Bearing boxes for ball race

[Paul McDonoughParticipant @paulmcdonough43628]

Dear all, I am looking to make a set of powered bogies for an ‘diesel’ electric loco and I would like to use out board ball races mounted in bearing boxes, likely fixed. The shaft size will be 10mm and the outside diameter of the ball races 22mm.

Given that I have to make I bunch of these i am wonder if there is a sensible way to make the 22mm blind flat bottomed hole in mild steel without having to bore each one?

would multiple drill sizes finishing with a 2 flute flat bladed 22mm mill be a reasonable approach?

I will have to take it very steady as I think 22mm will be on the limit of the capability of my little mill.

i do have a boring head but it’s going to be a right pain making a dozen of these, plus the failed ones!

alternative ideas would be welcomed

 

 

[Peter Cook 6Participant @petercook6]

Depending on the stock being used, I think I would be tempted to make them on the lathe rather than the mill. Drill, as you suggest, most of the material out, then a boring bar in the tool holder will be far easier to take the last cut to 22mm and the “facing” cuts to get the bottom of the hole flat.

Assuming square (or rectangular) stock, once the first piece is set up in a four jaw chuck and  clocked centrally, if you only loosen two jaws to remove the finished item you should be able to slot the next piece of stock into place.

[DiogenesParticipant @diogenes]

Have you done a test to establish whether that leaves them at the right size for a good fit?

I’d probably ‘rough’ them all (say to 21.5) by any expedient means, and then ‘finish’ them to final size one after another, preferably on a fixture plate or jig.

– I’d be looking to do them in the lathe for first choice too.

[Paul McDonoughParticipant @paulmcdonough43628]

Yes the 22mm dia 2 flute mill was a bit tongue in cheek, I guess I’m fishing for ideas to help take the pain out of making them!

Agreed, if I’m going to bore them, which it looks like I am, then the lathe would be the place to do this, probably with round stock and accept the final profile.

i did wonder if the use of needle bearings might reduce the pain, by reducing the material needed to be removed and may be finish with a reamer?

just trying to reduce the repetition

 

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Tube if right size with end cap soldered on. If square or rectangle can make tube from two bits of angle iron welded or silver soldered. End cap can be soft solder.

Oilite bearings might be enough if not aiming to be a club passenger hauler.

[Bazyle]

On Bazyle Said:

Tube if right size with end cap soldered on. If square or rectangle can make tube from two bits of angle iron welded or silver soldered. End cap can be soft solder.

Oilite bearings might be enough if not aiming to be a club passenger hauler.

Cheers, yes I did wonder about fabrication, could resort to oilite would certainly be compact

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Better than fabrication in that way, would be to through-bore the block and screw a thin retaining-plate to the back. Or, it there is room, make the block slightly thicker and give that extension an internal groove for a circlip to engage the outer ring of the bearing.

Since needing a batch and they having to be identical, I would be tempted to make a simple fixture to bolt to the faceplate so the blocks all locate against rigid datum faces much wider than a chuck-jaw tip.

Using a four-jaw chuck risks the “fixed” jaws moving very slightly from one iteration to the next.

Mark each block’s datum corner, e.g. by a centre-punch dot on the “front” face, to ensure equality of assembly even if the bores are a thou’ or two off-centre (as long as the error is constant). One assembly the dots need face in the same direction across the bogie, of course.

[Paul McDonoughParticipant @paulmcdonough43628]

Thanks for the ideas Nigel, I have to confess, setting up jigs an rigs for ‘mass production’ makes me cringe but I fear it does make sense once I have established a solution which I like the look of.

i might compromise the looks to accommodate chunky ball races, they have given me comfort that I’m using the best engineered solution avoiding nagging doubts about my home made bearings dragging or ‘going oval’

might just have to accept that some things are worth making properly again and again!

Actually,……… perhaps someone makes the bleedin things?

[howardbParticipant @howardb]

“Actually,……… perhaps someone makes the bleedin things?”

If you don’t want to make bearing housings, think about buying them in.

Two bolt 10 mm ID self-aligning flange bearing units. £8.48 per pair from ebay.

https://shorturl.at/ttta6

 

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