Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 32

Thread: Replace Lower Wheel Bearing on Sears 12" #113.24200 Bandsaw

  1. #1

    Replace Lower Wheel Bearing on Sears 12" #113.24200 Bandsaw

    The tire on the lower, drive wheel on my Sears 12" #113.24200 bandsaw appears to need to be replaced. The tire came off the wheel and wrapped and knotted itself around the driveshaft between the frame and the 'backside' of the wheel. I had to use a puller to remove the wheel to see what I was doing. I cleaned and paste waxed the shaft and inner surface of the wheel to simplify remounting the wheel. As I remounted the wheel, I saw that there is significant play on the shaft in the bearing assembly.

    Has anyone replaced this bearing? Are there any problems I should anticipate; any solutions known for such problems? It has a different (37161) part number than the bearing for the upper wheel (38886). That one seems stable when I try to rock the wheel.

    If I try to power up the motor and lower wheel alone, there is much noise.

    Thanks

    John

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Orange County, CA
    Posts
    274
    I had problems removing the bearings from the shaft. The shaft is not hardened and is easy to distort, so use care if difficulty experienced. I ended up making a new shaft. Bearings were obtained from a bearing supply house (15 years ago).

    Joe

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Dickinson, Texas
    Posts
    7,655
    Blog Entries
    1
    I don't know about Craftsman bandsaws, but I have replaced the top wheel bearings on a 14" Jet. There have been no issues with it.
    How much does the bearing cost. I would probably go for it unless I wanted a new saw.

  4. #4
    Thank you Joe and Lowell,

    I really appreciate being told that the shaft is not hardened. Perhaps the first thing to check is remove the drive belt and see if the shaft is still straight. My cursory inspection suggests that with the drive pulley removed from the belt end of the shaft, the shaft and bearing should come out towards the front (user) side of the saw. If they come together (bearing tight on the shaft as described) perhaps a few drops of penetrating oil and a tapping on the pulley end of the shaft is the very first step. Then perhaps a hardwood block with a hole big enough to accommodate the shaft from the pulley end so that the bearing can be pulled and or tapped until it slides off is the next step. We shall see.

    Any more takers?

    thanks

    John

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Orange County, CA
    Posts
    274
    As I remember - 15 years ago - there were snap rings on the outside of the pair of bearings with a spacer or sleeve between the bearings. The O.D. of the shaft didn't appear to be machined. I attempted to press both bearings with the spacer between, off the shaft with a small arbor press. Wouldn't move. Resorted to a heavy brass hammer and things digressed from that point. There was corrosion/rust on the shaft where the bearings were not in complete contact. Looked like the manufacturer used cold rolled steel w/o machining the bearing seating surface. I have he equipment so I made a new shaft.

  6. #6
    Thank you, Joe, for persisting. May I explore your recollections a bit deeper?

    I have all the snap rings and 'keeper screws' removed. I have some decent photos and can clearly identify the bearings. Nachi gave them different numbers. The 'belt end' bearing is 620310NSL. The 'wheel end' bearing is 620310Z. (If anyone wants to see the photos, I can upload them.)

    The outer rings of the bearings seem quite 'snug' in their mountings in the cast aluminum frame of the saw. The bearing on the 'belt end' of the shaft turns freely and is probably in good shape. However, the bearing on the 'wheel end' of the shaft is close to frozen. The shaft is turning inside the inner ring. The cold rolled steel has probably been galled badly; there is side-to-side play. This tells me that the shaft, bearings, and spacer will probably all need to be replaced. I am not set up to recreate the shaft and spacer.

    Sears tells me I can purchase (in stock) a brand new lower shaft for $30.94. The wheel bearing spacer is another $11.64 and they want $16.06 each for the bearings. I believe I can find 'equivalent' bearings locally for substantially less.

    Your mention of the small arbor press suggests that you managed to separate the shaft and bearings from the saw frame. Do you recall if this was particularly difficult? Do you recall in which direction (towards the wheel or towards the belt) the assembly moved? Did you have to resort to heat? I have a good strong hot-air gun and could heat the frame away from the shaft area and hope for transfer towards it.

    IMG_4612_Sel_BandSawWheelEndBearingArea.jpg

    Thanks for any further insights.

    John

  7. #7
    Call me a slow learner...

    I just carefully tapped on the 'belt end' of the lower drive shaft with my dead-blow hammer and the shaft slowly moved 'inwards' so I persisted and I now have the driveshaft with bearings attached in hand.

    I had room between the bearing and the spacer to support the 'spacer side' of the 'wheel end' bearing on two lengths of 12 gauge angle iron resting on the opening of my vise and gently tapped the 'wheel end' of the shaft with my dead blow hammer. For good measure I added 2 drops of penetrating oil to the gap. I easily drove the shaft so that only a 1/4" protruded and used the bearing puller to complete the removal. I can see the wear on the shaft, ~0.01" in diameter where the inner ring of the bearing turned on the shaft.

    IMG_4616_Sel_BandSawLowerShaftWear.jpg

    Is it worth the $31 + shipping to replace the shaft? I saw a post elsewhere where someone described using JBWeld to build out a worn shaft to fit a bearing. I don't have a lathe, but I do have a double compound vise for my drill press. I've used it to position a HSS lathe tool carefully and removed metal from rods chucked in the drill press. I also have some proper thickness brass shim stock.

    The world changes. For years there was a King Bearing counter within 10 miles. Now it is eBay, hurry up and wait, wonder about the vendor. At least the needed bearing is listed and the price, with shipping, is about half that at Sears.

    thanks

    John

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Orange County, CA
    Posts
    274
    John,

    Install the snap ring on the shaft for the pulley end. Try to force the shaft assy and bearings out the operators side of the frame with a large hammer and wood protecting the pulley end of the shaft. If you need to use heat, don't heat the reinforcing webs as you show but heat the aluminum casting directly over the bearing. I would use a propane torch a couple of seconds on each of the 4 areas between the reinforcing webs, directly over the bearing. The aluminum will expand equally in all directions unless restrained. The increase in circumference will be much more than the increase in thickness. Be quick, it shouldn't take much heat. I don't remember having any difficulty removing the assembly from the frame - cold.

    Your picture shows what I remember, a metal shielded bearing (won't stop dust entry) in all the dust. That bearing gave out on my saw. I replaced the two with 6302 RS-10 bearings. They are 6203 series with a 5/8 shaft size (-10) and rubber shields (RS). Manufacturers have slightly different numbering schemes for non-standard parts and they price accordingly. Monarch Bearing has a list price of about $10 each. A standard 6203 is less than $4. The bearing speed is fairly slow so the added drag of 4 rubber seals is not a concern.

    A couple of years ago bearing suppliers were very positive on Nachi bearings (high quality, Japanese etc.) The last Nachi bearings I purchased a few months ago were Made in China. That doesn't mean they can't make quality bearings, however.....

    When I suggested large hammer, if the assembly hasn't moved with a couple of hits, try the heat.

    Joe

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Orange County, CA
    Posts
    274
    You responded while my slow typing was in progress. If you plan to keep the saw I would replace the shaft. IMHO JBWeld is overrated structurally.

    Might work if you could apply it, let it cure and then turn the OD down to 5/8".

    I bought my saw in 1974 and use it almost daily now since retirement - 11 years. Never detention the blade except to change.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Orange County, CA
    Posts
    274
    I see a typing goof, 6203 series bearing, not 6302. Maybe a problem between brain and fingers.....

    Anyway, glad you are on the way to a fix.

  11. #11
    Joe,

    Thank you for the wealth of information you shared.

    I can't quickly confirm which year, but I bought my saw in the early '70's, too. I see that the manual reads 'Printed in USA, 1-73.'

    Before I saw your recent replies, I ordered a Nachi bearing on eBay; it cost $9.10 with shipping. I will try to remember to look at the workmanship critically when it arrives. If I decide I need more bearings, I will look into 6203RS bearings. I think the 'wheel end' bearing was installed wrong side out on my saw. The original bearings have a rubber seal on one face and not the other. My guess is that unsealed face was intended to face into the separator space where dust is not a problem. Perhaps an engineer even took the seal drag into account and wanted to minimize it.

    At first I thought there were two different bearings on the shaft, even though Sears gave them the same part number in the break-out drawing. Now I see that the rubber sealed face number is 620310NSL and the metal enclosed one ends 620310Z on both bearings. It is the case that the bearing on the 'belt end' of the shaft was installed with the seal out to the world of dust and the metal face into the space enclosed by the spacer. The devil is in the details. Now the numbers make more sense to me. The bearing is a 6203, the 10 designates a 5/8" shaft size, and perhaps the NSL stands for 'neoprene seal?' The Z on the unsealed face is less clear.

    It is interesting that the design engineer elected to have the key-way run the full length of the shaft even though keys are only needed at the ends to anchor the pulley and wheel in place. Perhaps it was less expensive to order shafting with a continuous keyway and cut it to length?

    I know these were intended as 'lubricated for life' bearings. Would it be a mistake to put a drop of 10W40 synthetic oil on the metal enclosed face where the bearing turns? Would a different lubricant be even better? I even have high-temperature Dow silicone oil from the lab.

    I think I will try the JBWeld technique and see what I can make of that approach before I order a new shaft.

    Thank you for answering without my asking the question about keeping tension on the blade except to change it. I was wondering what was the best practice.

    I'm retired, too. I got a 'brass parachute' in early 1997 just before my 57th birthday. I got to be head gardener, chief cook and bottle washer, housekeeper and laundryman for five years while my sweet wife kept working as a wage-slave.

    Unlike you, I use my bandsaw only occasionally and I find I use my 10" Sears table saw less often, too. For ripping I use a guide like this one (http://www.popularmechanics.com/home...a3602/4283497/) and my Bosch worm-drive circular saw. You can see where the cut is going to be and it makes a straighter cut than the Sears rip fence. I don't use glue, just screws. I have a set of different widths for different sized boards. When the guide edge gets roughed up, I move the thicker guide piece back a quarter inch and screw it down again. It works flawlessly if the finished work-piece is clamped under the guide. If the finished piece is the cut-off piece you need an allowance for the saw kerf.

    I use a chop saw for most of my cross cuts. I find that if it is set up properly with a good square it is more accurate.

    In the early years both my wife and I used the band saw a lot, making toys for the kids and for school sales. I did a lot of sanding with the sanding belt. All that dust cannot have been kind to the bearings.

    I really appreciate your sharing your knowledge. I tried to 'mirror' it by including what I think makes sense from what I've seen.

    Thanks again,

    John

  12. #12
    My saw is back up and running.

    I used the unsealed Nachi bearing I ordered. It looked decently made to my eyes.

    I cleaned the driveshaft with mineral spirits and then acetone and isolated the section that was worn down by 0.01" and the key-way (see image in post 7) with masking tape and built up the shaft with Quicksteel epoxy putty (P/N 16002US) and let it cure a couple of days. I overestimated the capacity of my drill press chuck and had to resort to files and ultimately P2000 auto finishing paper to restore the OD of the shaft. It was straightforward to reinstall the bearing on the shaft using a scrap of hardwood with a 5/8" hole bored into it and careful application of the dead blow hammer and/or my vise.

    If the bearing I installed lasts 44 years like the first one, I'm confident I won't be around to do the next replacement, but I know how to do it.

    Thanks again to everyone for the pointers I needed to proceed.

    John

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    twomiles from the "peak of Ohio
    Posts
    12,120
    Just dug this up..looking to replace the lower bearings on mine. #113.27350 saw. Sounds like I have a lot of work to do.....

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    McKean, PA
    Posts
    15,596
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by John Baum View Post
    Is it worth the $31 + shipping to replace the shaft? I saw a post elsewhere where someone described using JBWeld to build out a worn shaft to fit a bearing. I don't have a lathe, but I do have a double compound vise for my drill press. I've used it to position a HSS lathe tool carefully and removed metal from rods chucked in the drill press. I also have some proper thickness brass shim stock.

    The world changes. For years there was a King Bearing counter within 10 miles. Now it is eBay, hurry up and wait, wonder about the vendor. At least the needed bearing is listed and the price, with shipping, is about half that at Sears.

    thanks

    John
    You've already invested significant time getting the saw apart. Why do a quick fix that possibly will not be as good as a brand new part. That snap ring groove doesn't look too healthy either. If the JB Weld doesn't work or isn't concentric to the rest of the shaft you will have a wobble that won't help your saw perform well. You are investing in new bearings pay for the new shaft.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,889
    Z bearing designation means shielded not rubber sealed. Nachi is as good as any bearing made. I would replace both bearings as long as you have it all apart. Only takes two-three minutes extra.
    I take the old bearings apart and grind a little off the outer race. use that to press in the new one. Heat then inner bore to red hot and allow to cool slowly. campfire,barbecue, propane torch. Then drill inner bore slightly oversize. use that to press in new bearing.
    Bill D

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •