How do I remove my spindle to change bearings?

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SPiN Racing:
:scratch:

Ok soo... I have a Chinese lathe. From Wholesale Tool here in the US. Great lathe.. cheapish.. but has been really good for me.

http://www.wttool.com/index/page/product/product_id/14795/product_name/11%22+x+26%22+Lathe+with+Stand+(WT)

I have had it for about.. well not really sure.. 10 or so years. Had a motor start cap die while turning a lot of heavy stainless. Changed it out no sweat. Added a QC toolpost.. inserts.. its been fantastic.
Made a ball turner.. peck drill and have been able to do just about everything I have needed at this point.

Well I was doing some wheel spacers in aluminum (6 or so inches in diameter) a year or two ago.. and decided to be diligent, and like when working on my Chinese Bridgeport, which I oil up before each use.. Oil my ways and things. I then realized.. to my chagrin I hadn't been oiling my SPINDLE.

:doh:

So yeah.. I didn't read the manual.. I saw a ball oiler and put spindle oil in it. BOTH bearings.
It had greasy oil come out around the spindle while running so I oiled it more.. several times.. till clean oil was coming out. Repeated many times over the weekend making the spacers.

Fast forward to a couple weeks back and I oiled things, and noticed a bit of run out on a longer piece I was trying to turn.

Research and some intensive reading and searching later.. I realized I WASNT supposed to oil the spindle bearings. You grease them. And the manual even calls for a bearing grease past the ball oiler. (not sure how)

SO I decided I need to replace the bearings. SO I realized they are a thrust style bearing etc.. similar to one from Grizzly. More research on torqueing bearings on and on.

SO taking off the lock nuts on the pullies.. gears etc.. get down to the key.. remove that.. and there is a sleeve on the spindle. NO way to remove it.. so I screw with it carefully for a hour or so.. and realize it SLIPS OFF.. very snug fit but was able to carefully remove by hand.

I remove the LOCKS on the 3 jaw chuck on the other side.. and realize... DUH!!! :Doh: The damn spindle was finger tight. NOT snugged up. So its tiny wobble was from that.

SO happily I clean things up and as I decide to put it back together.. I check for play.. get out my dial indicator and start checking things.. and realize.. with my bad hearing.. I hear a tiny metallic clicking noise..... from the bearings.

:bang:

SOoo my bearings are NOT greased. Soooo I need to remove them and either re-grease.. or replace. At the least.. Inspect them.

However.. I can NOT remove them. I am not sure how.. I have looked and looked. I don't see any thread.. or lock rings.. or.. well.. any way to adjust the play. I am kinda thinking that.. It was pressed together!

And yes I have a hydraulic press.. but I am cringing at the concept of removing the entire headstock, wiring, motor, gears on and on and on to remove the spindle.

On the belt side, I see that there is a slight recess where the... almost like a shoulder area is. I am not sure if that is a shoulder that is a spacer.. or if the wider part is the diameter of the bearing that is pressed on.

Any insight and or ideas are very welcome.

:worthless:

John Rudd:
From what I see there's only one way that spindle can come out ...thats from the drive end...

You'll need to rig up some form of press to drive the spindle from the de or else pull it from the chuck end....
The inner races shouldnt be such a tight fit on the spindle, else you cant set the pre load properly....

Good luck....

velocette:
Hi
Referring to " I hear a tiny metallic clicking noise..... from the bearings". Perhaps the clicking is a bit of debris in the bearing.
Be careful Angular contact bearings may "pop" apart when removing them and damage the balls and bearing surfaces if you are replacing them no problem.
You can pull the spindle with the face plate used as a puller with jacking screws through it and pushing against the headstock. See Photo attached.
The preload is set with the locknut No 24 on the parts list. As John says the outer bearing should slide on the spindle and not be a tight fit.
Can I add that on the photo the bit of swarf between the spacer-collar needs attention as this can cause problems with the bearing seal and lead to it's demise.

Eric

RodW:
This thread of my spindle bearing replacement may help but a Totally different lathe.
http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=94689
Now you have undone the nut, the preload is gone, next time check the preload as shown in the Grizzly manual referred to in my link first. It may have still been OK. To me, there is still something to remove on the drive side as the pics don't agree with the diagram and it will come out from the chuck end. It sems there is a washer in front of the bearing still my idea of the long tube to press the bearing back on and then the threaded rod to pull it together will probably do the trick.

I think I tapped the spindle out from the drive side with a drift or block of wood.

hermetic:
Can you not put a spacer over the end of the spindle, bearing against the gearbox housing, then screw on a faceplate or chuck and use the spindle thread to extract the spindle. Secondly, what about a long rod through the spindle. threaded and tightened into the spindle so it cannot move with a slip hammer attached to the end?

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