I am not mechanically inclined, but

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TellicoTurning

TellicoTurning

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Sep 24, 2006
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Tellico Plains, Tennessee, USA.
I'm pretty sure the bearings in my lathe are going bad... they rattle a bit at higher speeds (1000 to 1800) and there appears to be some wobble in the turning piece.

I called Jet Tools and spoke with a tech person, he suggest that my pulleys were loose and that it wasn't the bearings... I check and the pulleys are tight and not rattling, so I'm sure it the bearings... I run some pretty heavy pieces on my lathe, many of which are out of balance in the beginning until I get them rounded and smoothed... also I'm on a second set of bearings anyway since they were replaced over a year ago under warranty.... the tech said I was lucky on the warranty as the bearings are a wear item and not warranted, but I think I bought the bearings and they were put in under warranty when I had another problem... not an issue anyway...

My question is: Jet wants $30+ for each bearing in my headstock.. there are three bearings and if I replace one, may as well do all of them... I find that a pretty high price for bearings.... and two of the three are listed in Jet's parts search as out of stock, obsolete and not for resale, so I will need to find a replacement anyway and their parts search does not reflect a replacement part number.

I have found bearings with the same numbers as the Jet numbers on their parts list in my manual (BB6006LLB, BB6304LLB(these are shown as obsolete on Jet's part list) and BB6205ZZ) on VXB.com for 1/10 the price of what Jet shows, but the numbers are slightly different.... The BB and LLB designations are missing on the bearings, but the 6006 and 6304 sizes are the same as shown on Jet's list. The BB6205ZZ still appears to be available from Jet, but the $30+ price tag is off putting.... I found the same bearing numbers on VXB without the BB.... I can get all three for just over $14 + shipping (am not sure but shipping may be included)

Is it the collective opinion (does that make us BORG since we are a collective??:biggrin:) that these bearings will work on a Jet 1442...

I think I can put the bearings in as there are pretty detailed instructions in my manual for changing them...
 
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Chuck:
Jet doesn't make the bearings. They are made by one of three bearing companies, AND ANY OF THE "Big 3s" bearings will be as good OR Better than the ones that came out of it.

I prefer NTN bearings, simply because I worked with them one summer as an intern.
The numbers you gave are "standard" numbers in the bearing industry.
BB means "Ball bearing"

The 4 digit number (i.e 6205) is the diameter and width of the bearing race.

The next two letters indicate how the bearings are sealed (I.E. LL means sealed with a rubber encasement over a ss plate on each side of the bearing).

The final letters indicated the type and manufacture of the lubricant.

This bearings should be available at at much lower cost at your local bearings and drives store, Granger or the best price I've found is at tractor supply.
 
You MUST HAVE LLB AND ZZ! LLs are rubber sealed ZZ are stainless sealed.
A plain 6204 with NO DESIGNATION means the bearings are only contained by the race. THIS IS NOT SUITABLE FOR A DUSTY LATHE ENVIRINMENT.

The front BB, in your case is not important as all 62xx bearings are ball bearings, not tapered wheel bearings.

62xx LLBs should be less than $15 each.
 
I used to have a jet 1442. It has a reeves drive. The noise you are hearing could be the bearings, but your description of the noise sounds more like a problem with the pulleys / belt on the reeves drive.

I beat the heck out of my 1442 for 5 years with heavy out of balance pieces and never had a problem with the bearings. I had all kinds of problems with the reeves drive after a couple of years.

If it was me, I would check a couple of things before changing bearings.

1) Make sure the lathe is off. Take a screw driver with a plastic handle (aka poor man's stethoscope) and put the blade against the housing by the bearings. Put the plastic end in your ear (close is good enough, insertion in ear not necessary). Slowly turn the spindle by hand. If you hear a clicking or scraping noise that could indicate a bearing problem. No noise points more toward the reeves in my opinion.

2) Take a dial indicator and check the runout on your spindle. If it's wobbling at high speed, then it's going to wobble at low speed. I would be surprised if it is wobbling though. If it is, then I suspect you may have bigger problems than bearings.

3) Take the cover off the reeves drive and watch how things move as you change speeds (use normal precautions around moving parts with safety guards removed) with the lathe running. Pay attention to the slack and alignment in the belt. The pulley could be loose or need adjustment, but the spring tension may be masking it when you check without the lathe running. With the cover off you might also get a better idea of where the clicking is coming from.

Ed
 
You can find metric/mini bearings just about anywhere. Try locally finding if can even if cost few dollars more. Might want to listen to Ed before doing a bearing job.

ABEC standards important, if want best tolerance and least amount of run-out. ABEC 3 and above what you want.

Sealed bearing normally RS might be tad better at keeping dust out, use them on my bandsaw thrust and blade guide bearings.

ZZ double sided shield bearings found in lots of woodworking machines and electric motors.

6000 series light duty, 6200 series medium duty, and 6300 series heavy duty bearings.

Which is better sealed or shielded depends upon manufacturer, ABEC standard they meet and cost.
 
when I needed bearing for my band saw, I took that part number and search amazon. I was able to get 12 bearings for what placed wanted for 2 and I got bearing with metal race covers instead of plastic.
 
I usually buy bearings from VXB Bearings (vxb.com)

Everything I've bought has been good quality and service is good as well.

There are plenty of other suppliers around on the internet, this is just the one I usually use.

All you really need to know to get the right bearing is is and os diameters, thickness, the type of bearing, and what kind of seal (or not) you want. Chasing down part numbers is a lot more difficult thatn just matching specifications sometimes.

It helps to know how to install them without damaging them, but it usually isn't hard and there are plenty of places on the internet that will tell you how to remove and install bearings (they're usually press fitted).
 
Ed,
Thanks for the advice... I think I'll try this before I tear down my headstock to try and put in new bearings... might need to take a better look at the pulleys... I did check to make sure the set screws were tight, but it's a possibility they have slipped slightly and let the belt get a little loose... I do notice that I can turn the reeves speed handled below 450 slightly and the lathe does seem to slow a little more....it won't hold there because there's no locking point below the 450 speed..... I've always felt that the bottom speed was a little faster than it was supposed to be.... I run a 1014 occasionally and it seems that the 500 speed on it is slower then the 450 speed on the 1442... may be my imagination, but won't hurt to check further... great advice.

Where would I find a dial indicator to check the run out?



parklandturner said:
I used to have a jet 1442. It has a reeves drive. The noise you are hearing could be the bearings, but your description of the noise sounds more like a problem with the pulleys / belt on the reeves drive.

I beat the heck out of my 1442 for 5 years with heavy out of balance pieces and never had a problem with the bearings. I had all kinds of problems with the reeves drive after a couple of years.

If it was me, I would check a couple of things before changing bearings.

1) Make sure the lathe is off. Take a screw driver with a plastic handle (aka poor man's stethoscope) and put the blade against the housing by the bearings. Put the plastic end in your ear (close is good enough, insertion in ear not necessary). Slowly turn the spindle by hand. If you hear a clicking or scraping noise that could indicate a bearing problem. No noise points more toward the reeves in my opinion.

2) Take a dial indicator and check the runout on your spindle. If it's wobbling at high speed, then it's going to wobble at low speed. I would be surprised if it is wobbling though. If it is, then I suspect you may have bigger problems than bearings.

3) Take the cover off the reeves drive and watch how things move as you change speeds (use normal precautions around moving parts with safety guards removed) with the lathe running. Pay attention to the slack and alignment in the belt. The pulley could be loose or need adjustment, but the spring tension may be masking it when you check without the lathe running. With the cover off you might also get a better idea of where the clicking is coming from.

Ed
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Hi Chuck - This should be adequate for your needs:

Dial Indicator and Magnetic Base - LittleMachineShop.com

Might be able to find it a few bucks cheaper (especially with a coupon) locally if you have a harbor freight nearby.

Each half of the pulley has two set screws. Make sure you tighten both of them.

You could also try taking the headstock spring out to eliminate the tension so you can check how tight things are. It also makes adjusting the drive a whole lot easier. It's been a while so I don't remember exactly how I did it, but I do remember getting the spring back in involved liberal use of foul language.

Also check the belt for for problems once you have the tension off.

Good luck.

Ed
 
parklandturner said:
Hi Chuck - This should be adequate for your needs:

Dial Indicator and Magnetic Base - LittleMachineShop.com

Might be able to find it a few bucks cheaper (especially with a coupon) locally if you have a harbor freight nearby.

Each half of the pulley has two set screws. Make sure you tighten both of them.

You could also try taking the headstock spring out to eliminate the tension so you can check how tight things are. It also makes adjusting the drive a whole lot easier. It's been a while so I don't remember exactly how I did it, but I do remember getting the spring back in involved liberal use of foul language.

Also check the belt for for problems once you have the tension off.

Good luck.

Ed
Click to expand...


Hey Ed,
Thanks for the good advice... I pulled the cover on the Reeves and checked the pulleys... I didn't remove the spring as I knew it would be a bear to get back in, but did pull the belt off the motor drive pulley and check for wobble in the two pulleys on the headstock shaft... I did have a little wobble in the back pulley and used a large screwdriver as a pry bar to push it forward a hair and re-tightened the set screws... seemed to eliminate some of the noise I was hearing.... also noted that the "e" clip keeper that's behind the outside pulley seemed a little loose and had appeared to have beveled the slot it was supposed to fit in... it wiggled a hair so may be wrong size... I do remember that the original "e" keeper broke and I bought new ones at Tractor Supply and gave them to the service guy when he put a new drive pulley on my motor... I'll probably call Jet this coming week to see if this might be a warranty item... my warranty will be up in March.... this is my "high" season for shows and can't afford to have the lathe down for any period right now...

I'll check on the dial indicator too... thanks for the link.
 
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