Fixing a Leaky RF-45 Mill Head - Enco

[EdK]

Arvid,

That 20 ton HF one you linked to is now $150 with a coupon from the magazines. That's cheap, and a whole lot cheaper than the ones Northern carries. Too bad there are no HF stores on the west side of the cities.

Ed

[EdK]

OK, I'm stumped, not a hard feat.

I need to get the shaft with the gears attached out of the bearing and the bearings removed. The shaft with the gears is pressed into the bearing and the bearing is pressed into the mill top. There appears to be a rubber or plastic hole filler that covers the opposite side of the bearing and shaft end. Am I correct in assuming I need to remove the two hole covers and press the shaft/gear combination out of the bearing and then press the bearing out of the mill top? That means I would need a hydraulic press, which I don't yet have. Would controlled use of a hammer and punch be acceptable since I do not care about the bearings since they will all be replaced? I do care about the end of the shaft but mainly the lead-in edge for the bearing. Or, do I need to make yet another custom puller, or in this case pusher?

I need help.

Ed

   

   

[DaveH]

Hi Ed,

Yep, remove the seals (carefully you need to reuse them)

The shaft should tap out using a brass drift. The only problem, it is best if there are two guys, one taping the shaft out whilst the other holds it to stop it falling or the shaft becoming skew in the hole.
Just make sure the outter part of the bearing comes out with the shaft.


DaveH

[EdK]

Dave,

I don't have a brass drift but I do have some brass rod so I'll use that and turn a 60 degree point on it to fit in the end of the shaft. Those seals are just dust shields, not oil seals and I'll likely butcher them trying to get them out. Not a big deal. I'll just make some new ones out of aluminum and seal them in the hole with some silicon sealant/adhesive.

Ed

[DaveH]

Ed,

Those "dust shields" should give good access to the bearing as well. Just make sure though, you don't want the bearing left behind in the casing with no way to get it out.
If you have access to to bearing you can sometimes use a socket from a 'socket set' to miss the shaft and locate on the inner part of the bearing.


DaveH

[EdK]

Judging by the size of the dust shields, the bearings should be fairly exposed for extraction. I'll find out tomorrow evening when I tackle the next phase of the project.

Signing out.

Ed

[Tony Wells]

It's a little unusual, and definitely not standard engineering to press fit both races in a ball bearing. One should be a very close slip fit, which of course makes applied force critical to be aligned.

I wouldn't use a 60 deg point on the drift bar. Tends to send the hammer force to the side rather than right down the middle. Round the corners of both ends. One to be sure you don't flare it into breaking off shards on the dumb end. Since you are either replacing or seriously cleaning the bearings anyway, have you thought about drilling and tapping a hole in those dust plugs? it would either help you remove them (and later screw a plug back in after installing them back) or push out the shaft.

[EdK]

(03-20-2012, 09:54 PM)Tony Wells Wrote: have you thought about drilling and tapping a hole in those dust plugs? it would either help you remove them (and later screw a plug back in after installing them back) or push out the shaft.

Yes, my plan is to drill a hole in the center of the dust plugs and screw a sheet metal screw into them to pull them out. Then knock out the shaft with the brass rod and if the bearing comes with it then just use my custom made puller to pull the bearing off of the shaft.

Ed

[EdK]

Got the plugs pulled. They are indeed oil seals. They have O-rings on them. I've never seen a plug like that before. They are made of a reasonably stiff rubber.

Ed

   

   

[DaveH]

Ed.

Good one, makes it a lot easier to get the bearing out

DaveH