Turning down the OD of a gear

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by hrench

Also, technically, involute teeth aren't sliding, they're 100% rolling contact

Quoted for truth: It may not be obvious unless you have studied gears, but the teeth if an involute gear don't just push on each other, they actually ROLL across each other. The sliding action (which leads to wear and wants a lubricant) is almost zero. That's one of the reasons center-to-center distances are so very important for gearboxes.

[dtengineering]

And if anyone reading this thread hasn't had a chance to study a little bit about how gears work... take a look. We generally tend to look at gears and say, "Oh, it's just a gear." and take them for granted, but the math and science that goes into gear design is truly fascinating. The modern gear is the product of centuries of engineering evolution.

I know I've still got a lot to learn about how gears work, wear and are manufactured.

Jason