Quick bearing fix

[Dave Hoatson]

My Menominee Clamshell was a bit noisy, due to a worn front bearing. 
 

I asked Darryl Hudson, our fan bearing and Menominee specialist, if he had replacements, but he said he never had the need. 
 

So, I pulled out the bearing and inspected it. 
 

    Shaft OD: .249”

    Bearing ID vertically: .264”

    Bearing ID horizontally: .253”

It’s typical to have more wear vertically due to the weight of the rotating assembly. 
 

I got this idea to try to crush the bearing smaller, then ream it out, a technique commonly used to repair worn clock bearings. 
 

But, I had some precision .249” shaft, so I cut a piece a little shorter (about .03”) than the bearing length, slid the shaft inside the bearing, and crushed it in a small vise:

When I was done, the bearing measured .253” ID. I put the bearing back in the fan, and now it runs like new. 

 

I assume that only the front and rear of the bearing are properly sized, so the fix may not last 100 years.

[Russ Huber]

You can also rotate the bearing 1/4 turn left or right and drill a new hole on top.  The egg-shaped wear is shifted to 9-3 o'clock and strangely enough the fan quiets down. Must be a gravity thing. Not a quality fix, but it makes a difference. 🙂

[David Kilnapp]

That's a clever fix! Well done!

[Russ Huber]

1 hour ago, David Kilnapp said:

That's a clever fix! Well done!

I agree. It got my attention. One could pursue different avenues with that approach. Carefully cut a full length slit, stick the correct size shaft inside, squash it down, braze the slit, sand it proper. 🙂  

[Bobby Gaines]

Good Idea !