Logan 11" lathe spindle bearings

daveog

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Hello,

I have a couple of questions. First, about the actual bearings. I have the manual and the original bearings appear to have been from New Departure. I found a guy selling both the front and rear bearings from New Departure on eBay and they are advertised as factory new, but they are clearly old stock. Do bearings go bad, or would "old" new bearings be ok?

The second question is about the nose bearing. It is really stuck on the spindle and I'm not sure how to get it off safely. It looks as there may be some form of loctite on it, but I can't tell for sure. The bearing is rubber sealed, so I don't want to heat it as the seal will melt and make a mess of things. The spindle is too long to use a bearing puller. Any suggestions on how to remove it? The bearings in the machine do not appear to be original and I don't know their origin or history, which is why I want to replace them.

Thanks,
Dave
 
If the machine works well as is leave them be, when it stops working well and the bearings are the problem replace them at that time.
 
I get that, but I have not run the machine yet. I did a quick test cut at the previous owner's auto shop before I purchased it, but he had no idea how to use the machine and his tooling was not setup correctly at all so a thorough test wasn't practical. I had to disassemble the machine to move it into my basement, so I figured that would be a good opportunity to completely tear it down, clean it, replace any broken gears or parts, and adjust it properly. So I'd like to just go ahead and replace them now while it's already apart instead of reassembling it only to find a problem and have to tear it all down again.
 
The front bearing will have to be pressed off the spindle. If it does in fact have loctite on it, you may have to heat it also.
 
That’s what I was thinking. Is there a good way to press it off?
 
Can't help on the removal, although there are several videos on YouTube that address that issue. But, wondering where you found a current supply of New Departure bearings?
 
Here are some photos of the spindle. Is the wear on the outside of the spindle what one would expect to see or is it excessive? You can definitely feel the grooves worn in the metal with you finger. You can also see that pesky bearing on the nose end.

IMG_1085.jpgIMG_1086.jpgIMG_1087.jpg
 
The New Departure bearings are no longer available, so any unused bearings will be NOS. As long as they aren't corroded
and haven't been used they should be OK. If they're shielded on one side, you could always clean the old grease out and re- grease if you wanted.

You also might consider cleaning and repacking the existing bearing in place, rather than removing it. Worth a try, and if it doesn't work out you aren't out any thing.

Before you buy NOS bearings off ebay, give Logan a call and see what they have for new bearings and what they cost.
I relaced the bearings on my 10" lathe with parts sourced from Logan.

If you decide to replace the big bearing, just press it off. It won't matter if you damage it if it's being replaced.
 
Thanks for the info. The current bearings are shielded, so cleaning is not an option. I got a quote from Scott and the set of bearings from him would be almost $200. The NOS on eBay could be had for less than $50.

I used a contraption made from a threaded rod, some PVC, and a couple of boards to remove the bull gear on an old Southbend lathe I used to have. I wonder if that would be a doable solution for this bearing. Or would a shop press be easier? I'd just have to buy one.
 
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