Wheel Lacing Jig

thingiverse

This thing was inspired by Aiber and his jig: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3382498, which was based on the Noble Jig; https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/noblelacingjig/. Aiber's jig was a bit pricey for me as a one-time tool every three years, and the parts were not readily available. However, all the parts in my jig can be sourced at a Home Depot or Lowe's except for the 608 bearings. The 608 bearing is the same type used in skateboards and can be found everywhere. All told, there should be less than $15 to make this plus filament. In fact, I may have some scrap PVC, bolts, and nuts lying around. Would I make this again? No, because 1/2" PVC is too flexible. Twelve inches of PVC feels stiff in your hand, but when coupled with another twelve inches plus two fifteen-inch pieces, it flexes like a fifty-four-inch length of PVC. I should have started with larger OD pipe or square metal. My Anet A8 took thirty hours to print, so I wasn't about to start over. I added an inch and a retainer groove to the rim holder, ensuring that the rim will not fall out of the jig. It actually works pretty well. However, I still hope someone else will remix this with stiffer material. Materials: 1 - 5/16" x 2' threaded rod (I cut mine too short; suggest loading a wheel, then cutting) 3 - 5/16" x 2" bolt (to hold the bearing on pipe toppers) 7 - 5/16" nuts 3 - 1/4" flat washer (used as a bearing spacer with a 5/16" bolt, making sure the hole is large enough and the washer is smaller than the OD of the bearing) 3 - 1/4" x 1" bolt (for wingnut) 3 - 1/4" nuts 3 - #8 sheet metal screw 1/2" to 3/4" in length (use a 1/8" bit for pilot hole) 3 - 608 bearings (get the cheapest ones you can find; there's no real load here) 7'3"- 1/2" PVC pipe sch40 PVC Cuts: 3 - 12" (outrigger risers) 3 - 15" (center base) 1 - 6" (center riser) My Home Depot had "Valencia" brand pipe, and I designed around it. The parts will have a slight press fit with this pipe. "JM" has a looser slip fit, which is okay since gravity will hold it down; some teflon tape may give a tighter fit. Printing: I printed this in PETG (PLA will probably be fine) at 40% infill. I think 20% would be good enough or even 10%, except for the outriggers. They use a pinch bolt to hold the pipe, and they'll be flexed; 40% or more would be good here. Supports everywhere. Outrigger: I found all the stress is towards the center of the jig, so I made a 'Lite' version of the Outrigger that should save you 30% in time and material. Rim Holder: I recommend printing three 'Grooved' rim holders; the ungrooved one was there just in case people didn't like clicking the wheel in and out of the groove. Wingnut: The tight one is a press fit and can be a pain to seat the bolt through the hole. The looser one with a bit of glue on top to hold the bolt down might be easier to deal with.