Captain's Log:

I've successfully printed a 10-planet/large star bearing. I've also printed a spool end. I have shoved the bearing into the spool end, applied copious amounts of thick silicone lubricant (I use this to reduce friction/prevent friction-welding of parts with the pullcopter, so I figure it'll do). I then spun it with my drill a bit. While it still has quite a bit of friction, I believe it'll do fine. If not, we'll replace it with a 608. I will try to keep this design easily adjustable to use 608s because I have noticed these geared bearings make quite a bit of noise, even at low RPM. Fortunately, it's a good plastic gear crunching sound, which everyone loves.

I've also finished prototyping the shaft. It'll be comprised of two 70mm lengths that get glued. I will probably use epoxy. Although the spool end, and of course the bearing, were printed in PLA, I may print the shaft in ABS. The reason for this is so I can sand the top surface to be very smooth, to make a good joint surface. PLA can be iffy on the sanding, and my printer can be iffy on the precise calibration.

I've also finished prototyping a simple coupler to join the spool to the shaft. This allows the outside of the bearing/spool to be affixed to the spool-shaft, while allowing the threaded rod to go through the center of the bearing and shaft. I believe it will require support when printing, but the ugly side will be hidden.