Does anyone have either the Micro-Mark or Bachmann E-Z Rider test stand rollers who can give me an outer diameter measurement in mm or decimal inches?
Cedarwoodron
I have the Bachmann HO scale set, and they measure 6mm diameter.
I have Bachrus rollers - 5.95mm/0.234in. Whatcha up to - building your own?
Well, there are various sources of miniature roller bearings (easily available in small packs of 10 or so) online and in many metro areas, including mine. The other parts- 90 degree steel angles and appropriate machine screws, etc. should not be a big problem. A simple set of two 9-inch Atlas track pieces or a single length of flex track, wood to make sides and a base for the device, a set of leads to attach to a power source, etc. and making my own static test stand is not impossible. Given the costs for the miniature bearings (minor), existing on hand materials (track and wood)- I believe I could make one for less than $20.00, which is a far sight cheaper than the commercial ones or the ready-made rollers that are otherwise available.
Cedarwoodron
I’m sure you’re familiar with the saying, 'Penny Wise and Pound Foolish."
If you look around on e-Bay you should be able to find the Bachmann or other brands of roller test stand sets at considerable discount.
I purchase miniature roller bearing sets from a hobby shop in Tucson, Arizona, and use them on G-scale rolling stock axles by drilling out the truck sideframes so they will fit, but these have a shoulder on one side that would restrict their use for a test stand setup.
They cost $20 for 8 bearings. They measure 5.99 diameter on the main part, with a 7.19mm shoulder. I’ve seen them advertised as a machinist’s item, and sold by companies that specialize in machine tools.
By the time you purchase enough of these bearings and all the other items you need to fabricate your own, you’re probably going to spend more than you would for the ready-made set.
At $20 for 8 bearings, you’re looking at $80 worth of them used in the Bachmann set.
And remember, if you use a metal bracket you must insulate the two sides from each other, or you are going to create a dead short. The Bachmann set has metal side brackets mounted to a black plastic center piece.
I found a 10-pack of all steel miniature roller bearings similar to those used by Bachmann for $7.29 with free shipping on Ebay. I can get the screws and angle steel at any of three places in my area. The required wood and track are in my workshop supplies- still sounds cheaper than any price I have seen online for the retail product.
Cedarwoodron
I have a set of the Micro Mark rollers. I measured the outside diameter of the roller bearings at 6mm. Hope this helps.
Logic would indicate that there must be some difference in quality between bearings that are 10 for $7.29 and those that are 8 for $20. On the other hand, there is sometimes no logic to any of the prices.
But that’s beside the point. I would hope that you would keep an accurate cost count of all the material you use, and then present that cost of material list along with the photo of your completed project.
Please remember that all of the material you use has an associated cost, so I would expect that you would assign a reasonable cost to those pieces of wood and sections of track that you happen to have. I confess to being a little frustrated with those posters who claim they have built something less expensively than what it would cost for a commercial product, forgetting that the material they have “laying around” is not really free. I just was already paid for.
Virtually all the projects I have posted in the photo gallery are derived from swap meet built kit used/unbuilt kits unused cars and engines. I am “frugal” by nature (cheap![:D]) because of my available $ for hobby spending, so rest assured that whatever I come up with will be costed accurately. Having had experience with Ebay purchases of materials- decals, LEDs, etc . previously, I have not had any bad experiences with what I have obtained that way in term of quality. Besides, there is that “fun” factor of D-I-Y that makes the result more meaningful.
Cedarwoodron