Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →A wooden reciprocating rack and pinion turns continuously in one direction while its rack slides back and forth. Ronald Walters built this unusual arrangement by adapting a single-rack gear template into a double-rack mechanism, then aligning and cutting the parts by hand. The result demonstrates a mechanical principle—not a complete set of plans for reproducing the build.
How a rack and pinion turns rotation into linear motion
In a conventional rack-and-pinion, a toothed wheel called the pinion meshes with a straight toothed bar called the rack. Turning the pinion moves the rack in a straight line. Turn the pinion in the opposite direction and the rack travels the other way.
Walters’ build changes the arrangement so the rack can slide back and forth while the pinion keeps turning in one direction. Its double-rack setup is the key distinction: it is not simply a standard rack-and-pinion whose motor reverses. A historical explanation in the 1914 book Practical Mechanics for Boys describes another way continuous rotation can produce reciprocation, using a rack and a mutilated gear that engages opposite sides at the ends of travel. That is useful context, but it is not the same construction as Walters’ project.
How Walters adapted the design
Walters got the idea after seeing an online animation, but could not find a real example. He used a gear-template generator from woodgears.ca as a starting point. As Jeremy S. Cook reported in Make:’s 2016 feature, the generator produced a single rack, while Walters’ mechanism required two. Getting the parts aligned took trial and error.
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
- Rack and Pinion Tie Rods Replacement for 2013-2018 Ram 1500 (5 Lug Models) - [2019-2023 Ram 1500 Classic (5 Lug Models)]
- Kit Includes: 1x Front Power Steering Rack and Pinion + 2x Front Outer Tie Rods
- To Activate your Lifetime Warranty, you must send in your core unit. Call us when you order to get a return shipping label for your old unit
- New Oil and Lip Seals installed to ensure quality performance, Hydraulically Pressure Tested to Ensure Internal By-Pass for Both High & Low Pressure
- LIFETIME-WARRANTY!
The feature says Walters did not use CAD or CNC: he aligned and cut the components by hand. The account does not provide dimensions, a complete cut list, or exact tooth geometry, so it should not be treated as a reproducible construction plan.
Tools used on the project
The reported tools include a scroll saw and a lathe. Cook also points out a spindle sander in the video at about 1:30. These are tools associated with this particular build, not a verified complete tool list or requirements for every wooden rack-and-pinion project.
Rank #2
- Rack and Pinion Kit Replacement for 1999-2006 Silverado 1500 (2WD Models ONLY; Steering Type: Rack) - [1999-2006 Sierra 1500 (2WD Models ONLY; Steering Type: Rack)]
- Rack and Pinion Kit Includes: 1x Power Steering Rack and Pinion Assembly + 2x Front Outer Tie Rods
- To Activate your Lifetime Warranty, you must send in your core unit. Call us when you order to get a return shipping label for your old unit
- New Oil and Lip Seals installed to ensure quality performance, Hydraulically Pressure Tested to Ensure Internal By-Pass for Both High & Low Pressure
- Remanufactured in Detroit, USA - Lifetime Warranty Guarantee
What happened when he powered it
A small motor Walters tried first did not turn the pinion well, so he switched to a Roomba model. The pinion then moved relatively fast. Walters described the mechanism as operating “effortlessly and smoothly” and said it would be quieter with a slower motor; he also noted that his original, much slower motor had not worked. Those are his observations as quoted by Cook, not measured performance results.
Cook suggested that a slower motor might suit a time-lapse mechanism. That was a proposed application, not a tested use of the build.
Rank #3
- Replacement for 1995-1997 Toyota Tacoma (4WD) - [1998-2004 Toyota Tacoma (4WD, 2.7L, 3.4L; Pre Runner w/ RWD)]
- Kit Includes: 1x Power Steering Rack and Pinion + 2x Outer & Inner Tie Rods + 2x Front Lower Ball Joint + 2x Front Upper Ball Joints
- To Activate your Lifetime Warranty, you must send in your core unit. Call us when you order to get a return shipping label for your old unit
- Undergo impact, wear, and fatigue testing to help ensure quality and durability
- Lifetime Warranty
What the feature does—and does not—establish
The Make: account and Walters’ video show the operating concept and outline the fabrication approach. They do not establish dimensions, load capacity, efficiency, measured speed, noise levels, or performance under different conditions. The project is best understood as a demonstration of how a double-rack arrangement can turn one-way rotation into back-and-forth travel, rather than a tested design specification.
The full demonstration appears at about 6:45 in Cook’s Make: feature.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Both RWD & 4x4 Models; Hydraulic; Excludes HYBRID Models; FOR MODELS WITH ALUMINUM CONTROL ARMS ONLY
- Rack and Pinion Kit Replacement for 2007-2014 Cadillac Escalade - [2007-2014 Cadillac Escalade ESV] - 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT - [2007-2013 Chevrolet Avalanche] - 2007-2014 Chevrolet Tahoe - [2007-2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (Excludes Classic Models)] - 2007-2013 GMC Sierra 1500 (Excludes Classic Models) - [2007-2014 GMC Yukon] - 2007-2014 GMC Yukon XL 1500
- Kit Includes: 1x Hydraulic Power Steering Rack & Pinion + 2x Front Lower Ball Joints + 2x Front Outer Tie Rod Ends + 2x Front Sway Bar Links
- To Activate your Lifetime Warranty, you must send in your core unit. Call us when you order to get a return shipping label for your old unit
- Lifetime Warranty
Rank #4
- Fits RWD & 4x4 Models ; Hydraulic ; Excludes HYBRID Models
- Rack & Pinion Tie Rod Replacement for 2007-2014 Cadillac Escalade - [2007-2014 Cadillac Escalade ESV] - 2007-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT - [2007-2013 Chevrolet Avalanche] - 2007-2014 Chevrolet Tahoe - [2007-2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (Excludes Classic Models)] - 2007-2013 GMC Sierra 1500 (Excludes Classic Models) - [2007-2014 GMC Yukon] - 2007-2014 GMC Yukon XL 1500
- Steering and Suspension Kit Includes: 1x Power Steering Rack & Pinion + 2x Front Outer Tie Rods
- To Activate Your Lifetime Warranty; You Must Send in Your Core Unit. Call Us When You Order to Get a Return Shipping Label for Your Old Unit
- Remanufactured in Detroit, USA - Lifetime Warranty
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
