Linear slide idea and questions

[posix]

Having spent whole day looking for cheap stupid bearings and failing to find any at under $2 apiece, and when you need gazillions of them for a machine this thing doesn't come cheap, I've come across these. They are used in cabinetry for making built-in wardrobes and things. They come in packs of two, together with assorted plastic bits (guides, stops etc etc) and cost $2 for a pack of 2. Which means I just cut the price of this whole shebang in half! And they are rated at 90kg per roller! (they are meant to support large sliding doors with mirrors on them) Which is nice

They also have matching teeny bottom-supported rounded aluminium rails which are around $5 for a 3m length. Which suits me just fine!

Now my question is can any of you seasoned builders think of a better arrangement for the rollers?

Please have a look at what I came up with and see if you could think of a better arrangement which would offer better support for the whole assembly. I will be rotating everything 45 deg so I get support in all directions that matter for a particular axis.

And if you could stick to 4 rollers per side please as I don't want the costs to spiral out of control. It has allready cost me way more than I can possibly afford!

[rippersoft]

I like it. Looks simple and the parts $$ don't kill you. I would build a prototype and beat it up. When I first built my roller bearing/gas pipe assembly, I put body weight on the assembly and pushed back and forth, side to side.

The sound of cracking parts or hearing a bindup will let you know if it will hack it. Of course, I would not suggest body weight for the plastic and aluminum you show in your design, but you get the idea.

I have stuck with roller bearings and steel angle and unichannel. Works good, won't break anytime soon.

Remember to play safe and above all, have fun.

[posix]

Plastic are the sleeves for bearings. I didn't bother drawing bearings themselves but you can imagine the bearings come between the white wheels and the brass pins. I could take off the plasticky sleeves and replace them with brass or aluminium jobbies for example?

[posix]

Is it even possible to make those 2mm wide 6mm deep cuts for aluminium support rails so close to a corner? Carpenters please respond...

Any better ideas?

[posix]

I've made another version with two differing setups. The second one seems carpenter-friendlier Comments on stability of each please?

[rceebuilder]

Posix, idea is good but you should use milled roller instead using ready built (moulded) plastic rollers .Once I have tried it. these wardrobe parts are not pricise enough.

But the rails are too nice and very easy to use

Murat

[posix]

Murat you are turkish! Wonderful!

Can you translate this for me from the packaging?

SKM30 HAFIF SURNE KAPAK MEKANIZMASI
(2 Kapak)

then it says din en iso9001:2000 blah blah blah which sounds pretty...

and the company is called MEPA

Ever heard of it?

[rceebuilder]

The first one is better. It is more stable in rotational loads.

[rceebuilder]

Posix , 'Light load draw slide mechanism'

[posix]

Can you explain why is the first one better? I'm curious to know...

[rceebuilder]

Posix , at first sight I feel that it is more stable .it is also easy to use in X axis like this

[erase42]

there should be no problem cutting that groove in the inside corner of the block with a table saw.