Chapter 4. axles, bushes, and joints

We’ve already covered most of the basic LEGO Technic pieces. In this chapter, we discuss three other popular pieces: axles, bushes, and universal joints. While all of these elements can be used to transmit drive, they can also be used as structural elements in your builds. Let’s take a look.

axles

Axles are one of the most basic and crucial pieces in LEGO Technic. They have a very special property: Depending on the shape of the hole they’re put through, axles can either rotate inside other pieces or remain fixed to them (at the same time locking them together), as Figure 4-1 shows.

A regular axle put through two Technic bricks: The red brick has an X-shaped axle hole that locks the axles, while the green brick has a pin hole that allows the axle to rotate freely.

Figure 4-1. A regular axle put ...

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