bearing replacement

[Patrick Kane]

I expect to have a 20” griggio jointer heading my way this week, and I had a few questions concerning maintenance. Really, questions not specific to any one brand or machine. I plan on having my local machine/tool shop swap the cutterhead bearings, and sending the motor off to a motor shop to do the drive shaft bearing. Does anyone have experience doing this and Estimated costs? The shop charges $70/hr and I estimated I would be in for $400-500 to have this work done. The machine is 25-30 years old, and I assume hasn’t seen an ounce of work since it was pressed into service. This brings up the next question. For how much people talk about bearing replacement, what is the typical lifespan on most machines? I’ve seen dozens of unisaws, 66s, and other light duty tools that are 20, 30, 40 years old and still humming right along. I can almost certainly guarantee these machines had nothing done to them. I’m not exactly looking to shirk the maintenance costs on this jointer, but it makes me wonder about typical lifespan and maintenance schedules. My other used tools from pro shops were stripped down and everything replaced. Just makes me more comfortable knowing something is coming into the shop at a fresh baseline.

[Warren Lake]

have you run the machine and measured some stuff with a dial?? seems odd it would need any work. I bought the same machine and expect to put knives in and use it. Machines ive seen needing bearings the most are shapers. Ive bought a few with bearings that have done their time then used them as they are. Ive forgot the number of that PF 500 or 650? ill take a look

[David Kumm]

Bearing life depends on lots of factors but sealed bearings usually last about 20 years. Sitting can shorten life but so can running hard so the rule is usually swap on a machine if 20 years old. Some grease stays good longer but I'd for sure swap the motor bearings. Euro motors run hotter and that shortens bearing life. Bearing failure is a major cause of motor failure and there is nothing cheap about replacing or rewinding Euro motors. Older machine with open greased bearings might last longer if the grease is monitored and the bearings not overfilled. Old machines were designed so the excess grease would exit the bearing and new grease replace what was flung out. Oil bath precision bearings can last virtually forever if not run dry. I suspect the Griggio will have shielded or sealed bearings. I would rather swap them myself than trust others but find out what is in the machine and replace with good quality. Most sealed bearings are ABEC1 stamped steel cage bearings. I'd go with a SKF Explorer or Natchi Quest which is a little better bearing. Discuss the clearance with the bearing guy. I use normal clearance on spindle bearings assuming the speed rating of the bearing is well above the rpm of the spindle. The motor bearings are likely C3. You can put a screwdriver on the bearing housing and listen for any weird sound. The cutterhead bearings will get loud when they fail. It is harder to hear the motor bearings. Dave

[Bill Dufour]

Motor bearings are pretty easy to replace. I would consider doing them myself especially if it is three phase. Motors often use two different size bearings, quality motors will have that size listed on the data plate.
Basically all ball bearings are metric except a few oddball inner bore USA machines made before WW2. So you will not pay extra for a metric bearing for an Italian machine.
Bill D.

[Darcy Warner]

I had the head pulled and bearings swapped on my 16" griggio in about an hour. Watch for a set screw on the bearing retainer nut.

Bearings were nothing special, 15 bucks each or so.

Motor should be an hours work tops as well.

[John Erickson]

Before you bring it anywhere for work, buy stethoscope at your local auto parts store. Once you have it hooked up start it and use the stethoscope to listen to the bearings, if they have a nice smooth whirl and not rough sounding don't replace them. If it's not broke don't fix it.

[Patrick Kane]

ok, consensus confirms what i suspected in that I should replace everything now. I went through my records and they charged me about $350 to put in a used byrd head in a brand new powermatic planer, so i think my estimate is pretty close to what it will be. I dont mind working on machines, but its usually a PITA that i would rather pay someone to do that knows what they are doing. I did a handful of unisaws one time to keep and resell, and even after a few machines i had several problems. Part of that was also using a free rental bearing puller from Pepboys to yank the arbor bearing. Frustrating beyond belief at a few points.

I realize use affects the rate at which consumables are replaced, but i dont have the heighten senses or experience to listen, tap, or feel when things are going down hill. I like the general rule of thumb to do things every 20 years.

[Jeff Ramsey]

I had the motor on my Delta 37-315 " jointer rebuilt by a motor shop near me not too long ago, who also replaced the cutter head bearings. The total cost to me was approximately $150. I brought the cutter head over with me when I went to pick up the motor and they replaced the cutter head bearings while I waited. Ask the motor shop if they'll do the cutter head bearings.

[Bill Dufour]

I am 59 and I finally spent about $25 on a good OTC bearing splitter from the bay. It is so much easier then makeshift methods. Better to buy a used made in USA one then the Modern OTC made in china. I got the medium size one. I have a hydraulic press so I can not speak about the forcing screw ability.
I can not see paying someone $150 dollars to replace two bearings when I can buy the tool and the bearing for under $50. I have used mine to replace two sets of bearings on a ROS so far. Bearing cost under $5.00 per tool. So by not having to buy a new ros I have saved at least as much as I spent.
Bill D.

[Rod Sheridan]

Bearings can last a long time, I have a couple of 7.5 HP motors at work that are running 24/7, except for checks every 4 months.

They've been running since 1987.

That said I would do the work you have planned if you want to do it once and be done, also time to clean, lube and service the machine........Rod.

[Jeff Ramsey]

They did far more than replace two bearings (they rebuilt it). The gentleman who rebuilt it is one of their small motor, single phase experts (they service single and three phase motors up to 800hp). Rebuilding a capacitor start motor may mean different things to different people. They disassembled the motor, checked the capacitor, replaced the centrifugal switch, removed and pressed in two new bearings, tested the armature windings for shorts, cleaned it and painted the housing with a matching period Delta gray. That was $100 even. Then they took the cutterhead, removed the old (dry) bearings, and pressed in two new ones. That was $20 more. I tipped him the remaining $30 for doing the cutterhead while I waited (and made a friend in the process).

[Jeff Duncan]

I'm with Rod on this one as well. Ive heard the 20 year thing and its probably a good rule of thumb, but Ive owned machines for 20 plus years that I haven't replaced the bearings in yet. I prefer to do them myself as I never assume the "other guy" is going to do any better than I am. For them its just another job and generally they'll try to get it out the door with as little effort as possible.... just human nature. I'll spend the time to really look things over and make sure everything looks ok while I'm in there.

And as far as when they need to be changed, thats something you learn to read. When they start to go you can tell the difference if you pay close attention to your equipment. Its a hard thing to quantify, but I generally can tell when its time to replace.

good luck,
JeffD