I have been quite busy of late building all sorts of "stuff" from my recycled pallet stash. In particular a stove top cover for No 4 Son. I used my "trusty" multi bearing rabbet bit to do the recess for the top.
It was reported to be fast work, wear and durable, and produced no dust pollution Just the item I needed, so I set to work! Busily working away I heard a strange noise and stopped I found a divot in my work a golfer would be proud of! the bearing on the 22.2 mm/7/8 bearing had disintegrated!
quite annoyed I took a look at the "flywheel" type bearings and spotted a code 625ZZ ah ha I thought I will press the remainder out and fit a new bearing. After much hammering and banging I could not get the outer race of the bearing out. So with the part in the vice I took to it with my die grinder and thought I will grind away the outer ring and it will "pop" out easy. It. wasn't to be so. The "flywheel" part was the outer race area or groove of the bearing, very odd I thought as I had never seen anything like it before.
Checking the other bearings I found a mixture of R3ZZ and 625ZZ bearings, Oh Hokie Ken would love this I thought. I knew I bought it on ebay so looked up the history.
Sure enough they were still there, at this stage I knew I had R3ZZ bearings but didn't know what 625ZZ were assuming it was the bearing with the "flywheel attached I headed off to my local bearing supplier with the bits. At this stage the bearings cage and anything else projectilable were nowhere to be seen.
The guy at the bearing shop apart from almost falling on the floor hysterical looked at it did some measurements and then said I had no chance of buying something like that. He then took the time to educate me on the R3ZZ ans 625ZZ bearing descriptions, BTW they are the same bearing only one is imperial and the other metric weird eh! Why would a supplier mix them... who knows. So I scuttled off back home. I then checked the other ones sure enough some were R3ZZ and some were 625ZZ. Now ZZ doesn't mean they are asleep its simply to ID they have metal covers on each side
What to do? I knew I had a "good" CMT rabbet set so I looked at how they overcame the problem it in fact has sleeves or collars and different size bearings not some Titan Submersible or Stevensons rocket Flywheel design Needless to say I need to get my $20 router bit operational again. So I began searching for these unguided missiles and to my surprise I found them in a variety of places and right here in Australia at Timbecon
OMG! I wonder if a certified engineer approved the design, knowing in a router they would possibly run up to 24 K RPM
see note
Bits 1 inch or less can be run at the max speed of 24,000 rpm. Bits 1 to 2 inches should be run somewhere around 18,000 rpm, while 2- to 2 ½-inch bits operate around 16,000 rpm, and bits 3 inches or bigger at 12,000 rpm or below [source: Router Workshop]. Sticking to these guidelines will help ensure smooth cuts. Imagine that getting loose and finding something mid section to stop its trajectory! that you make you go quack quack for sure!
I wonder who the other 39 suckers were!
And a footnote Just in case you try to spin me out on this blog I did look up the speed ratings;- Imperial R3. 48,000RPM and metric 625. 37,000 RPM go figure the difference but they are OK in routers, however they should be RS (rubber seal) not ZZ (metal shield) if you want to keep the badies out !
so as they say rob you get what you pay for. so that was a 20 buck bit ? throw it as far and fast as you can and spend the mony on a quality bit my friend. might save a trip to the ER also ?
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
I think they are switching to those large outer race designs since a smaller bearing pressed into a ring to get the diameter might separate if the fit was a tad loose (no one expects the bearing itself to blow apart of course!)
In a pinch I have found a "standard" bearing with the needed OD, then found a smaller bearing who's OD would fit the larger ID and fit to the bit shaft stub. A slightly smaller OD washer on top and bottom to keep things aligned to finish it off. Why not spend 1/2 a day to cobble something up versus the 10 minute drive into town for a part?
Alternatively, for those large diameter needs, often you can find a bearing with the ID equal to the bits collet shaft end and OD that is equal to what you need. Slide the bearing onto the shaft and either use a lock collar or let the router collet hold it in place, then route your stuff upside down.
Gotta give kudos to the guy using his miter saw table to trim his finger nails. He probably forgot to install a motor underneath and is puzzled why his setup won''t cut...
$3.66... kinda put's it a tad out of the Fe$tool class... I'm sure 99% of the skinflints seeing that price would never consider venturing dawn that crooked path. Even $20 is worth questioning... just think... you could have bought 5 sets (of useless bearing)... and make up a few sets of roller skates for your doll house,
Then if you toss the Aussie $ into the mix, which is nearly 1/2 the Yankee and I would consider just a paper printout would cost more.
If your first cut is too short... Take the second cut from the longer end... LBD
