Linear table/Macro slider

youmagine

I really needed a linear table/macro slider, so I was about to buy one before realizing I could design and build my own - perhaps not that much cheaper, but definitely more fun than buying one! This simple design requires just a few parts (check out the complete BOM under instructions), and I chose easy-to-get, inexpensive components like cheap Chinese bearings/rails, threaded rod, and low-cost nuts and screws from eBay. With this setup, you get 45mm of travel, with each turn of the knob equaling approximately 0.8mm of movement - you can use a finer thread to achieve even higher resolution if needed, but I think 0.8mm/turn is sufficient in most cases. This beats trying to move a tripod back and forth just a few mm! The parts turned out great on my machine, although some fine trimming might be necessary to fit the cover properly. The carriage and thread cover are designed to print standing up, but you're free to print them in any orientation you prefer :)