February 1, 201510 yr Author Right. Nope, I thought at first that it was just showing me a low res version of my circle, but later realized that it was really only like a 24 sided polygon. I know how to make it higher res now.
February 1, 201510 yr I'll need to verify dimensions, but how's this: You had a couple things that seemed off dimensionally, but I'm on the road this week for work, so don't have any pieces to check against. I can do that next weekend though. The back of your part was also shelled, not sure if that was intentional or not, but I just made it flat: I can output the .stl file now for you if you want, or wait till I can verify the dimensions.
February 1, 201510 yr Author That's awesome! Design good from here, without seeing the dimensions. Only issue I see is the thickness of the flange. I've had issues with thick flanges catching on the outside rail in 9V curves at the connection between 2 pieces of track. The back was shelled to reduce material needed to keep cost down. Difference is probably negligible though. The full thickness will give me more area to scrape my wire against to pick up power. Link me to the .stl and I'll check the dimensions against the wheel sitting in front of me. Edited February 1, 201510 yr by legoman666
February 1, 201510 yr Dropbox for Wheel2.stl: https://www.dropbox.com/s/kyyq6nzidxlg1qm/Wheel2.stl?dl=0 I didn't try it with Shapeway, but it works in both the Makerbot software and Preform (which, by the way, is awesome). Let me know if you need any changes. EDIT: Found a mistake already. .stl file's been updated. Edited February 1, 201510 yr by coaster
February 1, 201510 yr Author Dimensions seem correct. Cost for your version in SS is $22. https://www.shapeways.com/product/MZ33DR32K/lego-large-steam-wheel?optionId=55153773 The estimate for the one I made was $15. Any chance you could sculpt out some of the inside of the flange and reduce the size of the spoke? Buying 8 of these for my Big Boy seems kind of .... exorbitant,
February 1, 201510 yr That does seem high. One thing I forgot to point out is the .stl is generated in mm, not inches. Yours was in inches before, so check that first. It might be making something 25x too big. Otherwise, try this on for size: https://www.dropbox....Wheel3.stl?dl=0 Woot! No longer "New Member". Edited February 1, 201510 yr by coaster
February 1, 201510 yr Author That does seem high. One thing I forgot to point out is the .stl is generated in mm, not inches. Yours was in inches before, so check that first. It might be making something 25x too big. Otherwise, try this on for size: https://www.dropbox....Wheel3.stl?dl=0 Woot! No longer "New Member". You're awesome. Down to $16. https://www.shapeways.com/product/MZ33DR32K/lego-large-steam-wheel I'm going to order a few soon. FYI, for others ordering, there's a 10% off coupon: C65GX. Edit: ordered 4. Working on editing standard wheel to make a few different sizes but with the same diameter flange. Edited February 2, 201510 yr by legoman666
February 2, 201510 yr Author https://www.shapeway...ange-lego-wheel Small flanged wheel. NB: will very likely derail through switches and maybe even standard lego curves if your wheelbase is long. Dimensions should be correct, but let me verify them tomorrow when I regain access to a real wheel to compare to. Maximum width of flange is 23.95mm, which is just under the 24mm 3 stud width, so it shouldn't rub against adjacent bricks (unlike the official Lego wheels....) and fit nicely. Edited February 2, 201510 yr by legoman666
February 2, 201510 yr 23.95mm might be a little too big still. Standard bricks leave .1mm/side, so a 3 stud diameter flange should be 23.8mm. I wouldn't go any bigger than this, otherwise you could still have them bumping into each other, especially when you stack the clearance of the axles through the brinks.
February 2, 201510 yr Author 23.95mm might be a little too big still. Standard bricks leave .1mm/side, so a 3 stud diameter flange should be 23.8mm. I wouldn't go any bigger than this, otherwise you could still have them bumping into each other, especially when you stack the clearance of the axles through the brinks. You're right, I was thinking in inches (that .05 inches would be plenty). I'll change it.
February 2, 201510 yr These look neat, please keep posting as you continue to develop them. One small note, it looks like the running surface of the wheels are completely flat. You probably want a slight slope on it so that it is shaped like a truncated cone. That will help keep it stable on the straights and more importantly negotiate turns (the different radii on the conical surface allow the wheels to compensate for the fact that the outer wheel has to travel further).
February 2, 201510 yr been wating metal wheels for a while, there was another guy on here selling something simaler on BL but he is out of stock and I have contacted him to no luck. He has a whole kit what was nice, these look awsome, but the price is that for just 2 wheels?
February 2, 201510 yr Author been wating metal wheels for a while, there was another guy on here selling something simaler on BL but he is out of stock and I have contacted him to no luck. He has a whole kit what was nice, these look awsome, but the price is that for just 2 wheels? I was able to buy a few sets from him myself. Last I heard he was in the process of moving so was unable to fulfill orders. That was several months ago. The price on Shapeways is for a single wheel unfortunately. Still cheaper than a new 9v motor though. Zephyr: I was just reading about that! I'll see if I can modify mine.
February 2, 201510 yr I wouldn't worry about making them smaller in diameter than LEGO's wheels. Not necessary, really. Nothing to get in their way. ;)
February 2, 201510 yr Author I wouldn't worry about making them smaller in diameter than LEGO's wheels. Not necessary, really. Nothing to get in their way. ;) Fair enough, but let me fix it for other buyers. I might order a set myself and I'll need the small gap.
February 2, 201510 yr Oh yeah, I can see why two different versions would be desireable. Sorry if I'm being a bit too fussy over tenths of millimeters. I have Aspberger's, and I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to scaling and fine details. :P
February 2, 201510 yr Author Oh yeah, I can see why two different versions would be desireable. Sorry if I'm being a bit too fussy over tenths of millimeters. I have Aspberger's, and I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to scaling and fine details. :P Should be good to go. Reduced flange size by .5mm and beveled edge of wheel to improve cornering. Wheel size minus the flange is 19.5mm, Official Lego wheel is 16.3mm. Edited February 2, 201510 yr by legoman666
February 3, 201510 yr Edit: These are perfect. Going to buy them. Edited February 3, 201510 yr by Aaron
February 4, 201510 yr o.o those look really neat but they seem incredibly rough does it damage the track at all?
February 4, 201510 yr Author Edit: These are perfect. Going to buy them. I ordered a set of 4 myself in plastic just to test. Also ordered 4 of the steam wheels in steel to put on my big boy. Also ordered 6 more of the original to complement my first 2. I'm afraid the flange on them is too big. Edited February 4, 201510 yr by legoman666
February 4, 201510 yr https://www.shapeway...ange-lego-wheel Small flanged wheel. NB: will very likely derail through switches and maybe even standard lego curves if your wheelbase is long. Dimensions should be correct, but let me verify them tomorrow when I regain access to a real wheel to compare to. Maximum width of flange is 23.95mm, which is just under the 24mm 3 stud width, so it shouldn't rub against adjacent bricks (unlike the official Lego wheels....) and fit nicely. I'm interested in these wheels. How much smaller is the flange compared to standard technic axle train wheels? I'm wondering if I could put a pair of these between two pair of normal train wheels to make a 3-axle truck and not have any issues with wheels rubbing against eachother.
February 4, 201510 yr Author I'm interested in these wheels. How much smaller is the flange compared to standard technic axle train wheels? I'm wondering if I could put a pair of these between two pair of normal train wheels to make a 3-axle truck and not have any issues with wheels rubbing against eachother. I'm afraid these are not what you are looking for. The flange is smaller but the overall size is the same. I could however whip up a blind wheel for you. God knows it'd be useful in my own designs as well. Sliding middle axles are tricky when the bogie is PF powered.
February 4, 201510 yr This seems an overly complex and expensive solution to metal wheels. What is wrong with spending a few minutes on a lathe and using a plastic insert for the axle hole? You could even turn down a normal lego wheel to make the plastic insert, or if you wanted spokes just take a lego wheel and turn it down a little to accept a metal tire. Now I know that not everyone has a lathe, but even paying someone else to do it is bound to be cheaper and quicker than metal printing, and a better finish too!
February 4, 201510 yr Author This seems an overly complex and expensive solution to metal wheels. What is wrong with spending a few minutes on a lathe and using a plastic insert for the axle hole? You could even turn down a normal lego wheel to make the plastic insert, or if you wanted spokes just take a lego wheel and turn it down a little to accept a metal tire. Now I know that not everyone has a lathe, but even paying someone else to do it is bound to be cheaper and quicker than metal printing, and a better finish too! What makes you think we all have lathes that can machine steel? And even if we paid someone, who would do it for less than $10 per wheel? Edited February 4, 201510 yr by legoman666
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