Make A Rotational Casting Machine For Under $150

Step 4 The Undercarriage

This is where things are going to get a little harder. You will now need to create the connection between the gear that rotates the inner frame, and the gears that cause it to spin from the rotation from the bigger frame.

You will need to grab the 8.5 inch 5/16 rod, the two 4.0 inch 3/8 rod, and the two 1/8 inch T connectors. First, drill out the threads inside of the T pipe connector. This is done so that the 5/16 threaded rod does not grab while it is rotating inside of them. Next, I recommend securing the supports to hold the axle. Drill two holes on the bottom right of the big frame and fasten the 3/8 inch rods to them with the T mount at the bottom of each rod. Make sure the 3/8 rods are really secured to the frame by using nuts on either side of the frame. Once again, I used a stop nut on the outside and a regular nut on the inside.

From there, put the 8.5 inch 5/16 rod through the supports. Once this is done, attach the gears at either end. Use two nuts for each gear to support it to the rod. Afterwards, hot glue them into place.

Next, I used epoxy to glue spare nuts in front of and behind the T connector. These nuts were glued on top of the 5/16 rod, and was done so to prevent the axle from moving back and forth too much.

Now, it is time to test out how well the gears line up. The axle (the 8.5 inch 5/16 rod) should rotate the gears affixed at each end of it. The gear closest to the center of the big frame, should have its teeth line up with the gear that is attached (via the 4.5 inch 5/16 rod) to the small frame. The two gears should form a right angle. If everything goes right, the axle should rotate and in turn spin the gear, which turns the small frame. You might have to do some small adjustments here to make stuff work.