7x Spindle And Spindle Bearing Upgrade

I believe all the bearings are the same though. The one exception is that the tapered roller bearings are a bit wider and require modifications of the spacers.
 
Uh-oh, I thought all the spindles were interchangeable. So if this spindle won't fit the Microlux 7x16, where can the 4" be found to fit? I was also hoping to do this modification also. The taper bearings for sure.


I purchased my spindle from Amadeal in England. LMS has the drawing of the spindle and I confirmed with Amadeal that it should fit. The drawing of the spindle is below:
 

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I am hoping to get going on this project over the weekend. I have been working on a carriage lock and lapping in my cross slide.
 
I purchased my spindle from Amadeal in England. LMS has the drawing of the spindle and I confirmed with Amadeal that it should fit. The drawing of the spindle is below:

I bought mine from a English company selling on Ebay. We didn't realize that I needed the longer spindle until I opened up the box and held it up next to my lathe. :(

The bearing sizes are the same though, and as someone said you will have to modify the spacers a bit if you decide to go with rollers as they are a bit wider.
 
The one I bought (Bull?) with the 4" flange only fits the geared, i.e., two-speed heads. My 7x16 used a considerably longer spindle which is the same one the LMS high-torque lathe used. According to Chris at LMS the MM 7x16 is basically the same lathe as the one he sells, just with a longer bed. As to your question about a spindle to fit that lathe? I never found one and ended up selling the lathe (but not for that reason).
Well then,
I guess it will just have to be adaptors for the 4" chucks on my lathe:)
 
Brooks,

I did this modification a few months ago on my Real Bull 7 x 14. At the same time, I added a clear access plate to the headstock so I could see when the gears and bearings needed lubrication. This has proven to be very helpful.

DSCF0778_zpsglxxaeaz.jpg


Arc Euro has an excellent manual on cleaning up the Chinese mini-lathes, and it includes step by step instructions for switching to tapered roller bearings. You will have to check their photos against your lathe to make sure the configurations are the same. For example, their photos showed the pulser disk for the speed display inside the headstock, whereas it is to the left of the headstock on the outside of the spindle nut on the Real Bull. As I recall, their were several spacers that had to be changed in their design because of the internal pulser disk. I mention this because you said you planned to do something similar.

After removing the spindle and the bearing, I used a Harbor Freight gear puller to get the bearing off. It was worth what I paid for it and have used it several times since. Polish the areas where the bearings will sit; I used Scotch Brite. Then I used this trick a good friend recommended. Freeze the spindle overnight in your freezer. Place the bearing in the oven at 250°F for about an hour. This will cause the spindle to shrink and the bearing opening to expand, making it much easier to assemble. I calculate that this bought me an additional .0006" to .0008" of clearance. But you have to work fast. I did this on my mill last weekend, and had the bearing/spindle assembled in under 3 minutes from the time I removed the bearing from the oven. It actually slid on by hand.

There are a lot of other issues (your spindle will project by an extra 1/8 inch or so, for example), but I really like the mod. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have. I have dozens of photos of this modification that I'd be happy to share. Photos of the access port modification can be seen here.

Good luck!
 
Brooks,

I did this modification a few months ago on my Real Bull 7 x 14. At the same time, I added a clear access plate to the headstock so I could see when the gears and bearings needed lubrication. This has proven to be very helpful.

DSCF0778_zpsglxxaeaz.jpg


Arc Euro has an excellent manual on cleaning up the Chinese mini-lathes, and it includes step by step instructions for switching to tapered roller bearings. You will have to check their photos against your lathe to make sure the configurations are the same. For example, their photos showed the pulser disk for the speed display inside the headstock, whereas it is to the left of the headstock on the outside of the spindle nut on the Real Bull. As I recall, their were several spacers that had to be changed in their design because of the internal pulser disk. I mention this because you said you planned to do something similar.

After removing the spindle and the bearing, I used a Harbor Freight gear puller to get the bearing off. It was worth what I paid for it and have used it several times since. Polish the areas where the bearings will sit; I used Scotch Brite. Then I used this trick a good friend recommended. Freeze the spindle overnight in your freezer. Place the bearing in the oven at 250°F for about an hour. This will cause the spindle to shrink and the bearing opening to expand, making it much easier to assemble. I calculate that this bought me an additional .0006" to .0008" of clearance. But you have to work fast. I did this on my mill last weekend, and had the bearing/spindle assembled in under 3 minutes from the time I removed the bearing from the oven. It actually slid on by hand.

There are a lot of other issues (your spindle will project by an extra 1/8 inch or so, for example), but I really like the mod. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have. I have dozens of photos of this modification that I'd be happy to share. Photos of the access port modification can be seen here.

Good luck!


Thank you for all the information. I have already printed out the ArcEuro info you mentioned. I am planning to work on the lathe next weekend. I have been busy working on my 4Runner this weekend. New brakes and suspension.
 
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