So I’m trying to get a tracking wheel modules to fit within a 2" width in my wheelbases. I’ve tried to squish everything together as best as possible but it’s unfortunately still too thick, even in the best case scenario.
So now I’m thinking of cutting a 2.5" omni wheel in half in order to decrease the width. I’ve seen teams cut omni wheels for anti-tips but I’m not sure how it will affect distance tracking. If anyone has ever tried this or has any thoughts on the idea I’d love to hear them. In addition to this, what do you think would be the best way to cut an omni wheel in half (like what tool)?
This is something people have done in the past for this purpose.
Probably a hacksaw is the tool for the job. Secure the wheel thoroughly, mark the cut carefully, and go slow.
Something to consider is that cutting the wheel exactly down the middle doesn’t leave a ton of plastic left near the thickest part of the rollers - you might want to think about cutting the wheel offset from the mid-plane. That way, you won’t be able to get two thinner wheels out of a single wheel, but the thinner wheels you get will be stronger.
Just using a hacksaw will work but for a smooth straight cut a lathe would be ideal. If you don’t have a lathe you could put the wheel on an axle in a motor/drill to rotate it around and score/draw a nice straight line around its circumference to guide your cut with the hacksaw
This isn’t good, because then half of the wheel doesn’t touch the ground. The omni wheel is designed with offset rollers so that there is always a contact point. Half cut 2.75s will result in less accuracy than solid ones.
single roller omnis are the best for thin tracking wheels but they’re impossible to get because they’re discontinued and nobody wants to sell theirs. Half cut 2.75s isnt optimal but it should still work. If you cut them in half I would recommend using a band saw, and if the wheel doesn’t fit completey under the bandsaw, cut as much as you can with a bandsaw and do the rest with a hacksaw. Before you cut the Omnis, use a flathead screwdriver to take the rollers out. If you don’t have a Bandsaw but still want to get a clean cut you could use a hacksaw and sand/file the wheel after you use it or just take the rollers out and sand the plastic (although this would take a long time without a belt sander and you would get plastic dust everywhere.)
