"Peter Grey" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Peter H." wrote in message
...


I admit to spacing out when I pulled the thing apart and
didn't mark the spindle. Any idea why Gorton would suggest this?
Balance
perhaps?


The bearings are gound as a set, and "witness marks" are engraved on
them.

These marks should be aligned when the spacer is inserted between them.

I'm assuming that the new bearings I bought weren't ground as a set - they
didn't come packaged that way. They do have "dots" etched or marked on
the
outer races. Would these be the witness marks?

What's the point of having the spacer align with the witness marks? There
seems to be no difference that I can measure in the length of the spacer
at
various points around the shoulder.

Peter

When you get down to the level of precision of these bearings, millionths
are of concern. It's highly unlikely you'd be able to discern any
differences with common measuring tools, but the end result of the spindle
precision is at stake. If you were working on a jig borer or a precision
grinder it would be very important that you assembled the bearings in proper
order. Most of us that work at home have few, if any, requirements that
would be in keeping with the level of precision involved, and you may not
even be able to detect the differences in the spindle. It is highly
unlikely it would be a concern because the differences are in millionths,
not thousandths. Considering you have no idea how the spacer relates
to the bearings because you didn't mark it, I'm of the opinion that you can
simply assemble and run your bearings with acceptable results. Be certain
you have them assembled in the right direction, for most of them are built
to be run under some preload, so they come apart if assembled in the wrong
direction. Once that happens, they are junk. blush. Don't ask.

Harold