Similarly, my project for the weekend is repairing the blower motor for
the outside unit on my heat pump. It's a fairly unique GE 1/2 HP, which
would cost about $125 to replace. Only thing wrong is the drive-end
bearing is barking.
I took the aluminum endplates off last night to see if the bearings
were replaceable. Turns out the bearings are part of the aluminum
endplate, bored out to the 1/2" shaft size. I am going to bore the hole
furter and press in 1/2" bronze or oilite bearings. I'd use sealed ball
bearings, but I don't think there is enough meat in the casting to
support them.
But that's one thing a lathe will be useful for.

- -
Rex Burkheimer
WM Automotive
Fort Worth TX

wrote:
Another simple project that can only be done on a lathe. I recently
repaired the sintered iron bushings in the front wheels of an old
riding lawn mower. First I removed the iron bushings and usin the
lathe, bored out the inside to exactly 1" diameter. Then turned brass
rod to 1" diameter. I cut off pieces of this rod to the length of the
bushing and pressed them into the iron bushings. Then using the lathe
again, drilled the brass in the bushings and then bored them to exactly
3/4" to fit the mower axel.

Took about 4 hours per side, 8 bushings total, done over two Saturdays
and all the wheel wobbeling is gone.

Keep the lathe, buy lots of tooling. Find lots of scrap metal and go to
work!

Paul