The Best Way to Make Things Spin - Kevin Caron

Описание: #MakeThingsSpinSmoothly #UsingBearings #KevinCaronArt

From http://www.kevincaron.com - Artist Kevin Caron explains how he makes his sculptures spin smoothly using bearings ....

Kevin Caron is working on a kinetic sculpture, and making things spin is something he's been getting a lot of questions about. How do you make something spin? You need a bearing - or two.

Bearings are really simple. There are only 3 pieces to a bearing assembly: an upper and lower race that the bearings run in, and the cage that holds the balls. He shows the 2 sides of the cage, how on one side the balls are trapped inside the 2 edges that are crimped together to hold them in, and the cage side that keeps all the balls aligned and separated.

The cage fits into 1 race, and the other race sits on top of it. Now you have a bearing.

There are many different styles of bearings. Kevin Caron is using a thrust bearing in this free how to video, but you've also got, for instance, wheel bearings in your car that allow the wheels to spin. They are a little different but doing the same basic thing. Thrust bearings seem to work best for for the way he works.

Kevin Caron shows an assembly he just made. It has 1 thrust bearing at the top of the assembly - it will get welded together. He points out a small hole where he'll install a zerk fitting so the bearing can be greased with a grease gun once or twice a year because the bearing itself will be captured inside. He shows how the angle at the top of the metal shaft that will be welded to the sculpture itself. So that's the top of the assembly.

Next Kevin Caron shows another thrust bearing at the bottom. He took an oversized aluminum shaft and turned it down on the lathe so the lower thrust bearing has a shoulder to sit on. That makes it captive on the bottom, but still able to spin on top.

He also turned the inside of the piece of pipe so it fits the outside diameter of the thrust bearing and did the same at the top, where he turned the shaft down even farther so the smaller thrust bearing can fit in it. He also recessed inside the top piece for a nice snug fit over the top.

Kevin Caron will line up and weld together the assembly so the sculpture can spin nice and smooth and easy. The nice thing with this setup is not having to weld on the bearings. (Well, in this case you really can't because he is using steel races and an aluminum shaft, which can't be welded together.)

Instead of welding the top 2 pieces together, you could also hollow out the inside just a little bit more, cut the outside diameter down a little, and thread them so they screw together. That way you can take it apart to get to that top bearing again.

If you are wondering, "Wouldn't 1 bearing work?," no, it won't, because of the slop in the shaft. You have to have both bearings to get rid of that wobble. With the smaller diameter bearing fitted inside, there's no movement.

Kevin Caron hopes that helps you get your bearings (groan!) and figure out how to make whatever it is you're working on.

He appreciates you watching. Before you go, come out to http://www.kevincaron to see more free how-to videos and his amazing sculpture.

Well, you might want to hang out another minute to see the original spinning toy ....

Artist Kevin Caron has been sculpting full time since 2006. See - and hear - his amazing metal and large format 3D-printed sculptures, which are found in public and private places coast-to-coast and online at http://www.kevincaron.com.

"Inspired sculpture for public & private places."

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