GearsA SPUR GEAR is cylindrical in shape, with teeth on the outer circumference that are straight and parallel to the axis (hole). There are a number of variations of the basic spur gear, including pinion wire, stem pinions, rack and internal gears. (See Figure 1.17)
PINION WIRE is a long wire or rod that has been drawn through a die so that gear teeth are cut into its surface. It can be made into small gears with different face widths, hubs, and bores. Pinion wire is stocked in 4 ft. lengths. (See Figure 1.18)
STEM PINIONS are bore-less spur gears with small numbers of teeth cut on the end of a ground piece of shaft. They are especially suited as pinions when large reductions are desired. (See Figure 1.19)
RACK are yet another type of spur gear. Unlike the basic spur gear, racks have their teeth cut into the surface of a straight bar instead of on the surface of a cylindrical blank. Rack is sold in two, four and six foot lengths, depending on pitch, which you will learn about starting in chapter 2. (See Figure 1.20)
INTERNAL GEARS have their teeth cut parallel to their shafts like spur gears, but they are cut on the inside of the gear blank. (See Figure 1.21)
