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Unread 07-10-2010, 12:06
sneakyimp sneakyimp is offline
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Re: lazy susan type bearing? thrust bearing?

Adam: The open bearing flanged bearing was suggested a few posts back because the shielding/sealing adds friction. I do have a pricey bearing from Grainger that is sealed and it's quite nice but I'll be using the cheaper one I think. Given that the thrust bearing is so awesomely frictionless, the friction of the radial bearing is kind of irrelvant because it would only really rotate when a significant radial/horizontal load is experienced. I'm not all that concerned about protecting this bearing. In the design I have planned, it will be mounted in a hole drilled in a piece of wood with a washer on top with the thrust bearing on top of the washer. It will be more or less surrounded [see attached drawing]. I found a technical drawing of it on the last page of this pdf which, sadly, fails to specify the outer diameter of the inner race.

It's the thrust bearing that I'm concerned about. I'd like to have it fully enclosed as much as possible to preserve the excellent frictionless rotation it currently provides.

Steve: A bike wheel hub was the first thing I considered. What put me off about it is the fact that the fact that the bearing seems to be housed in the hub contraption itself and I was not sure how/if it might be possible to get just the bearings out as well as some kind of housing for the bearings. I also considered mounting the wheel hub by putting screws through the spoke holes but the holes are tiny and I was having trouble picturing how to mount my turntable on the axle and also be able to transmit torque.

May be it's a lack of imagination on my part. It might have worked. In the end I just don't have access to any bike parts and the allure of cheap purpose-built parts was just too strong. The thrust bearing was only about $3. The flanged bearing about $6.
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