Jointer grease suggestions (20" Kölle)

[Chris Pyle]

I'm hoping to get input from anyone who understands the various types of grease out there for open bearing lubrication. I've noticed after an hour+ of jointing stock, the motor spindle side gets very very warm.

I don't know what was used on this jointer prior so I'm at a disadvantage. What can be done to clean out old grease from zerks and bearings before filling with new grease? Or should I just start injecting the new grease and expect to replace it over time?

I found this article on OWWM:

http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/Print. ... ubrication

But it doesn't fully spell out what I should use. Not that it's needed but here's what my jointer head would look like if I tore it down. Of course, I'm hoping to avoid that until it's time for bearing replacement. I don't want to put the money towards new ABEC-7s until I'm certain there is a failure.



Any suggestions?

[Bill Dufour]

My response to a thread about oil and grease

interchange chart linked below. see last column on the right. I do not think the oil is critical. For gear boxes be careful if there is any yellow metal as the modern EP GL5 oils will attack yellow metal such as brass and bronze. I am not aware that grease has any issues.
Bill D.

http://www.graco.com/content/dam/gra...340580EN-A.pdf

for oil:

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forum...s.php?ubb=cfrm

[Chris Pyle]

My respons eto a threwad about oil and greasze

interchange chart linked below. see last column on the right. I do not think the oil is critical. For gear boxes be careful if there is any yellow metal as the modern EP GL5 oils will attack yellow metal such as brass and bronze. I am not aware that grease has any issues.
Bill D.

http://www.graco.com/content/dam/gra...340580EN-A.pdf

for oil:

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forum...s.php?ubb=cfrm

Thanks Bill. The greases under this column look most suitable:

High Speed Spindle GreaseFAG Arcanol L-75™FAG Arcanol Speed 2,6™Kluber Isoflex NBU 15High Speed Spindle Grease(continued)LubCon Highspeed L252™SKF LGCT2™Timken Ultra-High Speed Spindle Grease

Where is the best place to order these? When I do some internet searches, I see a bunch of overseas distributors that want to charge quite a bit.

**Edit** - update: I found a few threads suggesting Kluber Isoflex NBU 15 or Mobil 28. I found the Kluber product stocked relatively close by so I'm going to try them out. Thanks for the info.

[Bill Dufour]

AFIK Kluber is super expensive for any type of grease. maybe they have some cheap ones for other uses.
Bill D

[Brian Runau]

Be very careful mixing greases due to compatibility. Wash out existing grease with appropriate product then relube or replace with shielded bearings. Brian

[Jerry Bruette]

How many RPM's does the cutter head turn at? You may not need any high speed spindle grease. We had machines where I used to work that turned at 3600 RPM and they were greased with Mobil EP2.

If your motor end is running hot, 200* F, your belts may be too tight.

I don't know of a way to flush all the grease out of the bearings and housings without taking it all apart and washing in a parts washer.

[Brian Runau]

ABEC 7 rating is for machine tools, seems like over kill for a jointer. Brian

[Greg Quenneville]

+1 For the ABEC rating. Standard precision bearings are typical for woodworking machines…that’s the kind of thing they were made for. I have used Kluber Isoflex on my toolroom lathe's super precision bearings, but they don’t take much. Less than a third full.

My woodworking machines that take grease get a standard EP2.

[Chris Pyle]

Thanks all, sounds like I may have swung past my goal of a high quality grease and ended in "completely ridiculous overkill". I'll grab some standard grease for now, reassess the belts and try to avoid replacing the bearings until necessary.

[Tom M King]

How much do new bearings cost for it?

[Chris Pyle]

How much do new bearings cost for it?

Because this is a german machine and I can't find a manual, I don't know. The only way to tell is to tear the cutterhead down and measure the bearings to get a price quote. If there are any german members on here who can dig up Kölle manuals for my jointer/planer, I'd be ecstatic. I know they'll be in German but I'd be happy to translate just so I can learn.