http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/120/1182/=se20vz

I have yet to install them.  I told myself the next time something breaks and I have to take off a carriage I will put them on, but nothing has broken yet (knock on wood) and I see no reason to take apart my well calibrated carriage to put these on.  Hose clamps work fine.  I will report back if I ever get to it.

For the hose clamps, you crank them on such that the end of the screw hits the metal of the case and makes a tight fit.  It is somewhat intuitive once you attempt it.

Sorry to hijack the thread - will start the log soon and at least report back my own findings on the rods and bearings but that's at least a week or three away.

But I wanted say how I cut the rods, in my case I used a dremel only to cut 1mm all around the rod, since only the surface is hardened, after that it was relatively easy to cut with a hacksaw and it didn't bend at all, to finish the edges I used a bench grinder but I guess you could also use the dremel.

I've spent more time modding my solidoodle than I have printing on it but I've enjoyed the whole process.  I have an SD2 and I feel like I am outgrowing the print bed area.  So I'm considering a long term project where I will essentially build a gigantic solidoodle frame and swap all the parts over, upgrading where required.  It would be awesome to have something like a 12x12x12 or larger build area but I'm sure it would be a massive undertaking!

Nice! - Can I ask where you sourced your bearings if you're happy with them and didn't have to pick and choose through cheap packs to find good ones?  I'm in the process of upgrading my SD3 and I'm trying to make a list of things to get.

I bought these recently http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ED1 … &psc=1

They fit perfectly into the printed parts AND on a daddy budget!

[FYI: changed username from DynamechGT since soliforum thought it was a bot for unknown reasons(?!)]

Have you gotten your rods yet?  What do you think about them?

Yes, I got them several months ago shortly after making that thread.  The McMaster rods worked great.  True to dimensions and bearings slide smooth.  Very quick and cheap shipping too.  Highly recommended. 

I picked up a dremel and cutting head to cut them for around $40, but if you have or know anyone with a metal saw that might get a cleaner cut.  I didn't want to clamp them to a table and take a hacksaw to it because I was paranoid about bending it, so I recommend the dremel or a real metal saw.  It is always handy to have a dremel anyway.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#hardened-shafts/=rby0lu

THis Ebay seller has been recommended also (US based):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OD-8mm-x-500mm- … 35d1edb2ee

The thing to note is that linear rods come in a whole spectrum of accuracies. For what we're doing here with cheapish linear ball bearings, anything marketed with "precision" or "linear rod" is likely quite acceptable. Normally they're chrome steel, although sometimes stainless varieties show up. Either works. The thing that specifically doesn't seem to work is the solidoodle stock rods, which are not quite the right size/tolerance to use these bearings.

Re cutting to size: If a bench-vise is too expensive, consider just clamping the rod to the end of a table with two g-clamps or bar clamps and taking to it with a regular hacksaw. Make sure you protect the running surface of the rod when you do (scrap wood or cardboard under the clamps, and wrap the places you cut/file/sand/finish with masking tape).

I'm ready to do a carriage replacement (lawsy).  I've got all the parts printed and I ordered the bearings from eBay and the 8mm rods from solidoodle.  I was pretty disappointed when the rods showed up and one is significantly larger than the other, it takes a big push to move the bearing along the rod at all.  A caliper measurement showed that it is indeed larger than it should be.  I would have asked for a replacement but this was actually several months ago, I got caught up moving, so I guess I'm stuck with them now.

Does anyone have another source that you have ordered rods from with good results?  It would be even better if I could order an exact length because I've got an enclosure that will not allow rods to stick out the sides.  I could get a hack saw to cut them without a problem but holding them still while cutting looks like it will require a bench clamp, which is more than I really want to spend.

TL;DR: where is the best place, other than solidoodle to order 8mm rods for a carriage replacement?

Thanks!