making custom ball bearings...?
 

Hi,
I was wondering if it's possible to make your own bearing channels?
I have two applications where mcmastercarr does not have what I need.
Are there end mills with semicircular tip profiles to mill channels for
balls of that diameter?



thanks!
-Bernard Arnest

making custom ball bearings...?
 

In article .com,
says...
Hi,
I was wondering if it's possible to make your own bearing channels?
I have two applications where mcmastercarr does not have what I need.
Are there end mills with semicircular tip profiles to mill channels for
balls of that diameter?



There's much more available for bearings than what's in the McMaster
catalog. The bearing catalogs in my bookshelf take up almost 3 feet of
shelf space. If you describe what you're trying to accomplish I'm sure
you'll get plenty of ideas.

If you just want the experience of making a bearing, sure, it's
possible. But for starters you need to specify what sort of loads,
speeds, and precision you're dealing with, and any restrictions on size
and geometry.

Ned Simmons

making custom ball bearings...?
 

Sure there are. I made a 4" dia low speed ball bearing for a project a
few years ago. Used 1/8" balls, and had an inside diameter of 3.25" Be
aware that clamping the races in a chuck will distort them, causing
uneven drag when finished. I doubt you can make a good, high speed, high
load ball bearing on a lathe.
JR
Dweller ion the cellar

Bernard Arnest wrote:

Hi,
I was wondering if it's possible to make your own bearing channels?
I have two applications where mcmastercarr does not have what I need.
Are there end mills with semicircular tip profiles to mill channels for
balls of that diameter?



thanks!
-Bernard Arnest



--
--------------------------------------------------------------
Home Page: http://www.seanet.com/~jasonrnorth
If you're not the lead dog, the view never changes
Doubt yourself, and the real world will eat you alive
The world doesn't revolve around you, it revolves around me
No skeletons in the closet; just decomposing corpses
--------------------------------------------------------------
Dependence is Vulnerability:
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"Open the Pod Bay Doors please, Hal"
"I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.."

making custom ball bearings...?
 

According to JR North :
Sure there are. I made a 4" dia low speed ball bearing for a project a
few years ago. Used 1/8" balls, and had an inside diameter of 3.25" Be
aware that clamping the races in a chuck will distort them, causing
uneven drag when finished.

If you've got two-piece jaws, make some "Pie" jaws to fit on the
chuck, and turn them in place to the intended OD of the race. Then, you
have support the whole way around. (Better with a 6-jaw chuck to start
with, of course.)

I doubt you can make a good, high speed, high
load ball bearing on a lathe.

Agreed -- but you can do better if you use a toolpost grinder
with a wheel dressed to the right profile to make that ball race, and
grind after turning to just a bit short of the final size. (Actually,
you should also harden the steel between the turning operation and the
grinding operation.

Of course, using a toolpost grinder on a good lathe is always
fraught with worry about damage from the abrasive thrown by the grinding
operation.

Good Luck,
DoN.
--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

making custom ball bearings...?
 

On Thu, 16 Mar 2006 22:07:52 -0800, JR North
wrote:

Sure there are. I made a 4" dia low speed ball bearing for a project a
few years ago. Used 1/8" balls, and had an inside diameter of 3.25" Be
aware that clamping the races in a chuck will distort them, causing
uneven drag when finished. I doubt you can make a good, high speed, high
load ball bearing on a lathe.
JR
Dweller ion the cellar

It can be done with rather good sucess..but you use pot collets rather
than jaw type chucks

Gunner, who turned out 200 of them a couple weeks ago, in about 4
hours




Bernard Arnest wrote:

Hi,
I was wondering if it's possible to make your own bearing channels?
I have two applications where mcmastercarr does not have what I need.
Are there end mills with semicircular tip profiles to mill channels for
balls of that diameter?



thanks!
-Bernard Arnest



"The importance of morality is that people behave themselves even if
nobody's watching. There are not enough cops and laws to replace
personal morality as a means to produce a civilized society. Indeed,
the police and criminal justice system are the last desperate line of
defense for a civilized society. Unfortunately, too many of us see
police, laws and the criminal justice system as society's first line
of defense." --Walter Williams

making custom ball bearings...?
 

Hi,

I'm not even talking of making a thin ring to fit around a shaft--
this is for my ball vise, so I just need to cut a channel, albeit one
perfect enough for bearings, into a 9" diameter cylinder of steel.
There is massive support behind it, such that distortion and special
jaws won't even be necessary. Although I am unsure even of how best to
cut the bearing-quality slot, distortion now aside?


thanks!
-Bernard

making custom ball bearings...?
 

What's a pot collet? How's it different from a regular collet?

making custom ball bearings...?
 

On 17 Mar 2006 09:11:40 -0800, wrote:

What's a pot collet? How's it different from a regular collet?

a single example
http://cgi.ebay.com/SOUTH-BEND-9-10K-LATHE-5PC-3C-POT-COLLETS-2-3-8_W0QQitemZ7599783878QQcategoryZ104241QQssPageName ZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

a pot collet is an oversized collet that allows you to hold materials
far larger than could normally be held with the standard sizes. They
come in various sizes, depths and so forth. Many are made so you can
machine them to the size you need.

I have 5C collets that will hold up to 4" in diameter.

Gunner


"The importance of morality is that people behave themselves even if
nobody's watching. There are not enough cops and laws to replace
personal morality as a means to produce a civilized society. Indeed,
the police and criminal justice system are the last desperate line of
defense for a civilized society. Unfortunately, too many of us see
police, laws and the criminal justice system as society's first line
of defense." --Walter Williams