Making Wood Gears

[@attilathehamster6774]

Good, solid, easy to follow maths, and easy to make finishing tools. Thank you for sharing.

[@benthere8051]

Well done, Robert. I have a friend that has taken the time to develop 3-D printer capability and has done some amazing gear sets, as well as many other very handy things. Another technique that would make very nice gear sets is a laser cutter or high-pressure water jet cutting. Laser or water-jet and 3-D printing all involve CNC in one form or another. So, the bottom line is being able to understand and do CNC work is probably one of the best prototyping talents an inventor can have. I haven't done that yet but the writing is on the wall. Stated in other terms, not being able to do CNC is a terrible limitation. I owned and operated an electrical engineering consulting firm for 35 years, and my designs were used in hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of products. Having the ability to marry my electrical designs with what can be done with CNC techniques would have multiplied my effectiveness many times.

[@NorthernKitty]

I do a lot of 3D printing, and agree that "all things CNC" are wonderful tools and skillsets to have. There is, however, a downside in that you lose the "connection" to your work and the feeling of self-sufficiency. It's good to also know and be practiced in how to do things by hand. I don't like the feeling of being completely dependent on my 3D printer to make things. Rather, I like when it's simply the alternative I'm choosing. One thing that concerns me as we continue advancing technology is our dependency on it. I worked in Information Technology since the 80's, and I would always try to incorporate a "manual backup system" in solutions I'd develop. That is, what will people do when the system crashes? Is there a way they may continue getting the job done - even if slowly - until the system recovers? As I worked mostly in healthcare, that capability was essential to the uninterrupted delivery of patient care, but is a good practice regardless of the field.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I sort of agree and disagree mate - I see what you are saying and I agree with the ideas and possibilities but not every one can afford the equipment or even has the space - this method is a tools poor method and benefits from being quick and within the average guys capability - it's why I like it

[@benthere8051]

@@ThinkingandTinkering - I understand and agree. It was a Brit named John Harrison, a self-educated English carpenter and clockmaker, who invented the marine chronometer, a long-sought-after device for solving the problem of calculating longitude while at sea. He made all his gears by hand.

[@ExtantFrodo2]

@@ThinkingandTinkering Well, the thing is that almost anyone can hobble together a crude CNC from discarded printers and a few hand tools. Even those can improve your working tolerances 2 or 3 times better than what you can do by hand (if you can make it rigid enough). The low power gears of your average printer can still do a great job if you design the system to not put stress on them (Yes, I'm talking worm gears). It will be slower and weaker than even the cheapest commercial CNC, but your initial outlay is next to zero.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

@@ExtantFrodo2 I hate to say this mate - but they can't - you can but you have familiarity with it - a lot of folks can't

[@nominusexpers2939]

Thanks for this. If for some reason I were looking to make some chunky gears in metal I could use this process to make up a wooden blank for sand casting in aluminium or brass as well. Great stuff as always!

[@yotamgosh]

Absolutely brilliant video! Thanks for not skipping over the maths - it was necessary for understanding the whole thing!

[@jermsworms9800]

You made this video in a way that makes this method understandable. Thank you.

[@your_utube]

Thanks Robert for that fine insert. Really so simple when done by someone who knows. Have a nice day my friend.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

thank you mate - have a good one yourself

[@PVflying]

A very timely video as I’m pondering how to construct a gear train for a solar tracker which I hope to get installed before the weather turns too cold! I thought I’d be using a rope drive, but perhaps wooden gears could be viable! Thanks for the video 👍

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

Glad it was helpful!

[@acmefixer1]

BINGO! A great solution to a problem I've seen a number of times. In another video you used the Archimedes screw with the ocean waves. I was thinking that it could work with a float attached to a rack and pinion gear, to turn the generator. So this gear making method could be used with a rack and pinion made of plastic or waterproof and rustproof material. Cool! Thanks for the informative video.

[@whyohwhy357]

Thank you! I have beat my head against the wall for far too long over this. All I wanted to do was add wooden gears to some whirligigs. Finding good, straight forward instructions was futile until I watched your video. I'm gonna be a gear making pro soon lol.

[@dr.froghopper6711]

This is something that I’ve wondered about for years. Thank you! This would work for metal too, at least in the application I have in mind.

[@paulmaydaynight9925]

you could always make a set of gear stamps and vise for stamping out free coke can aluminium, then stack to the wanted thickness, and apply heat (2 or more flat diy 12/24v 3 amp capton tape heaters!) as all cans have a consistant plastic layer that should probably bond the stack without solvent

[@johnmcfadden9336]

Some graphene reinforced plastic that rob has made in the past would make a good material in some cases and one could make a mould for them

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

awesome mate - glad it helped

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I like that mate - cheers

[@DanPackard-be2ne]

This is pretty wonderful. thank you.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

Glad you like it!

[@marcisaacs9407]

Ok I think it’s important to say that the diameter is for layout purposes only and that the final diameter will be larger and therefore don’t precut the gear blank. Once the 9mm holes are drilled the radius is approximately 4.5mm larger which could be it unless the 8mm tooth blank is somehow placed further out before drawing in. Perhaps you could discuss the gear creation in terms of using the timing belt material as an actual belt between two specifically made wood gears designed to transmit energy from one gear to the other through the belt. Love your channel, it really makes me think.

[@MrSmith-no5pg]

That's was amazing, Thank You for sharing it..

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

my pleasure mate

[@petersipp5247]

I like your relaxed style. I don't do metriq. But U.S. Standard decimals will work too. Thank you for this.

[@richardcreese]

This is proper garden shed engineering.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

yep - and you can do so much that way!

[@stevetobias4890]

Yet another great video Robert. Making wooden gears can be a pain. You need to consider the environment the gears will be used in (moisture, humidity, friction etc), this will determine the material you use which means the weight of the gears changes which impedes on the outcome as does friction. Of course this can be reduced with decent bearings and other smart implementation ideas. Thanks for the tutorial, I can never be reminded enough, I love woodworking as well as electronics.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

me too mate and nice pointers - cheers

[@donaldhanson2908]

I just pulled a handful of little gears out of an A-4 3-in-one printer. There was also an angle gear with 6mm axels. I was surprised at how much gear train was in the relatively small box.

[@ExtantFrodo2]

Ever seen the inside of a ring watch?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

printers are a great place for gears mate

[@ExtantFrodo2]

@@ThinkingandTinkering and gears that mate :-)

[@alanesq1]

I have built myself a CNC router and I think you would find one really useful for the type of work you do. Building and using one might also be interesting for your viewers? They can be surprisingly easy to build and use (you don't have to get in to complex CAD software). e.g. if you need a couple of gears you can quickly draw them in Inkscape (it has a built in gear generator) then feed this file in to Laserweb and cut them out. The whole process from opening Inkscape to having the gears in your hand can take 10 mins. You can attach a pen and use it as a plotter which with fabric pens can draw on to a T-shirt etc., attach a cheap vinyl cutter head (£10 on eBay) and you have a vinyl cutter, attach a laser and you have a laser engraver...

[@aaronedw77]

I'm a bit late to the party for comments, but I hope I make up for it with quality info. Making wood gears IS way more useful for projects than you can ever imagine, and if done right wood gears can be quite durable. However, doing it right is somewhat complex, you will want to use true involute gears. The Involute profile is far more complex to cut but you will be rewarded with significantly less backlash and considerably improved mechanical transfer efficiency. This will translate to a much smoother and quite running machine that can last much longer. Matthias Wandel has created a very easy to use template generator to make involute gears that will save you from having to do the calculus yourself. The template has limits but is a great place to start. I would always wax your wood gears to improve slip and reduce friction thus extending life. Do keep in mind there will always be considerable friction in a gear set, and hence wasted energy. A belt is far more efficient at energy transfer when applicable.

[@Buzzhumma]

You could resin coat them and then add grease for improvement

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

for sure

[@NorthernKitty]

Thanks for this!! You make everything look so simple!! 😺 I have to admit, having a 3D printer is making me kinda lazy. Rather than sit down to try and figure out how to cut out a gear by hand, I could just print one out. However, I would estimate it would take about 4 hours to print one gear the size you made, which could likely be done in within 30 minutes using your method. I've been trying to force myself to figure out how I would do things without using a 3D printer before I allow myself to run a print. That way, it's a deliberate decision I'm making of when to print something instead of a crutch I'm relying on that wastes a lot of time.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I agree - very often I can. make something in an hour or so that would take all day to 3d print - and watch the next video I do a 4 foot gear using this method - that would take some printing

[@paulmaydaynight9925]

cats@,one simple way to speed that up is just print a full hight few layer thick walls to keep it stiff, then pack sand around it's outside edge, get some of the wifes/amazon uk pure acetone nail varnish remover then desolve some scrap styrofoam in a jar, add and do or dont stir in any small nylon thread fibers from old cloths etc and pour it in the print, should save a few hours and get a more solid set of one off gears

[@NorthernKitty]

@@paulmaydaynight9925 Great tip!! Never thought about printing hollow and using something else for filler.

[@antalz]

I rather have a machine do 4 hours of work than doing 30 mins of work myself. Perhaps more importantly, a 3D printer can reproduce an accurate involute profile which will create a longer-lasting more efficient gear. The method shown, while nice, does produce a rather low-quality gear unfortunately.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

​@@antalz I am sorry mate - but I just can't get behind that - 3d printing has it's uses for sure but to not want to work on something - that is just a mystery to me

[@stuffoflardohfortheloveof]

That was brill. I’ve often thought about what I could do if I had some gears but then gave up when realising the effort I’d have to put in (lazy I know)......thanks for rekindling the idea 👍

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

Go for it mate - this is really easy

[@mathiaskurisa4841]

Thanks a lot, this is best explanation

[@planktonfun1]

I would print gear on paper then paste it on the wood plank then cut it from there

[@dysklexia]

I've been wondering how to make gears for some time. Suddenly, a wild Robert appears and shows me how. Coincidence...i don't think so... Great video. Thank you.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol - cheers mate

[@Cooliemasteroz]

Very good. Gear reductions are a good thing the explore for wind projects that are designed to do work directly rather than generate electricity. Just last night I watched a UTUBE video where a man made an academes screw out of a mild steel rod, steel discs that he cut out with a whole saw and a welder. He simply cut from the perimeter of the discs to the centre hole, bent them on a jig and welded them onto the shaft. I was thinking that maybe you could do this to make a worm drive gear reduction maybe with aluminium and your aluminium brazing rods. Also another interesting way of getting a big gear reduction is through a device called a harmonic drive. I reckon you could make one.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

for sure mate but I wanted the idea of gear making - gear reduction and screw gear are a bit much for one vid but I will look at it later for sure

[@partciudgam8478]

Great video. Does this work for inner gears like planetary systems? Of course, you'd need to work backwards, drilling the 9mm holes considering the 8 mm part will be on the inside...

[@pattayaguideorg]

Hey mate any chance you can do a similar vid about peg gears and ratio's?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

yes mate - I was considering pegs but I picked this one - I will look at doing what you suggest

[@pattayaguideorg]

@@ThinkingandTinkering Cheers mate, you're awesome

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

@@pattayaguideorg no worries mate and cheers

[@bwebs956]

Very good. I think I see where you're going with that. Do I see vertical cylinders attached to the three outer gears there? 😀

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

well well well - lol - awesome - very clever mate

[@colouroboros9993]

very nice instructions

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

Glad you liked it

[@darrellpidgeon6440]

Imagine what da Vinci could have done with simple power tools. Personally I think he did extremely well without them. I like your method. This video reminds me that I need a new Dremel.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

they are a stupidly useful bit of kit lol

[@bernardstokes6550]

thanks for that....useful and eminently doable

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

for sure mate

[@peterlang777]

Renewable energy is the future like robert says! The wood gears are great for vertical axis turbines!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

Yes they are!

[@jamescunliffe9872]

Sand cast mixed alloy using the kiln?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

nice idea mate - cheers

[@LS10Balkes]

Inspiring, thank you.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@MerwinARTist]

More cool stuff! 😊👍

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@gugl4106]

Great! Thank you

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

Glad you liked it!

[@billbaggins]

Not quite Clickspring precisionbut but a good demo.... maybe Robspring? 😁

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol - it definitely lacks in precision mate

[@martinjosealvarez]

Bien es logico y facil gracias

[@OriginsOfMo]

You should put a link to your store (ink and battery making kits in the description of all your videos, just an idea :)

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

you are right mate I should - cheers

[@peterlang777]

Good news! Talking to lancaster california about using graphene hematene hydrogen tech for portable hydrogen generators!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

awesome mate - that is good news

[@peterlang777]

@@ThinkingandTinkering thanks robert! I am talking with Rochelle early of the economic development section. They are already using another tech similar to powerhouse UK for hydrogen. Mine just allows for individuals to make hydrogen instead of central plants

[@doonalonnen]

Another great video Rob,but if you want to do away with all the maths,check out Matthias Wandels channelon making wooden gears. He also has a "gear generator".

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I know mate - but good tip thanks - still I don't think you should do away with the math - always better to know why you are doing something

[@JonnyDeRico]

This is so predestined for 3d printing... 😉, I printed a fully working planetary gear in one peace 😃.

[@Buzzhumma]

nice

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

3d printing is awesome mate - but it is size limited and takes quite a while - see the next video - that would be hard to 3d print

[@harrybond007]

My next project: a wooden clock

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

awesome

[@Buzzhumma]

Next video.....Makes clock out of tree LOL

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol - I think you will like the next vid mate

[@Buzzhumma]

I think while transitioning away from internal combustion engines we should be thinking about ways to utilize the 35% or greater heat energy we waste. To think that we drive around in 50kw or more mobile heat exchanges and just emit it to the environment must be adding substantially global warming ! 1.5 billion in just cars equates to 75 billion kilo watts if driving for 1 hour it is 75 billion kw/h. Thats madness and thats just cars! Double that at least if you include trucks and bus and they drive all day! Any one care to estimate?? Literally OMG!!

[@freundlicherhater6085]

Yes, we should make existing technology more efficient and try to harvest waste heat. But for cars it won't work. The engine block is typically cooled to about 90°C, and of course your car should still work when it's hot outside, say 40°C. Thats only 50°C temperature differential in the worst case, not really enought for a powerful stirling engine. Thermoelectric generators would work, but they have very poor efficiency < 10%. And any solution will add weight to your car which in turn will increase fuel consumption, and that's not what we want. So I think it is only reasonable on stationary equipment where additional weight and size is not an issue. And maybe very big ships.

[@Buzzhumma]

What about a 1 liter closed system steam driven tesla turbine? Heat exchanger with water creating steam and driving tesla turbine and then condensed and repeat. This can be used to charge batteies or super caps in a hybrid or electric bus etc and then used immediately when taking off from bus stops . Along with kinetic energy harvesters and disc brake heat it could replace a sizeable amount of heavy batteries and replace them with lighter supercsps etc .retro fit kit would be easy for diy person or mechanic !

[@freundlicherhater6085]

@Desmond Bagley I don't know enough about the exhaust stuff, but regarding the water tank: Again, it would be possible, but it would mean an extra 100kg for the water plus the weight ot the tank and heat exchanger. I think the increased fuel consumption due to the added weight would cancel the increased efficiency. Thats why I suggested stationary systems. Why not, for example, wire the watercooling of your gaming PC into the hot water supply? And add in heat exchangers that take the heat from the still hot waste water of the shower drain and the dishwasher and use it to preheat the cold water going into the boiler. No need for big tanks, no moving around, just a bit more plumbing.

[@freundlicherhater6085]

@@Buzzhumma You need at least 100°C to create steam, typical car engines don't run that hot. That's why I suggested a stirling engine or TEG. And since it would be simple to replace the cooling water with oil and run the engine hotter, I guess there are other reasons, maybe wear of the components, why we don't run those engines hotter.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

agreed mate

[@paulmaydaynight9925]

lol,looks at 3oclock at the end and thinks rob prefers getting his hands dirty rather than use new fangled blue and white laser cutters on 1 mm birch plywood and wood glue to laminate them together, or even paper gear layers dipped in his re-enforced carbon plastic

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I do like making mate - it keeps me in touch with stuff

[@lnwolf41]

You lost me at math and geometry 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. A good little video. Hopefully some young people will see how easy it is, will get them started on any number of science related paths.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

it is difficult to do gears without any math - sorry mate

[@Invictus_Terminus]

JESUS! he rattles off math like i rattle off swear words. How do you do it? I mean it takes me like a full 20 seconds to do simple addition. holy moly. I feel so stupid

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I have a math brain mate - maybe I should have taken a bit more time

[@Invictus_Terminus]

@@ThinkingandTinkering no I got it. Just wow.

[@gusmartin6053]

So now we know how to make gears. What about a clock escapement...

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

sure - with pendulum?

[@gusmartin6053]

@@ThinkingandTinkering I suppose that's an important part isnt it.

[@zylascope]

Cool :)

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate

[@ronaldd2154]

OR if your lucky, you can take metal gears out of a cars engine!

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

you can indeed

[@ExtantFrodo2]

You can't make a wood gear. You can only extract one from a board.

[@freundlicherhater6085]

Well, you could make a gear-shaped metal cylinder and plant a sapling in the center. When the tree grows, it will fill the shape. Just wait 20-30 years, the you simply cut off a disk and you have a wood gear. No board needed, but takes quite some time.

[@ExtantFrodo2]

@Desmond Bagley :-) you sussed me. My father was a sculptor. Stone was his best medium. The apple doesn't fall far from your pocket.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

lol - for sure mate - nice one

[@ExtantFrodo2]

@@freundlicherhater6085 And here was me thinking that clock makers had patience. You blow them out of the water.

[@paulmaydaynight9925]

How To Make a Paper Tuxedo | Paper Clothes 2,800 views•Dec 25, 2017 ,Origami 4ik

[@simonbrooks399]

Or you can use a computer to calculate

[@ПашаПитецкий]

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