pic: 254 2010 Gearbox 1

[Cory]

Originally Posted by DampRobot

Just wondering, what are the prices and lead times like for Martin gears? We've been using SDP-SI, and I was wondering how they compared. Just looking at their catalog, their selection in some regards is certainly larger.

Generally we get them from Motion Industries. Prices are fairly reasonable (better than McMaster). I want to say they varied from about $30 for a 50T to $8 for a 12T. Most gears are in stock in Sacramento/LA. Some have to come from the factory in Texas.

McMaster can also get you any Martin gear that is not listed in their catalog. I don't know how the lead time/price compares to Motion.

SDP is probably the worst supplier we use. For a few years we've been referring to them as (Out of) Stock Drive Products. We've had some quality issues as well. Also very expensive.

Originally Posted by SilenNex

Thanks for the quick replies. Since we don't have a CNC machine we will most likely be trying the lathe approach, can you recommend any good boring bars or associated tooling?

We don't do a lot of boring on the lathe, as we tend to put parts that would normally be turned on the CNC mill if they require much material removal/accuracy, but when we do, for small diameter boring we use whatever random brazed carbide bars are around.

I've never liked these as they tend to have large tip radii and are not very sharp. Something like this would be great, but kind of expensive. You could find similar HSS/carbide tipped tools elsewhere for cheap.

We have a 1" indexable boring bar that works great. Same as this. Inserts can be expensive (about $5 ea), but the ones we get are designed for aluminum (all we use it for) and are extremely sharp, which is beneficial on small lathes. You can also use the inserts for OD turning, with a different tool holder.