Correct Greast to Lubricate Electric Motor Rear Bearing?

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:15 am

JPG40504 wrote:My power station emerson motor has a bushing in both ends. Yours had a bearing in the shaft end?

I think it did!

Added Comment: I was wrong. Piss Poor Memory. The Crafters Station motor uses no bearings. Bushings on both ends.

Now what to expect in the Mark V motors - bearings or bushings?

wa2crk · Post by **wa2crk** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 8:45 am

Dusty. JPG,
I have done only about 30 or so headstocks over a period of years but I have never opened a Mk V motor that did not have ball bearings at both ends of the shaft. But I have to add that I have never worked on a power station or any of the motors from the SPT power stands.
Bill V

nuhobby · Post by **nuhobby** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:05 am

There's been a couple of folks on the forum (including myself) that have encountered an Emerson 1-1/8 headstock motor using a ball-bearing on the protruding end but a fiber-wad-oiled bushing on the motor-cap end of the shaft. Beyond those rare instances, I always have seen ball-bearings on both ends of the headstock motors.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 2:05 pm

dusty wrote:I think it did!

Added Comment: I was wrong. Piss Poor Memory. The Crafters Station motor uses no bearings. Bushings on both ends.

Now what to expect in the Mark V motors - bearings or bushings?

I have only encountered bushings on the power station motor.

I am surprised that there have been 1 1/8hp motors with ANY bushings.

Those who have 'discovered' them, did they have oiling holes in the 'back' end cap?

The Emerson planer motor tag states it has ball bearings.

nuhobby · Post by **nuhobby** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 3:11 pm

JPG40504 wrote:I am surprised that there have been 1 1/8hp motors with ANY bushings.

Those who have 'discovered' them, did they have oiling holes in the 'back' end cap?

I found nothing like an oiling hole exposed. Here's a thread where someone took pictures:
https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=10229

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 5:20 pm

nuhobby wrote:I found nothing like an oiling hole exposed. Here's a thread where someone took pictures:
https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=10229

I missed the 'detail' that was a MV motor when it was posted.

FWIW, my pix with 'more' wadding was because I added cotton and soaked that as well.

danscot · Post by **danscot** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 6:38 pm

nuhobby wrote:I found nothing like an oiling hole exposed. Here's a thread where someone took pictures:
https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=10229

And very remiss of me it was to not finish that thread with the outcome

I scraped together all the remaining wadding from the housing that I could find & packed it back in with liberal servings of automotive axle/bearing grease which seemed to soak into the wadding, swelling it to pretty much fill the whole housing. I didn't have to add any cotton.

When re-assembled it ran considerably quieter than it had

I'm now successfully making sawdust!

billmayo · Post by **billmayo** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 10:25 pm

danscot wrote:And very remiss of me it was to not finish that thread with the outcome

I scraped together all the remaining wadding from the housing that I could find & packed it back in with liberal servings of automotive axle/bearing grease which seemed to soak into the wadding, swelling it to pretty much fill the whole housing. I didn't have to add any cotton.

When re-assembled it ran considerably quieter than it had

I'm now successfully making sawdust!

Great, I believe the motor will never have a problem from what you did. I have only found 3 Emerson motors with a bushing in the end cap. I placed some cotton balls and lots of grease into the stuffing. I never tried using any oil on the stuffing. I find that it is the sheave end bearing in all the Shopsmith motors that will need replacing. Most of the side thrust load will be on this bearing. Since the motor is disassemblied, I always replace both bearings

danscot · Post by **danscot** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:19 pm

Thanks Bill, I'm re-assured. I believe mine is an early nineties model so I'll give it another 20 years before opening up again to check ... just in case

From this experience I would agree that for these bushings/plain bearings a reasonably heavy grease is the thing to use, oil would probably be counter productive.

And even more agreement on the shaft loading - the sheave end bearing was shot on this motor whereas the rear bushing showed little wear - to my highly untrained eyes anyway!

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 7:45 pm

Now I be bamboozled.

Methinks a bushing(oiltight bronze) needs oil. That is why oil holes are usually included.

I see the end cap casting in Danscot's pix has a shape the resembles an oil hole tunnel. The pix does not show the 'outside' of the casting so I do not know if one is there. I would almost 'bet' that there is!

Using heavy grease with a bushing bearing just is counter to my experience.

?????