My Mendel Build (X-axis)

My build began with the X-axis. The first part of that was the carriage.   This still has the non-counter-bored bolt holes for the bearings on the bottom.  It was determined that there was no good reason to change them at this time. The major change from the RepRap sites directions was not putting extra washers above the bearings.  The directions suggest putting 5 washers there.  I believe this may be to allow for a bolt that is not threaded far enough.  Then the upper carriage was assembled.

The other change to both of these parts was the horizontal bearing screws.  The directions say to use socket head screws from the outside with non-nylock nuts trapped in the carriage.  This was changed because we had surplus m4x20 hex bolts. The four bolts at angles are long and one of them interfere with the extruder.  So they were trimmed using a rotary cut off wheel. After the carriage I assembled the Idler bracket. This has two main changes. First there is a third m4x40 bolt that is supposed to be in the middle.  This seems unnecessary and is difficult to install, so I excluded it.  Second the bolts that hold the bearings on are supposed to be m4x16, however they were too short so I used more of the extra m4x20 hex head bolts. Next I assembled the 180° vertical bearing.  The directions say not to use nylocks anywhere they will be trapped because they may strip the holes.  This does not seem to be an issue with the part quality I am working with, so I used nylocks almost everywhere. Then I proceeded to assemble the 360° vertical bearing.  This should be assembled from one side across to the other.  This simplifies the installation of the bearing in the middle. Next the motor bracket.  Before installing the motor n the bracket the gear was pressed on.  This was done using a vise.  A m4 nut was placed under the motor shaft to keep from damaging the motor. The only change to this assembly was the bolts that hold the bearings on.  Just like on the idler bracket they are supposed to be m4x16, however I used m4x20 hex head bolts. I did not assemble the separate pieces onto the rods at this time.  I will do that just before I am ready to install it in the frame. Next time I will assemble the Y and Z-axis parts.