Let’s talk about v-wheels

Anybody using these? I’ve been breaking conventional delrin wheels a lot lately. Time to find something more durable. Despite the expense I’ve ordered a complete set of these plus a few spares.

Curious to hear others experience with alternatives.

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They don’t offer Xtreme Wheels with a V-Grove, that would be compatible with the Shapeoko extrusion. The Solid V-Wheels ride in the V channel of their V-Slot linear extrusions (https://openbuildspartstore.com/v-slot-linear-rail-1/). Otherwise I would have tried them myself a while ago :laughing:

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Know someone with a metal lathe? I think it would be fairly simple for someone to make a compatible v-wheel

Not that I have found, there is their Metal versions, but that would cause wear on the aluminum extrusion, as the wheel would have a higher hardness.

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Doh! The pic looks at first to have a v-slot but upon closer inspection, not. Order cancelled, thanks for the heads up.

Question remains.

Metal V wheels have been considered in the past, and one model of machine actually had a second set of V wheel holes for steel wheels — the problem is the metal wheels cause undue wear as noted by @DanStory

Other materials have been considered as well, but it’s amazing that a plastic first used as a replacement for quills used to make plectrums for harpsichords is so perfectly suited to this use.

I’ve had my XXL for 3-4 years and still on original wheels… how are yours failing?

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I’m not advocating for metal wheels, just making the observation that someone with a lathe would be able to make them fairly easily and it does not need to be steel. One could use other metals not as hard as aluminum (e.g.: zinc, brass, tin) that would be harder than Delrin.

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What metal would be sufficiently harder to be worth the change, while soft enough to not concentrate forces so as to break through the anodizing on the aluminum causing wear?

Another consideration is the Delrin is self-lubricating — wouldn’t metal wheels need a lubricant?

Hold my beer…

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Maybe @Luke should drink less and release some heavy duty v-wheels.

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I have a feeling this will be an expensive January

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@Luke You have my interest… Are you working on a linear motion upgrade kit - i.e. something similar as @RichCournoyer was testing for Edward a year and a half ago?

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We live in interesting times!

I’ve started early (in prototyping stage) :stuck_out_tongue:

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I never thought I’d hear those words. :smiley:

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Not really sure to be honest. I may well have gotten a bad batch.

It’s interesting you are still on your first set. Mine wear to the point where I cannot tighten them sufficiently with the eccentric nut to maintain solid contact with the v-rail I.e. the wheel can be turned by hand with little effort. That’s when I replace.

I know he sold them back in the day…

It really is a cool story from the early days of 3M — the company sent out a request of employees to find products which wanted improvement/lower prices — unfortunately, not finding a link to the article on it I recall.

I thought that I read somewhere Carbide had upgraded all V-Wheels to the ones @Luke was selling at Beaver.