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Bearings

Ok... I know some are going to say its just the wrong tool for the job, but I get a lot of use out of the little Bosch Colt routers as a high speed spindle for detail cutters on aluminum. I've got one that is due for new bearings, and overall I am not unhappy with the stock bearings. I get hundreds of hours out of them. I have found there are lots of possible replacement bearings. The stock ones are only a few dollars and I may go that way, but if a hybrid or ceramic might last longer it might be worth paying a little more. They have to be able to handle continuous speed upto about 35000 RPM. Actually free spin at max according to my tach is a little higher, but I always back it off just slightly from max. My brushes last

2-3 times as long when I do that. They have to handle both axial and radial load. Most of the time they are shaving thousands at high feed rates with little side load, but once in a while on an aggressive cut/plunge with a bigger cutter I can actually hear the motor slow down for a moment. I don't want to spend more on bearings than the whole spindle is worth only to have them turn to ceramic powder the first time I push them a little too hard. Suggestions? Ideas?
Reply to
Bob La Londe
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P.S. I know. They are cheap spindles. I should just replace them and to some degree I do, but think about this. I have two of them with close to a thousand hours on them. Not sure exactly since I only recently realized my software stores life and usage information. Pretty hard to beat for a C-note.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

Some of these things:

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use ceramic bearings to hang the ball from the outer azimuth yoke. Then they get bolted onto helicopters (which, as true systems designers know actually fly by vibrating Really Hard).

So -- ceramic bearings can take some load.

Reply to
Tim Wescott

I would contact someone at miller or applied and ask them..

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Reply to
tnik

We use a bunch of Hitachi 1/2" VS routers...probably very similar. We get about 250 hrs on a set of bearings, but we beat the crap out of them. We use the stock replacement bearings and usually have to pitch the router at 750 hours. For me, better bearings probably isn't worth the cost.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Thanks Tom. I was hoping somebody who beats on routers the way I do would answer. After posting I realized I had about answered my own question. The stock bearings are satisfactory and dirt cheap. If I find a good replacement interval for bearings and brushes its pretty cheap to keep them going. I have a question though. Why are you pitching them at 750 hours? What is wearing out that isn't easily replaceable? Not that $99 for a whole new router (today's price for the 20 series Colt at The Box) is a lot of money to just replace them. I bought one today so I would have a spare to use while rebuilding others. At that price if they'd had more than one I would have probably bought three or four of them.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

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