No, that's the bearing and shaft out of the headstock.
the bearing I took out actually looks like it's in just fine shape, almost like somebody did just what I did when they had excessive shaft play: replaced the bearings. Isn't the bearing supposed to be a softer metal that should wear, rather than the extremely hard spindle shaft? Granted the shaft is 65 years old and I'd guess there have been times when it's been run dry. I'll drop by a machine shop tomorrow if I have time and see what they have to say. It'd get me back to using stock sized bearings which long-term will be cheaper and far less hassle when it comes time to replace them. If I can get the spindle shaft built up by hard-surfacing and ground for a decent price that'd be by far the best solution. I have a set of calibrated micrometers that read reliably to 0.0001", but the scoring is such that I'd be measuring across multiple score tracks with a single micrometer width. These simple chores never seem to go smoothly for me.ĭo you have a micrometer that you can measure the worn area with? If not evenly worn and still true round, tightening the bearing will not work and you will have to go the route Oldtiffe suggests.The shaft is mildly scored, it feels much rougher than polished steel although the appearance is not terrible. I am thinking I can bring in the shaft and bearing/bushing and have them bore out the bushing a little bit so it fits over the shaft. it won't go over the threads on the thin end of the spindle. The smaller of the two bearings I received from Clausing is marginally too small. Would my neighborhood machine shop be able to make a sintered bronze bushing? I see here that it can be done, but maybe I'd be better off getting experts to do it? I'd also maybe have to shim the gear that goes onto the shaft adjacent to the bearing. What are my options? I could have the spindle shaft turned down so it's perfectly smooth, but then I'd be looking at getting a custom bearing turned at a machine shop. it's mildly grooved at the bearing area but doesn't look at all bad for 60 years of service. There is definitely some wear on the spindle.
I received them, but the new bearing, at least the larger one, has a similar amount of play as the old one. I had quite a lot of play in the spindle, so I went ahead and ordered new bearings from Clausing (amazing that you can still get these). I have a pre-1957 6" Atlas/Craftsman lathe with plain bronze bearings in the headstock.