Looking for anyone that has replaced their Timken spindle bearings on a Burke-Millrite or Powermatic vertical mill.
One of the guys in my metalworking club bought this machine, the bearings were noisy, he replaced them and had to press both of them off. He pressed them back on, there is a preload nut just above them which is useless if you have to press the bearings on! Now the bearings have failed again (spindle gets very hot very fast as there is no allowable movement).
The spindle looks fine, our suspicion is that the bearings that were on the machine when he got it, might have been incorrect, he merely matched the numbers on them when he replaced them. My guess is that the bearings should be a slip fit to allow for preload. Is our hunch correct?
Thanks guys, Marty