Grizzly bandsaw bearings seized up

[Wes Ramsey]

I happened to notice a couple of days ago that one of my lower guide bearings was seized up on my G0513X2 after it spun off the saw. They appear to be semi-sealed bearings, but with enough of a gap to let a tiny bit of sawdust in. I found that the same bearing on the other side was nearly seized as well and all the others were somewhere between noisy and gritty. I've only used this saw maybe a few hours total in the few months I've had it, but it is either a 2006 or 2009 model and before I got it was used gently, but frequently. Is that about normal life for these bearings? Is there a fix to keep this from happening again?

Anyway, not wanting to buy all new bearings I turned a vented pressure fitting and gooped it full of high-temp axle grease and used my air compressor to blow clean grease into the bearings. The two worst bearings had a lot of junk forced out, but they are running pretty smooth now and the others are quiet again. Not sure if anyone else has tried to repack their guide bearings, but hopefully this will inspire someone else to try. It's messy, but much less expensive than replacing them. I've actually seen bearing cups that screw onto the bearing and work with a grease gun, but everything was closed last night and I was in the mood to turn something :)

[David Kumm]

your application isn't as critical as some but keep in mind that properly lubed bearings are only 1/3 full of grease. Once you get over half full, the bearings run hot and fail early. Dave

[Marty Tippin]

The bearings on the G0513 are a standard size (6202ZZ) and easy to find. You can buy replacement bearings online for half the price Grizzly wants - try http://www.vxb.com/6202ZZ-Bearing-15x35x11-Shielded-p/kit8332.htm

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Wes, on my saw I replaced them with sealed bearings, no more failures, no need for routine lubrication.

They're available anywhere that sells bearings..............Regards, Rod.

[John Lanciani]

$13.49 for ten of them delivered to your door. Search for 6202-2RS on Ebay.

[Wes Ramsey]

Good to know when they seize up again. Thanks guys. Any preference between Uxcell and VXB? The Uxcell bearings are quite a bit more expensive, but they have a lot better reviews. It probably won't matter, but thought I'd ask.

[Curt Harms]

I believe the norm is shielded bearings, you can get sealed - more money, should last longer. I have a Rikon 14" and replaced the bearings with oil soaked wood blocks. So far so good - I like the blocks better than bearings for blades < 3/8" wide.

[Harry Niemann]

Using a needle you can remove the seal and clean and repack them. I have had good success with Vaseline.

[glenn bradley]

I have a box of them setting on the floor behind the saw. As stated about $12-$13 for 10. You can pay a little more and go for sealed (6202UU). I have swapped the VXB's only once in 4 times the period that the original bearings lasted.

[Keith Westfall]

that properly lubed bearings are only 1/3 full of grease

Interesting. Have hand packed a lot of bearing in the aviation world, as well as more than a few wheel bearings. Never heard that 1/3 limit before, and haven't had any fail that I know about...

[Don Sundberg]

Interesting. Have hand packed a lot of bearing in the aviation world, as well as more than a few wheel bearings. Never heard that 1/3 limit before, and haven't had any fail that I know about...
If your bearings were mounted in a housing like a wheel bearing such that there was a cavity nearby to take the extra grease it's not that big of deal. The extra grease just gets squeezed out of the way.
Excess grease comes into greater play when you are running higher speeds as the excess grease creates more shear and drag inside the bearing. This causes heat to build up and eventual breakdown of the grease and loss of lubrication. Shielded bearings will probably squeeze out the extra between the shield and race during initial operation. If you pumped a tightly sealed bearing clear full of grease and ran it the higher ends of it's speed range you would have a much sorter life. Slow speeds would not cause much problem.

[Alan Heffernan]

My Delta had a similar problem with guide bearings. I took one out, measured it, and bought sealed replacements from Amazon. I bought a package of 10 and they were quite inexpensive and now I have spares on hand. The replacements were far superior to what was in the machine.

[David Kumm]

Old machines generally had a cavity for excess grease as most greaseable ones end up over filled. Even an oil bath bearing will heat up if too much oil is inserted. Not an issue in many applications, particularly now since many machines run with much smaller bearings. Older machines with 6300 series bearings run at 5000+ rpm were fussy about the amount of lubrication needed to maintain the long running periods the machines were designed for. Critical for shaper bearings, not so much for wheel bearings. Dave

[Keith Westfall]

If you pumped a tightly sealed bearing clear full of grease and ran it the higher ends of it's speed range you would have a much sorter life.

Thanks, good to know.

Nice to learn something new everyday....

[Floyd Mah]

I've been fighting with the Grizzly bearings for years. They can be freed up if you soak them with a lubricating/penetrating oil (I used Lub-E from Ace Hardware), wait a bit and then spin them manually. I finally replaced them with these metal guides from Grizzly (http://www.grizzly.com/products/T21972). These have one bearing and were easy to install. They were easy to adjust and seem to be wearing well. [Worth the cost of replacing the originals and are about the same cost as a set of new bearings.]
I forgot the price of the replacements, but after removing and cleaning the bearings for the fifth or sixth time, this new guide set seemed cheap.

[Art Mann]

I have a Craftsman/Rikon 14 inch steel frame saw that has always had the same problem. I discovered that the bearings are the same size as skateboard bearings. These are better quality and much cheaper than the OEM bearings. I still have to replace them every once in a while but they are $12 for a tube of 10 at on line skate suppliers. My problem is the extremely poorly designed and manufactured guide adjustment mechanism.

[Wes Ramsey]

Since these bearings aren't load-bearing and only spin when the blade flexes into them I'm not worried about the grease overheating. Plus I used high-temp wheel bearing grease, which has worked well in my F150 wheel bearings for years. Different application, yes, but not that different. If they seize up again I'll either repack them again or buy sealed bearings. Thanks for the great tips and conversation guys!