Shopsmith Forums

Glad to hear it worked!

Here is a trick I've heard about for installing the bearings.

Freeze the shaft, and set one bearing on an unlit lightbulb.
Turn on the lightbulb, and let the bearing warm for a couple
hours, while the shaft is chilling out.

With a hot bearing and a cold shaft, they should install a
LOT easier. If it was me, I'd do it in 2 steps. Second step,
freeze the shaft with the first bearing on it, while the second
bearing is warming up. The spacer should slip right on, BEFORE
you install the second bearing.

Oh, (you probably know this) apply NO force to the outer race
of either bearing! Otherwise you'll mark up the bearing surfaces.

steve

It wound up being pretty easy. I froze the shaft, and was able to use my bearing puller and a piece of aluminum tube to pull the bearings into place, pressing on the inner race only. It was actually more difficult to get that entire assembly back into the headstock than it was to get the bearings and spacer back in place.

I need to lubricate the quill and get the return spring re-attached to the feed arms (it lost connection when I released all of the tension after removing the quill).

I almost wish I were repainting and doing a full restoration on this one, but I want to use it now instead of next year