So after fixing my linear rail, and getting all the ball bearings back in, I was able to tighten up the belt (which was what I was trying to do originally). Having tight belts also makes a real difference. You can see just how much tighter and more accurate the prints on the right are than the ones on the left. I think I will stop tweaking things now and focus on printing out parts for my Kossel.
Funny. I am in the same place right now. I am trying to clean up the quality of prints on my MendelMax so I can start printing parts for the delta printer I am planning to build. I am also considering a Kossel.
So good luck to you Mark!
The linear bearing probably won’t work very well with the bearings re-inserted. There are actually two sizes of bearings in those, and they are designed to alternate between the larger and the microscopically smaller ones. The smaller ones turn backwards between the larger ones to keep them rolling smoothly. Without this, there will be a lot more friction and wear on the balls.
@Whosa_whatsis thanks for letting me know that. I will have to find a replacement linear bearing. When I was putting it back to gether I thought it seemed like some of the bearings were a little larger …