Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instruments A Free Library of Drive Components

I think this is the catalogue I'm most stoked about at the moment. I've decided to use timing belts for a few projects I'd like to get to later this year, like the plotter printer and milling machine I'd like to build. I'm waiting to learn some more electronics, R&D some more parts (electronic and mechanical), and build up some better funding. Thankfully, the precision parts in this book seem very reasonably priced and won't break the bank. Compare that to places like Small Parts, Inc. whose parts cost a fortune.

This book rocks. It's not so much a catalogue as a complete mechanical reference of how every part works and is designed, including complete terminology. I appreciate it, since there's always one or two words labeling a part online that I don't get, making it impossible to know if I'm getting the right part. It also includes formulas and methods for designing gears, etc. Very helpful.

I've been thinking about building things in metric, just because the math is so much easier. This catalogue is pushing me further toward that decision. I can pretty much get any drive component I'd ever need in metric now.

This is the inch version of the metric catalogue above.

Just a small pamphlet of cool Fairloc components.

SDP/SI ad brochure.

Growing up, especially in high school, I always had cool mechanical project ideas, which always failed because I couldn't get the parts I needed. I'm finally going to be able to accomplish some of them thanks to these free catalogues. If you're interested, just head to the link, check the ones you want, fill in your address, and they'll arrive free of charge. Alternately, pretty much everything is at the site as pdf/html files, and they have a lot of finder utilities to help you locate specific parts.