6205z bearings on MkII 6"

matthewsx

matthewsx

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I'm trying to get decent runout on my lathe and have pulled the spindle and bearings again. In the process I buggered one of the shields on my bearing and decided to clean both of them out and put in new grease. I currently have them installed with only the metal shields facing out and nothing on the inside of the bearings.

I'm wondering at this point (before I put everything back together) if I should just replace them and if so is there a better bearing to use for this application.

If I can get the runout down below .001 I might think about installing a dc (treadmill) motor and an ELS but am afraid I might be trying to make a silk purse from a sows ear, I probably already have too much time and money into this lathe.

Thanks,

John
 
From experience, even bearings that "feel" OK can be worn, so you may find you'll get much better performance from a quality replacement set of 6205. 7205 precision are available, but they don't tend to be shielded which may not suit your application.
 
Agree with the Doc. I would look into a 6205-2RS, P5 bearing. This is a deep groove bearing, sealed both sides so permanently lubricated, ABEC 5 rating - should be much better than stock bearings.

On a quick check, these cost less than $50.00 each and are widely available.
 
Owning one of these, I wouldn't spend a lot of money trying to improve it, unless the bearings were really worn and needed replacement. The short spindle deflects easily and is a limiting factor even with good bearings.
-Mark
BTW mine has the red rubber sealed 6205 bearings, OEM. - you definitely want the rubber seals to minimize contamination
 
Last edited:
mikey said:
Agree with the Doc. I would look into a 6205-2RS, P5 bearing. This is a deep groove bearing, sealed both sides so permanently lubricated, ABEC 5 rating - should be much better than stock bearings.

On a quick check, these cost less than $50.00 each and are widely available.
Click to expand...

Thanks, the biggest thing I'm concerned with is not running all the grease out and having to go through this again in 3 months. If the ABEC 5 rating is a standard does it matter what brand I get? Could I use these eBay bearings and get a decent result?

www.ebay.com

6205 Bearing 6205 2RS Bearing ABEC 5 25x52x15mm Ball Bearing 6205 Ball Bearing | eBay

ACER Racing's legendary performance in a 6205 Bearing size 25x52x15mm Ball Bearing. The smoothest, most durable and best bearings or your money back!
www.ebay.com

I know this lathe isn't going to be great, I just want it to be decent for what it is....

Thanks,

John
 
That's a really good deal on an ABEC 5 bearing, John. I would try it. The higher end brands will be 4 times the cost. A P5/ABEC 5 bearing is a high precision bearing for a deep groove bearing. Nice thing is that you don't need to do a run-in with these because they are permanently lubed - just install properly and go!
 
Thanks for the quick reply. I'll try them out and report back on how it works.

John
 
I've installed ABEC 3's in several Sherline lathes so far and mine still holds 0.0001" TIR after maybe 10 years or so. I would expect some pretty good performance from your spindle after this, fingers crossed!
 
I installed the new bearings and I'm now under .002" at the 3 jaw chuck so I'm happy. Center drilling a piece of stock puts the hole where it should be instead of offset and wandering like it was before. I don't think I'll bother with a 2 collar test since this is probably as good as I'll get with this lathe but I am thinking about a variable speed motor and a stepper driving the leadscrew.

It'll do what I need until I find my next machine....

John
 
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