Table Saw Arbor Bearing Replacement

09/06/2012


From original questioner:

Hello, I'm just about done changing bearings for my arbor after a lot of preparatory disassembly and hunting down bearings, however with the bearings pressed in now I am hearing a slight tick on each revolution as I spin the blade by hand and I noticed that one side of one of the bearing seals is slightly dented in from tap setting it with a steel tube. The dent is maybe 1/32" depth and I really believe the bearings will push it out of the way eventually, but I would really like some other opinions before I put it all back together. Any advice or insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

From contributor Jo


Nick,

If you see that on the seal. Then the seal won't last too long and you will get debris in the bearing. Mainly fine saw dust. This will dry the bearing out and cause it to fail sooner. I would recommend replacing it to last as long as the other bearing. If not, it can cause some wobbling and then uneven wear on the arbor shaft.

It's hard to say how long it will last. You can run with it and take the chance. Or you can replace it now with everything apart and put a new one in that is undamaged.

Johann Huck
The Machine Warehouse, LLC.
704-839-6615
johann@themachinewarehouse.com

From contributor Ni


Thanks for the reply, Johann! I called around a little and concluded that it was alright to put back together. This is my first time doing this and it's not done yet. Adjusting the trunions is nearly impossible especially given there is such limited wrenching space. I may redo it altogether. The blade is off square by about 1/4", it's dumbfounding. The tilt trunions are binding up and I can't find a good way to get them running evenly. Do you have any advice for adjusting or setting the trunion mount, or any idea why I am having so much trouble?