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Originally Posted by Mr V
I'm curious as to why you'd never use a bolt to retain items on the end of a shaft? A big reason is that it is easier to get students competent in using a bolt and Allen wrench that using snap rings and e-clips. It is also easier to get students competent in tapping the end of a shaft than cutting a groove for an e-clip or snap ring on the lathe. I don't like shaft collars because they are more expensive to purchase and add length/width that you don't need with a bolt in the end.
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We have no issues teaching kids to do either of these... It's standard practice on our team and kids do both all the time.
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I'm also not a big fan of the though hole for stand offs and prefer a bolt in each end. If you have to remove what ever the stand off is holding you often just need to remove one side. So if one side is still bolted then you just place the removed piece back on and bolt it on. With a through bolt the stand offs are then loose and you have to put align them all when putting it back in place and you need two tools to reassemble. Yes during initial assembly you'll need two tools but in repairs during the heat of competition putting a bolt back in one side is quicker.
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We like through hole for high load standoffs, and using a nut. The chance of stripping aluminum threads out, or wearing them out through reuse, bugs us. I know that's not the greatest reasoning. Also, it's usually easier for really buried things to get a wrench in from the side on the nut, rather than a tool in on a bolt head.
You also get better clamping force, and to be honest I like reducing the number of tapped holes as, "Aint nobody got time for that" when you build in the qty we do.
Vex clearly is supporting 1/4-20 as they had to pick a size... I totally agree with that decision for the kind of teams that need this stuff most.