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Thread: Evidence of a global economy - bearings

  1. #1
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    Evidence of a global economy - bearings

    I'm in the ending stages of a restoration of a Powermatic 81, a 20" bandsaw. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=86269. This has taken longer than I'd hoped - not because of problems, but just limited time - but I'm near the end.

    After getting a lot of input, I decided to go ahead and replace the bearings, which I got around to tackling today. Although I picked up the new bearings a few months ago, I hadn't really looked at them until today. When I pulled them out of the boxes today, I found something interesting.

    When I bought them a few months ago, 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 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 comprable 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." Today, though, as I unboxed them 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."

    All of the bearings spec'ed out the same, and I'll finish mounting them all this weekend. By all indications, they are all of similar quality.

    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!
    Where will you be when you get where you're going? -- Jerry Clower

  2. #2
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    Reminds me of a story from the company I used to work for where they were using a part in an assembly, which was assembled here in the US. The part in question was shipped from one of its plants in Malaysia, who acquired the part from a plant of the same company....100 miles away from the first plant where that part was put into the assembly. I guess about 10000 miles worth of air freight must've not added much to the overall cost. My buddy (who was in charge of the project) and I could never quite figure that one out. They weren't allowed to just order it directly though from the local plant because management had decided that a certain percentage of the parts was required to come from the overseas plants as part of the global outsourcing initiatives.

  3. #3
    I don't have a source for this but apparently there's some evidence that outsourced manufacturing and other operations are being moved back on shore. Political unrest in Pakistan that's spilled over into India, the cost of freight and other, similar factors are causing some firms to either slow down or reverse their overseas activities.

    If you get a chance, read "The Earth is Flat" by NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman. He explains all you wanted to know about the global economy in pretty plain English. He also talks about things that could "unflatten" the earth, and some of those are taking hold now.

  4. I live in Taiwan most of the year. When I am back in the US, I often buy tool accessories like drill bits and bring them back to Taiwan with me. When I look to see where they were made, it often says, "Made in Taiwan". They have come full circle. The sad thing is that I probably could not buy them in Taiwan because they are made for export.

  5. #5
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    Jack...Friedman's book is on my reading list. I've heard lots of good things about it.
    Where will you be when you get where you're going? -- Jerry Clower

  6. #6
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    Sadly, what the bearing salesman told you is not always true. The chinese bearings don't always meet the tolerances they claim.

    I'm a mechanical engineer that designs surgical robots, and I've had two major issues with chinese bearings.

    The first was a group of bearings that were shipped dry- no grease at all. The technicians assembled the robot, and it failed prematurely. I carefully specified the type and amount of grease fill, but the chinese bearing manufacturer dropped the ball (and included a certificate of compliance).

    The second was a group of bearings that were supposed to have a close slip fit with the housing, but didn't fit. They were supposed to be ABEC 5 bearings (high tolerance), but my inspectors discovered they were a mile off.

    Although the Chinese manufacturers are getting there, they are a ways off from being equivalent to American or Japanese quality.

    Your chinese bearings will probably be fine, and were probably worth saving the cash. But there is often a trade-off in quality.

  7. #7
    I think most of the Chinese products made for the US market are made to a price point specified by the American company which is going to distribute them. That means a lot of the quality is going to be low.

    I know two people who have worked with Chinese high tech industry, one in jet engines, the other in bicycle frames, and according to them, there is no question that Chinese industry is capable of world class quality.

    I think that often the best quality products we buy are US manufactured because when it comes to top quality, wages are a smaller part of the cost and there's no advantage to go to China.
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  8. #8
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    So far this thread has stayed away from the obvious political statements that could make their way into a thread of this topic. Good job!


    Please keep any posts on topic so we don't have to start pulling posts or yank the thread.


    In advance, thanks from your friendly Moderators.

  9. #9
    I learned something about bearings recently. I posted awhile back how I got a great deal on a Bosch router. It had a bad bearing. The tool is rated at 16000to 35000 rpm. The bearing that failed, I took to a bearing supply house. I told them the rating and they said that bearing was not designed for that RPM. They got out some books and it was the Chinese bearings who had the highest specs for that design. I don't remember the price, but I remember it was cheap. So the point is as far as my case, the Chinese bearing was best, and yet Bosch built a tool capable of out performing its engineered components. GO figure

  10. #10
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    Hey Rob...wow, I would have never thought about this becoming political, but I guess I can see the potential.

    I just thought that the various origins and distribution of these bearings were interesting. And, in particular, I thought it was interesting that at least some people seem to believe that the Chinese are catching up to the U.S. and Japanese in terms of quality. Maybe not there yet, as you mention Todd, but catching up.
    Where will you be when you get where you're going? -- Jerry Clower

  11. #11
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    Rick...do you know the manufacturer of the bad bearing? Or was it a generic?
    Where will you be when you get where you're going? -- Jerry Clower

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Ben West View Post
    Rick...do you know the manufacturer of the bad bearing? Or was it a generic?
    Not sure, I think it had MMK S2S on it. Or NMK

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ben West View Post
    Hey Rob...wow, I would have never thought about this becoming political, but I guess I can see the potential.

    I just thought that the various origins and distribution of these bearings were interesting. And, in particular, I thought it was interesting that at least some people seem to believe that the Chinese are catching up to the U.S. and Japanese in terms of quality. Maybe not there yet, as you mention Todd, but catching up.
    Ben,

    The basic topic is fine. The problem we Moderators have had is that there have been threads about foreign manufacturing quality that we've had to yank. Those threads turned into a "us vs. them" and all the associated political nonsense.

    This thread is still very on topic and apolitical. Let's keep it that way!

    A discussion about the quality of bearings is a fine topic for the OT forum.
    Last edited by Rob Russell; 03-13-2009 at 8:10 AM.

  14. #14
    For most woodworking applications, bearings made over seas are more than adequate. If really want a shock, check out Delta's prices for Unisaw, or contractor's saw arbor bearings. Both use 6203-2RS. These, made in China, can be had for as little as $2 each. Delta's, also made in China, are about $20 each. If I use (and I do) a $2 bearing and it fails, I accept that risk. But if I use a $2 bearing that I paid $20 for and it fails, I'm going to be mad. Last year, at NAPA, I paid almost $20 for a 6203-2RS bearing, and it failed in less than six months. Bearing was made in South America, but the replacement from China (less than $2) has now lasted over a year. For some interesting reading, go to The Big Bearing Store's web site and read how ball bearings are made. It will make you wonder haw any of us can afford ball bearings.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Wrenn View Post
    . . . For some interesting reading, go to The Big Bearing Store's web site and read how ball bearings are made. It will make you wonder haw any of us can afford ball bearings.
    No kidding. Achieving that much processing and that level of smoothness for affordable prices is a wonder. LINK
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