Bearing Quality Options & Impact

[James Malcolm]

Anyone install better than OEM bearings in a tool and it make a noticable difference? Bearings to put a Shelix in my Grizzly G0490 range from $3 for the pair online at VXB, $5 from Grizzly, $15 from the local motorcycle shop and $58 for SKF bearings from a local distributor. Then there's hybrids with ceramic balls which are about $110+ w/ ABEC-7 rating.

Is any of it going to make a difference, say between Grizzly and the SKF, or SKF vs Ceramic? I was thinking about going with stainless ones since it resides in my basement, but they're not as durable as regular alloy steel ones. Any thoughts?

[David Woodruff]

Spend the extra $$$ and get SKF. Anything cheaper is probably made in never,never East something with dubious attention to alloy and specs.

[Loren Hedahl]

Have you experienced a failure of one or more of the original bearings on your Grizzly?

Or is there some operational problem that can be traced to a bearing problem?

Or are you just considering replacing the bearings as a routine when converting to the Shelix head?

If there are no problems with the existing bearings, I would re-install them and use the savings to purchase wood.

If the Grizzly bearings have failed in that they are rough to turn, then I would consider the extra cost of the SKF might be warranted, especially if the machine is quite new.

[Glen Dickey]

Having worked in machine shops and bearing supply's for many years, Id say SKF, Fafnir, MRC, FAG, NTN are some good quality brands. Ill bet these are better than what the OEM uses. The OEM is probobly using the cheapest off brand bearing they can get. You will probobly be fine with the typical C/3 clearance on the standard bearing. Abec 7 would be better for something like a shaper spindle, they would be great on your planer, but you probobly wont see any difference except for the price. Ceramic and stainless wont do a thing for you in this application except waste your money too. Stick with the normal stuff, a good brand, and proper mounting procedures, and you will be fine.

Glen

[Rick Lizek]

I repair machinery and prefer to buy my bearings from www.bearingbrokersinc.com
I got original bearings for a Wadkin moulder which were normally $150 for 1/2 price.
On tools that run 10,000 rpm and over it's more critical to use a higher rated bearing. I don't think you will notice much of a difference. I've tried doing it on some machines and couldn't tell but hopefully they will last that much longer. I've putting Nachi bearings in Unisaws for years and never had any problems. Some of the saws are in friends shop so I would hear.

[Jerry Bruette]

What type (not brand) of bearing ae we talking about? You can tell by looking at the number on the side of the bearing. If it's just a typical deep groove ball bearing go with SKF, if we're talking something like an angular contact or self aligning roller bearing you could go high precision but probably won't notice a difference for the money spent.

I work with all the major brands of bearings on a daily basis and you'd be surprised what countries they're made in, and thy all work perfectly well.
As Glen states keep with the normal stuff and make sure you use the proper mounting techniques and you'll be fine. Also if you buy bearings with shields, rubber or steel, they'll be lubed with exactly the proper amount of grease in them please don't try to put any more in the bearings after mounting it can damage them.


Good Luck
Jerry

[Ben West]

Any good quality bearing should work. The reality is that woodworking machines, especially when used by a hobbyist, just don't put that much strain on bearings. How often have you heard of a bearing going out in a WW machine? I guess it happens, but certainly not very often.

An interesting story about bearings:

A couple of years ago, I began restoration of a PM 81 bandsaw. After thinking alot about it -- and being told by several machinists and mechanics that I shouldn't bother with it -- I decided to go ahead and replace the bearings.

When I bought the bearings, I went to the local bearing supplier with the intent of purchasing 4 SKF, U.S. made bearings (6206's). The guy at the bearing supplier must have saw me gulp at the quoted price -- $30 each (I needed 4). I was willing to pay the $30 each for good bearings, but he suggested I try a set of Napa bearings instead. He mentioned that they might be made in China, but that Chinese bearings, in his experience, had increased significantly in quality the past 5 years, and that "name brand" Chinese bearings like Napa were comparable to Japanese or American bearings. "It's all in the specs," he said, "the Chinese can make outstanding bearings when they are paid to do so." And the price was much better, at $8 each, so I picked up 4. I figured I couldn't lose, as the dealer promised to take them back if they didn't work.

I remember when I picked them up that I glanced at one of the boxes where it said "Made in China." But, when I finally unboxed and got ready to mount them, I noticed something. On the outside race of one of the bearings was printed "NTN Made in the USA." What????

Sure enough, 1 of the bearings were marked as NTN, U.S.-made bearings. The other 3 were marked "FIT - China". I grabbed the boxes and read a bit closer. On all the boxes, it was noted that the bearings were distributed by SKF. 3 of the boxes were marked "Made in China" and, sure enough, one was marked "Made in the USA." Otherwise, all the boxes were the same, Napa Proformer bearings.

All of the bearings spec'ed out the same, and by all indications, they were all of similar quality. I've had no problems out of them since.

So, I bought 4 bearings. Sold by a local dealer under the Napa brand. Distributed by SKF. Three were made by FIT in China, one by NTN in the U.S.

Talk about a global economy!

[Jamie Buxton]

.. How often have you heard of a bearing going out in a WW machine? I guess it happens, but certainly not very often....

Maybe not in stationary WW machines, but router bearings die regularly in my usage. Going back twenty years at least, and spread over four manufacturers, the typical lifetime of the front bearing is about two years.

[James Malcolm]

Just for the record, never had an issue. I've run maybe 10' of board edge through the oem knives to make sure it ran. Getting around to put in the Shelix.
Thanks for the replies. I'm going to get the oem Grizzly ones. It's good enough for oem and I'm not even a hobbiest yet. Removal/Installation of the head seems easy enough. If it was a planer, I'd definitely spring for the SKF or equiv. I'm thinking about buying the bearing blocks and retainer ring. I can't believe how cheap their parts are. $9.25 and $8.25 for the bearing blocks. Have a back-up ready to go. If they die in a few years, a good reason to realign the table. Thanks again.

[Ben West]

Good point, Jamie. I was thinking mostly of stationary machines, where the bearings are bigger and the RPMs are slower.

[Tom Esh]

...I'm going to get the oem Grizzly ones....

Most likely they'll be fine. The only place I've had touble with Griz bearings was on the BS - lower thrust & guide (exposed to lots of fine dust). They apparently just weren't sealed as well as the aftermarket brands. I was going through a thrust bearing practically every project. Got some Nichi replacements and haven't had to swap one out yet in over a year.

[Pete Bradley]

+1 for Glenn's comments. If these are standard 6xxx bearings, $58 apiece is way too much.

[Brian Runau]

SKF charges for the name, but a lot of their radial ball bearings are made in China like all others.

[Ted Wong]

$58.00 for a set of replacement bearings for a jointer sounds on the high end Unless its a high performance bearing.
When I replaced the cutterhead on our jointer last year I don't thin I spent more than $30.00 for both bearings and they were a name brand (can't remeber which one) SKF, Fafnir, FAG, Naachi, NSK, etc. I don't think you can go wrong with a name brand bearing from a supply house. All the wholesalers I've ever purchased from carried only top quality bearings from Europe, Japan, Korea or USA.

[Willard Foster]

We have a small Grizzly mill/drill in our R&D shop at work. The spindle started to get noisy and we measured the run out and it was .008".

So I called Grizzly and the service rep said the bearings were bad. I couldn't believe his next statement, "Don't buy bearings from us". At least he was being honest. He said to go to a third party and buy a better quality bearing.

Bill