
62 CHAPTER 6
the worm
gear
Most people would probably consider the worm gear to be
the oddest gear in the NXT set. Not only does it have an odd
name, but it looks more like a screw than a gear! In fact, the
worm gear is also known as the screw gear. However, it’s
to our advantage to take this gear very seriously. To better
understand how the worm gear functions, let’s build another
mechanism with a gear train, this time featuring a worm
gear and a 24t gear.
Figure 6-16 shows the pieces you’ll need to build the
mechanism, and Figure 6-17 presents the building instruc-
tions. The 24t gear is mounted on an axle peg, which allows
it to rotate free