I need to whack these shafts down a bit. Any suggestions for the easiest way to do so? I'd rather not disassemble the servo. I'm tempted to use an abrasive chop saw, but this seems harsh. Thoughts/tips/insights appreciated.

Oh yes, I'm sold on brushless. These servos are much more responsive and smoother than my brushed jobs!

[Bubba]

Swede,
What I use in spots like this is a small friction blade (bout 3" in dia) mounted in an arbor on my die grinder! Works quite well for smaller stuff and when you say "chop saw", I am envisioning a 12" or so monster!!!

Also, you might want to rotate it some how (slow) and cut around rather than through the shaft. Take it slow and it won't heat up either.

[marx911]

die grinder w/ cutoff wheel clamp the motor down power up the motor and spin it at 200 or so rpm start your cut ( will be nice and straight) cut 1/4-1/3 the way thru... shut down the motor and the starting cut will guide you thru the rest leaving a nice straight cut ...make sure you are at a comfortable place and dont let the cutoff wheel get in too deep while its spinning so it wont bind.... be careful and its worked many times for me .... when you are done fire up the motor drag a file across the end and chanfer .....not OSHA approved ....but works good
Mark

[Swede]

Thanks guys, I was thinking along these lines as well. I think protecting the bearings in some way would be a good idea, too, perhaps a wad of tissue wrapped around the shaft, forward of the bearing, to capture abrasive dust.