Removing/replacing spindle bearings without damaging

D

Davecr

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Hello,

I am trying to find a way to change out spindle bearings on my Vevor 8 x 23 MX 600A mini lathe without damaging them. Is it possible or even advisable to consider cutting the bearing housing in half horizontally, and using steel plates or some other method to hold it together?

Any information is appreciated.

Thank you.

Davecr
 
Do the bearings need replacing? Cutting any part of a ball or roller bearing is certainly not advised as part of a replacement if you
intend to re-use it- your question tells me you are about to do something really bad to your machine you may regret

Are the bearings noisy? Do they feel rough? How old is the machine? Have you crashed it? (run the carriage or cutting tool into the chuck)
Replacing bearings is not a trivial job, be sure you really need to- especially if you haven't done it before
If you are seeing runout, check the bearing preload is set correctly before doing anything else
 
Last edited:
markba633csi said:
Do the bearings need replacing? Cutting any part of a ball or roller bearing is certainly not advised as part of a replacement if you
intend to re-use it- your question tells me you are about to do something really bad to your machine you may regret

Are the bearings noisy? Do they feel rough? How old is the machine? Have you crashed it? (run the carriage or cutting tool into the chuck)
Replacing bearings is not a trivial job, be sure you really need to- especially if you haven't done it before
If you are seeing runout, check the bearing preload is set correctly before doing anything else
Click to expand...
I'm sorry. I wasn't making myself clear. I wasn't referring to the bearing race, but the actual head of the lathe. I do realize how extreme this sounds. I was just wondering if anyone had tried it (and would admit to it).

Thank you.
 
There are many youtube videos that show how to do this. Some use a press, some use long bolts or all-thread, in combination with heavy-duty washers and lengths of tubing to do it.

Once the old bearings are removed the key thing is to avoid applying pressure to the wrong side of the bearing while pressing it into place. For instance, if you are installing it on the spindle shaft, you want to apply force to the inside race. You don't want the force to be transmitted through the bearing balls. I made a set of steel "washers" to address that issue.

When replacing the bearings on my lathe I found this was easiest to accomplish by using angular contact bearings, because they come in two parts. However, the angular contact bearings were wider than the original deep-groove bearings so I had to modify the bearing covers. Easiest to do _before_ tearing the lathe down! Same goes for fabricating the bits needed to pull and install bearings. Good up-front planning took care of those "Ah Shucks!" moments.
 
homebrewed said:
There are many youtube videos that show how to do this. Some use a press, some use long bolts or all-thread, in combination with heavy-duty washers and lengths of tubing to do it.

Once the old bearings are removed the key thing is to avoid applying pressure to the wrong side of the bearing while pressing it into place. For instance, if you are installing it on the spindle shaft, you want to apply force to the inside race. You don't want the force to be transmitted through the bearing balls. I made a set of steel "washers" to address that issue.

When replacing the bearings on my lathe I found this was easiest to accomplish by using angular contact bearings, because they come in two parts. However, the angular contact bearings were wider than the original deep-groove bearings so I had to modify the bearing covers. Easiest to do _before_ tearing the lathe down! Same goes for fabricating the bits needed to pull and install bearings. Good up-front planning took care of those "Ah Shucks!" moments.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply.

Did you mean tapered roller bearings instead of angular contact bearings? I've only seen tapered roller bearings that were separated in two parts.

I did find SOG seals that fit. I think I'm going to try using the hot and cold method, where you heat up the spindle housing to expand it, and at the same time cool the spindle with dry ice to shrink it. The only problem is you have to work FAST. And at 76 that might present a slight problem. "Oh, well, good luck to me, we'll wait and see."

Thanks again.
 
I have replaced (out of curiosity) the bearings of my mini lathe by pulling them out. To do this, I made a "kind of" puller. The bearing fit was so tight that I was afraid it would break the housing (head stock). During this process, I damaged the bearings so they had to come out any way.
I replaced the "common deep groove" bearings by contact angle bearings. The inner race of the old bearing had (and that is OK) a press fit. The inner bearing race of the contact angle bearing needs a snug/slip fit. So I had to make the shaft a bit (0.015 mm) thinner.
 
Davecr said:
Thanks for the reply.

Did you mean tapered roller bearings instead of angular contact bearings? I've only seen tapered roller bearings that were separated in two parts.

I did find SOG seals that fit. I think I'm going to try using the hot and cold method, where you heat up the spindle housing to expand it, and at the same time cool the spindle with dry ice to shrink it. The only problem is you have to work FAST. And at 76 that might present a slight problem. "Oh, well, good luck to me, we'll wait and see."

Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I mis-typed. I did mean tapered roller bearings. Angular contact bearings for my lathe are the same width as the deep-groove types.
 
I don't understand your original question- and you didn't answer any of mine so... good luck I guess
 
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