WCD Bearing Blocks

[craigboez]

Originally Posted by ablatner

Usually the side plates actually ARE the bearing blocks. The bearings are in the two side plates which fasten together from opposite sides of the tubing.

It sounds like there are two common ways to create the bearing block assembly.

1. Use two sideplates and a block of aluminum. The bearings go in the aluminum block, the sideplates hold it all together and clamp it in place. The machining for this setup is relatively simple.
2. The two sideplates become the bearing block and are constrained coaxially with a short piece of thick walled tubing that connects them. The machining for this setup is comparatively complex.

Is that a fair statement? If so, what are the benefits to method #2?

[ablatner]

I've never actually seen #1.

[Nate Laverdure]

Originally Posted by ablatner

I've never actually seen #1.

The Team 221 "Universal Chassis" uses this design.

This is a neat concept along the same vein.

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by ablatner

I've never actually seen #1.

We run #1. CAD in sig. 09 was unique, 10 and 11 were new design.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Nate Laverdure

The Team 221 "
This is a neat concept along the same vein.

Given that those already have to be CNC machined there's not a lot of benefit to doing it that way than the way we do ours.

[Richard Wallace]

Originally Posted by ablatner

I've never actually seen #1.

Jabba made one like this while mentoring for 931 several seasons back.

They refined the design and used it a couple of times since, I think.

[Mark Sheridan]

Originally Posted by wilful

For our chain tensioner cams we used a ~1/4" thick piece of 3/4" or 1" (I don't remember which) steel shaft with a hole close to the edge and welded a #10/32 socket head alan bolt into the hole.

As a "customer" of 766, I can attest that these work well. We even discussed removing the cam after tensioning to save weight since the bearing blocks we use can grip the box tubing so well. The cam tensioner looks like a automotive Cam bolt. I could never find one small enough to work. I suppose this design could be improved by using an aluminum 1/4-20 bolt and a 1/4" thick piece of aluminum to save weight. I don't think the loads are high enough to wear out the aluminum bolt. Plus it is nice to have more area to weld to.

[Jeffy]

Originally Posted by Nate Laverdure

The Team 221 "Universal Chassis" uses this design.

This is a neat concept along the same vein.

I like these a lot.

If you created the center block with a single through hole and made the side plates with a larger hole in them to accommodate for the flange then you could make these without flipping the stock.

And if you have a drill bit at 1.125 and 1.25, you could do it without CNC work.

[MichaelBick]

Originally Posted by craigboez

It sounds like there are two common ways to create the bearing block assembly.

1. Use two sideplates and a block of aluminum. The bearings go in the aluminum block, the sideplates hold it all together and clamp it in place. The machining for this setup is relatively simple.
2. The two sideplates become the bearing block and are constrained coaxially with a short piece of thick walled tubing that connects them. The machining for this setup is comparatively complex.

Is that a fair statement? If so, what are the benefits to method #2?

The biggest benefit to #2 is weight. We've gone both routes(2012 #1 using sponsors because we didn't have a mill in house, 2013 #2 buying from WCP). If you have a CNC #2 is fine, but it isn't necessary by any means. You can do #1 super simply. When we did it, we didn't even do chamfers on the center block and our sideplates could have been made with a chopsaw. Depending on your teams resources you can make the blocks marginally more complex(chamfering the blocks means you don't have to file as much later, waterjetting sideplates is a small weight savings and they look a bit nicer). Either way works, and the method you choose completely depends on your team and its resources.