pic: 5 Inch Wheel

[chris31]

Originally Posted by RMS11

Thanks We might go with hex. Is it hard to find hex sprockets and what do you use as bearings with a hex shaft?

Take the hex shaft to a lathe and turn it down to a circle that will fit into a bearing.

EDIT: Mike beat me.

[RMS11]

Originally Posted by chris31

Take the hex shaft to a lathe and turn it down to a circle that will fit into a bearing.

EDIT: Mike beat me.

Ya thats our problem, we have a mill but no lathe. We could do it, but it is a huge hassle and we wouldnt have the freedom of doing this in shop... Hopefully we will get one sometime...

[R.C.]

1323 would machine it out for you if you guys needed, just email me. We machine out parts for teams in need.

[RMS11]

Originally Posted by rc_cola1323

1323 would machine it out for you if you guys needed, just email me. We machine out parts for teams in need.

Thanks, are you in atlanta? We have a source in atlanta but it is just hard to get there and back in traffic, plus if something happens we cant fix it spur of the moment.

[R.C.]

Originally Posted by RMS11

Thanks, are you in atlanta?

No, California.

[Triple B]

i would think there would be plenty of shops around atlanta that would be able to do it, if not, I am in florida, send me some dimensions and i will whip them out for you.
mike d

[tdlrali]

nvm (how come I can't delete this post?)

[Triple B]

unless you would have to chew the shafts with your teeth, it will be worth it compared to keyways, also its a very basic machining practice with a reletivly loose tolerance if you needed to pay someone to machine them for you.
mike d

[=Martin=Taylor=]

Originally Posted by RMS11

Ya thats our problem, we have a mill but no lathe. We could do it, but it is a huge hassle and we wouldnt have the freedom of doing this in shop... Hopefully we will get one sometime...

Well, you could always do it the opposite way. Machine hex shafts out of round-stock, and then use the AM hex hubs.

We did this with our mill and a dividing head. We never bought any broaches or hex shafts. Just used the parts from AM and metal bars laying around my barn.

It depends on the design.

[Qbranch]

While it's true you can't really make a very good keyway on a mill, you may be able to make a hex or D-shaft bore on the mill. 1/8" end mills are available up to about 3/4" in length, so you should be able to mill a hex shaft bore out of the block.

And, now you're all about to type 'what about the rounds on the corners from the round cutter?'. Well, personally, whenever things really need to be square I do one of two things: 1, before the milling operation, drill holes at all of the points the fillet would be left from the end mill, thus removing this excess material. Or 2, If you want to be trickier and more efficient, program over-travels the length of your tool's radius away from the center of the bore you're making, also eliminating the corner radius. With a hex shaft, you should still have plenty of surface area left on all of the sides of the shaft... you should only lose 1/8" of each side.

If you're mass producing these, you can always cut your bore times by starting with a larger tool and only finishing the corners with the 1/8" tool.

-q

[=Martin=Taylor=]

Originally Posted by Qbranch

While it's true you can't really make a very good keyway on a mill, you may be able to make a hex or D-shaft bore on the mill. 1/8" end mills are available up to about 3/4" in length, so you should be able to mill a hex shaft bore out of the block.

You could also drill a 1/8" hole first (offset it the right amount from center) and then bore the center hole. Lot easier than using end-mills!

[NickE]

A much easier solution than milling out a hex is to broach it. Mcmaster sells hex and square broaches in a variety of sizes.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/114/2462

At $128 for a 3/8" hex broach, they're not cheap. However, they will certainly save time over milling out a hex. Also, your hex come out without rounded corners.