Old Fashion Robotic Store, Inc. (401) 276-4216

Shafts and Axels

Shafts are rods in which gears and wheels are mounted to. On non-fixed shafts, the shafts normally will use mounted bushings or bearings to hold them in place while the wheels or gears can be fixed onto the shaft.

Fixed shafts are mounted so that the shaft does not move. Wheels and gears are mounted to the shaft with bearings or bushings to allow them to rotate on the shaft.

Shafts come in many shapes. The common shapes are round, D shaped, Keyed, square, and hex (6 sided). The gear or wheel, or in fixed configuration shaft mounting, can be done by friction (tight fit or pressed on), shaped, set screw, or key locked.

If the shaft is round, common styles of keeping the gear/wheel attached to the shaft are friction, using a tight fit, or set screws through a hub attached to the gear/wheel.

A D shaped, square, hex, and other odd shaped shaft should have gears and wheels with the same bore configuration or set screws to hold in place.

A Keyed shaft is a shaft with a grove in it. A key, little flat material, fits into the slot on the shaft and a slot on the gear or wheel to keep it from rotating on the shaft.

An axel refers to a form of shaft in which wheels are connected to.


			Shafts and Axels Shafts are rods in which gears and wheels are mounted to. On non-fixed shafts, the shafts normally will use mounted bushings or bearings to hold them in place while the wheels or gears can be fixed onto the shaft. Fixed shafts are mounted so that the shaft does not move. Wheels and gears are mounted to the shaft with bearings or bushings to allow them to rotate on the shaft. Shafts come in many shapes. The common shapes are round, D shaped, Keyed, square, and hex (6 sided). The gear or wheel, or in fixed configuration shaft mounting, can be done by friction (tight fit or pressed on), shaped, set screw, or key locked. If the shaft is round, common styles of keeping the gear/wheel attached to the shaft are friction, using a tight fit, or set screws through a hub attached to the gear/wheel. A D shaped, square, hex, and other odd shaped shaft should have gears and wheels with the same bore configuration or set screws to hold in place. A Keyed shaft is a shaft with a grove in it. A key, little flat material, fits into the slot on the shaft and a slot on the gear or wheel to keep it from rotating on the shaft. An axel refers to a form of shaft in which wheels are connected to.		Standard Diameters: 2mm(0.07874") 3mm(0.11811") 1/8"(0.125") 4mm(0.15748") 1/4"(0.25") 3/8"(0.375") VEX Robotic Design System uses a 3mm x 3mm square shaft. It is equivalent to a 4mm shaft.