Replacing bearing in my Boice-Crane lathe has me stumped!!

[Pat Biggs]

I paid $100 for a complete running 1950-60's era Boice-Crane wood lathe. The headstock bearings are noisy and I thought replacing them would be a fairly straight forward process. Not so.....there are no snap rings or shaft nuts to be found anywhere that would hold the bearings in the headstock casting. I can't believe using a hammer and block and just driving shaft out is a smart course of action.....so I am wondering if anyone out there has successfully replaced the headstock bearings in a similar Boice-Crane lathe and would share the secret. At this point, I still think my $100 was well spent, but not so if the bearing issue isn't resolved.
I have attached a picture of headstock.

Thanks, Pat230057

[Homer Faucett]

Check out OWWM dot ORG. Someone there will have already done this, and can give you advice. I have a 1954 Delta lathe that I replaced the bearings on. No snap rings or shaft nuts, you just had to drive off the shaft. I used lots of oil for a few days before, and actually used a block and a few clamps to press them off. Good luck, and you've definitely got a great lathe for the cost.

[Bruce Volden]

Along with what has been said I'll add--use a heat gun and warm things up a bit. Then proceed with plastic mallet or what have you. I had to do this on my old 6" Rockwell jointer--I was worrying about breaking the casting----worked out fine.

Bruce

[Don Jarvie]

Be very careful hitting the shaft so you don't (a) bend the shaft and (b) just slightly round over the end of the shaft so the bearing doesn't fit over it and you need to file it.

I have used a piece of steel pipe that will go over the shaft and rest on the bearing. Then you can hit the pipe which will push out the bearings. You can then cut off the bearings if you have to.

Definately sign up at OWWM.org. Tons of info.

[Pat Biggs]

I am new on the Sawmill Creek web site and I sure appreciated the response with information and suggestions on my lathe problem.
FYI...I posted this same request for information on OWWM.org. and got no replies
Looks like a great site here...kudos to everybody.
Thanks, Pat

[Robert Champagne]

I was working on an older tenoner the other night and the bearing housing looked very similar to your headstock. It had think steel plates that screw on over the bearings that keep dust out etc. The bearings were held in place just by friction on the shaft. I used the end of a puller screw to bang on the shaft. Yours looks like a fairly similar configuration--can you see the bearings if you remove the covers (if there are covers)? I would give it a try, but take the headstock off the lathe and support it on a bench or something.
Rob

[Pat Biggs]

There are no plates or covers on either end. I guess the whole shaft stays in place from the friction of a tight fit.
Thanks for your response, Pat

[Ronald Blue]

It is common for bearings to be held in place just by being a light press fit. It would appear that if you are going to try driving it out to as was previously suggested use a block of wood to protect the shaft and drive from the pulley end. That should drive the shaft through the first bearing and push the other bearing out the other end. I suggest this direction because the other end would be the most delicate in my humble opinion. It's threaded to accept whatever attachment you choose to put on it. A few good licks should show you if it's moving. As a last resort you can apply heat to the housing to make it expand but unless rust is an issue the fit shouldn't be that tight. Let us know how it goes. Don't hammer directly on the shaft because that can have ugly results.

[Michael Mayo]

I would agree with Ron that you should be able to tap it out of the bore as long as you protect the shafts. I would also agree that pushing it out towards the headstock instead of away from it sounds like it would be the best way to go. They would install it that way so as to keep it from pushing out of the bore during operation. I would also recommend supporting the casting in some way so that it doesn't break.