Getting rid of the gears definately reduces some of the error sources and also some of the higher frequencies associated with the teeth meshing. However if the holes in the pulleys are not made accurately enough then that will add to the PE problems.
The first 60 tooth pulley I drilled was not good enough and that was the source of around -+7 arc seconds of my PE. The worm is contributing about 3 or 4 arc seconds PtoP.
I made a second 60 tooth pulley and that should be better (I hope).
I bought a new 12mm reamer to make the hole as close to the 12mm worm shaft as I could. I aslo have 3 grub screws 120 degrees apart in case I need to adjust a very small amount. Hopefully not.
It seems to rotate smoothly when I use the hand controller to slew at "high" speed.
One of the benefits of machining the housing is that I have a clear view of the pulleys and can see any wobbles.
As soon as I get a clear night I'll run some tests and post the results warts and all.
Cheers,
Luke