# My First Gears:  You Can Do This!



## Uglydog (Mar 14, 2015)

I post this here with the intention of encouragement.
I started out on this site after watching multiple hours of Tubalcain/Mr Pete videos.
I purchased a 10" Logan hobby lathe (which needed a rebuild before I could turn it on).

With the help of the many people here, and many hours of head scratchin, reading, and slowly working through the math (I struggle with math), this week I achieved a goal that started around twenty years ago.
Making a gear.
If I can do this machinery stuff, then you can as well. If you want it bad enough.
Listen to the many members and moderators here, and dream.
Ask what if??

Lets go make chips!


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## thomas s (Mar 14, 2015)

Very nice job. The gears came out great. thomas s


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## GK1918 (Mar 14, 2015)

Looking good,  whats that ( ? )   left of the yellow stop.  Is it held there by a magnet?


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## Billh50 (Mar 14, 2015)

real nice job on the gears


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## Uglydog (Mar 14, 2015)

GK1918 said:


> Looking good,  whats that ( ? )   left of the yellow stop.  Is it held there by a magnet?



If you are referring to the silverish aluminum gizmo, that's the mount for a "Trav-a-Dial". 
It is a mechanical DRO, I do everything by handwheels and mics. 
I'm not suggesting that old school is somehow better.
However, I enjoy the challenge. The bonus is that I practice my math every time I move the handwheel.

Daryl
MN


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## Andy Rafferty (Mar 14, 2015)

Nice job! The dro on my mill spoils me then I get out the pad and pencil when I step to the lathe.


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## xalky (Mar 14, 2015)

Nice Job. I too made my first gear 6 months ago. I didn't want to , but the gear I needed would have been a custom job, and the price would have been prohibitive. I decided to make it. I learned a lot about gears , gear profiles and stadards, and gear making, in the process and I wouldn't hesitate to make more given the need. For some gears that are easily available, it's probably not worth the time and effort, given the fairly cheap prices, for off the shelf profiles.The tooling investment required to make a gear can be quite high unless you already have a dividing head and cutters. There is something to be said about the satisfaction and confidence building that such a project provdes.

Marcel


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## FOMOGO (Mar 14, 2015)

Very nicely done. Mike


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## bluegrass-engineer (Mar 14, 2015)

Looks great!  Thanks for sharing the pics.


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## tpic402 (Mar 14, 2015)

Very well done.   I too have been exploring making gears.  You my friend have inspired me more, as I was about to buy them.  The cost of the gears would be as much as an Asian dividing head. Thanks for the post


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## MattM (Mar 14, 2015)

Very clean job.  Congrats.

Gears have always fascinated me.  I have a dividing head and have made several unsuccessful attempts.  I guess because I really don't need a gear right now I haven't pursued it.  I have been viewing a lot of gearmaking info on the webnet and hope to try again soon.  However more pressing jobs and projects keep pushing gears to a back burner.


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## GK1918 (Mar 15, 2015)

Uglydog said:


> If you are referring to the silverish aluminum gizmo, that's the mount for a "Trav-a-Dial".
> It is a mechanical DRO, I do everything by handwheels and mics.
> I'm not suggesting that old school is somehow better.
> However, I enjoy the challenge. The bonus is that I practice my math every time I move the handwheel.
> ...



Oh yea trav- a- dial  "its in the parts book"   good job Daryl


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## Mark_f (Mar 15, 2015)

Thank you, you have inspired me to keep trying. I have tried to make a gear a few times (unsuccessfully), but I think the problem was I was trying some redneck hobbing method shown on you tube by some clever back yard shade tree machinist and it didn't work at all. I even have a few of those little gear cutters like in your photo, just don't know what to do with them. I come to the conclusion I need a dividing head to do it decently. Maybe the dividing plate setup for my rotary table would be a good investment. None the less, I need to learn more about gears and keep trying.


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## Terrywerm (Mar 15, 2015)

Nice work, Daryl!  So what are you up to that you need several of the same size??


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## Uglydog (Mar 15, 2015)

I only needed two spur gears. But figured I'd barf up several before I had something workable.
I had two different 10inch dividing heads.
One had a cracked casting with good gears.
The other had a good casting with no internal gears.
Different manufactures (Carrol and Ellis: I believe- no name plates on either) with different diameter internal shafts etc. Because I can't just send stuff to the scrapper.... 
I made all sorts of bushings and threaded fasteners to make a Frankenstein Dividing Head. 
Runs smoothly. Except I needed to relocate the indexing plates to the center of the head so the index plates and crank wouldn't run foul of the mill table.
2.5 center to center.
Almost done!!
Who says a project is to difficult to tackle? I've got a shop full of 1/2 done projects to prove it.

Daryl
MN


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## jumps4 (Mar 15, 2015)

they look good
another milestone to add to your can do list
I was doing gears before threads, threads were scary until i got a lathe that turned as slow as I think.
mine were always a bit noisy at first but smoothed right out.
Steve


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## Baithog (Mar 15, 2015)

Surprising how easy it turns out to be once we get over our mental chains. Nice looking gears.


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## chips&more (May 14, 2015)

Well Done! Thanks for sharing…Dave.


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## kingmt01 (May 14, 2015)

Nice. I working on tooling up to make my first gear. I hope it doesn't take me 10 years but at the rate I'm moving it may.

If anyone is interested I post some progress on g+ if you want to fallow me. Mt King


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## RVJimD (May 14, 2015)

That "barfing up several before I get one good one" is my shop motto!  

Thanks for the pictures!

Jim


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## Micke S (May 15, 2015)

Thank you for posting Daryl. A few of the threading gears for the Munktell lathe needs to be replaced and now I'm inspired to make them myself. I don't know if I ever will cut gears on the Munktell lathe since it doesn't have a Norton gearbox, but it is disturbing when things are not in good condition.


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## Round in circles (May 15, 2015)

xalky said:


> Nice Job. I too made my first gear 6 months ago. I didn't want to , but the gear I needed would have been a custom job, and the price would have been prohibitive. I decided to make it. I learned a lot about gears , gear profiles and stadards, and gear making, in the process and I wouldn't hesitate to make more given the need. For some gears that are easily available, it's probably not worth the time and effort, given the fairly cheap prices, for off the shelf profiles.The tooling investment required to make a gear can be quite high unless you already have a dividing head and cutters. There is something to be said about the satisfaction and confidence building that such a project provdes.
> 
> Marcel


 

Marcel , would you be kind enough to give the references for the places you visited to get the knowledge about gears, profiles and standards .
 I'd like to do a bit of reading up on that area of expertise.

 Thanks 

Dave


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