I'm planning to build a wooden toy that has wheels where the axles are tightly fitted to the wheels, causing them to rotate together. However, the axles need to fit into the toy's chassis with some kind of ball bearing system. I'm curious if I can make those ball bearings out of wood, since I want the entire toy to be wooden. If wooden ball bearings aren't feasible, are there small metal ball bearings available that could fit in a chassis that's only about 2 inches wide? I'd appreciate any suggestions!
3 Answers
I've built wooden toy trucks for my grand-kids using a simple method. I drill a hole for the axle through the chassis and attach the wheels directly. A bit of wax on the axle helps it rotate smoothly with the wheels. I don't think you really need bearings unless you're expecting a lot of weight on the axle and wheels. If that's the case, you might want to switch to metal for sturdiness.
Wooden ball bearings aren't going to work out. Instead, look for small metal ball bearings or consider using bronze bushings; they can fit nicely into your tiny chassis.
Instead of ball bearings, how about using a greased or waxed plain sliding bearing? It might simplify things and work just fine for your toy.