Replacing bearings on Delta 14" band saw wheels

[mark ahlenius]

Hi

I have a 22 year old Delta 14" band saw Model 28-470. I'm currently replacing the 1 HP motor which fried itself without warning. Putting in Leeson 1 HP TEFC model.

A few questions:

The bearings in the upper wheel of the saw seem a little bit stiff and I wanted to replace them. I've taken off the wheel but they seem to be pressed into the wheel and not sure how to remove them. I need to measure them so i can order replacements. I am wondering if I need to take the wheels to a machine shop to have the bearings removed and have them install the new ones, or is this something you can easily do yourself? I just don't want to damage the wheel race (casting).

Also I was trying to remove the bottom wheel but the nuts on each side of the lower wheel shaft seem very hard to remove. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

I attached 1 picture of the upper wheel bearing and a zipped movie file of how that wheel spins (or doesnt)

thank you.

'mark

476454

476455

[Bill Dufour]

I can not quite read the last digit. It looks like a 6202 bearing. I would get sealed not shielded. Support wheel hub with a large socket or piece of pipe. Tap out lower bearing with a bolt, head down. Flip wheel over and repeat.
Take old bearing and grind a bit off the outer race. Take bearing apart and heat inner race to nice cherry red. Air cool slowly, drill out inner bore slightly. Now you have the perfect drivers to install new bearings.
BILL D.

6202 RS bearing $10-15. for ten. Low speed, light loading, no need for high quality here.

[John TenEyck]

I replaced the bearings on the upper wheel of my 1960's 14" Delta a few years ago. I couldn't see how to get the bearings out either until I finally saw a circlip on one side, and that has to come out first. Take a hard look; maybe yours was built the same way, too.

I couldn't get the bottom wheel off either, so I'll be watching to see what others have to offer on that.

John

[mark ahlenius]

I can not quite read the last digit. It looks like a 6202 bearing. I would get sealed not shielded. Support wheel hub with a large socket or piece of pipe. Tap out lower bearing with a bolt, head down. Flip wheel over and repeat.
Take old bearing and grind a bit off the outer race. Take bearing apart and heat inner race to nice cherry red. Air cool slowly, drill out inner bore slightly. Now you have the perfect drivers to install new bearings.
BILL D.

6202 RS bearing $10-15. for ten. Low speed, light loading, no need for high quality here.

Thanks Bill but I am not quite following you on how to use a bolt upside down to tap out the bearing. There is a small collar which is loose inside the wheel hub between the two bearings. Are you talking about putting the bolt at an angle through the hole of the top bearing to reach the back side of the lower bearing and catching its inside rim and tapping it out?

Thanks

[Bill Dufour]

Exactly. I did not know there was a spacer. The bolt can either push with a hammer or pull with a slide hammer. Snounds like the bearing nearest the front may be locked in place with a snap ring. One of them should be free to float with expansion from heat.
Bill D

[Zachary Hoyt]

I just did this on a Rockwell 14" which I am guessing dates to the '70s or so. The bearings are 6202, the old ones in our saw were 6202zz but I put in 6202rs instead. That spacer is not a problem, just tap the bearing out as you described. I used a bench vise and opened it up till the jaws were a bit wider than the bearing and tapped them out that way. You can use a bolt, a punch, or whatever. I think I used a large screwdriver that was handy but I don't recall for sure. Then tap the new bearings in carefully with a hammer and a block of wood, not forgetting to put the spacer back in after the first bearing.

[Bill Dufour]

When you put in the new bearings normally you tap the outer race in first and the inner race is an easier fit. Do not pound the inner race to seat the outer ace or you will ruin the bearing.
Bill D

[mark ahlenius]

Hi John,

thanks for your post. I figured out how to get the bottom wheel off. I put a wrench on the tire wheel nut and held the wheel with one hand and hit the wrench down with the other. This bottom nut was much stiffer to remove vs. the top one. It almost felt like an elastic stop nut. I then pulled off the lower wheel. The lower wheel is on a keyed shaft.

Then I was able too tap the spindle out towards the pulley side after first removing the half moon key. The lower bearing on the wheel side easily came out of the casting. What I should have done was to first remove the nut on the pulley side of the shaft. It would be easier to do if I had the lower tire wheel in place to hold the shaft still while removing that nut.

[mark ahlenius]

When you put in the new bearings normally you tap the outer race in first and the inner race is an easier fit. Do not pound the inner race to seat the outer ace or you will ruin the bearing.
Bill D

hi Bill

sorry you misunderstood me. I am talking just about removing the old bearings
not sure I follow you using a bolt

thanks

[mark ahlenius]

When you put in the new bearings normally you tap the outer race in first and the inner race is an easier fit. Do not pound the inner race to seat the outer ace or you will ruin the bearing.
Bill D

Bill

by “outer race” do you mean the outer bearing on the top wheel, or the outer ring of one of the bearings?

if I tap the outer race in, won’t the inner race go with it as its kind of one unit

thank you

[Tom M King]

I would find someone with a hydraulic press. I never felt comfortable beating bearings in, or out. Sometimes you have to get creative with a setup, but those 14" wheels will fit in most of them. This was for a pivot bushing replacement in a 300 pound tractor front end casting. It's such an easy job with a press, I would do it for nothing is you were closer, as would probably a neighbor with a hydraulic press.

[Mark Gibney]

Mark, in case you have not yet removed the bearings from the upper wheel and if you are still unsure of the advice given here I'll try to explain the process of what I do.
I place the upper wheel on the bench, and put two 2x4s underneath the wheel to make room for the bearings to be pushed out.
Then I get a 3" x 1/4" bolt and I poked the end of the bolt thru the center of the bearing that is facing up towards me and rested it on the lip of the bearing that faces down to my benchtop. I tap the bolt with a hammer, moving the tip of the bolt to different points on the bearing, and it soon pops out.
Then I flip the wheel over and tap out the other bearing. This one is easier because you can see where to rest the tip of the bolt.
You can use any steel rod that fits to tap out the bearing, obviously.

Glad you got the lower wheel off. Make sure you note the location and order of any wave washers used on the lower shaft. Typically I have found that older machines used two wave washers together behind the rear bearing on the lower shaft.

[Mark Gibney]

To install the lower shaft bearings on a Delta 14" band saw I remember I cut a short length of 2" ABS pipe. This fit up against the outer race of the bearing, and I then tapped on the end of the ABS to seat the bearing.

I rub a little grease on the inside of the casting and on the outside of the bearing in the hopes that this will help thing slide together. And of course I have to be aware of correcting if the bearing isn't going in straight.

I think I used a piece of stiff cardboard roll for the upper wheel bearings.

[Andrew Seemann]

Bearings aren't that hard to replace if you know what you are doing, lots of advice here and probably dozens of YouTube videos, but there is no disgrace or shame in taking the wheels to a machine shop to have them do it. Sometimes the easiest and best way to solve a problem is with your checkbook:)

[Steve Engelschall]

This link may help. Different model bandsaw, but same concept. The pics in the link are worth a thousand words...

https://www.owwm.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40416

[Marc Fenneuff]

Gentle reminder that the 14” Delta has retaining rings in the upper wheel so you can’t use a press to remove them. Tapping the inner race with a punch or bolt is the only way. You can use a press to install the new ones, but apply pressure only to the outer race.