Ball bearings - A source you may not have thought of

[David Morrow]

I was looking for some ball bearings recently - 1/2" OD and they were surprisingly difficult to find. Given how common bearings are, I would have thought it would be a snap to find. It turned out that I had some in a box of bearings from a garage sale. But then, just the next day, I was looking in a woodworkers supply catalog and found exactly what was spec'd. Some woodworkers use template bits in their routers and the bit uses a bearing to run along the template. So, if you get really stuck, specialty tool stores will carry the bearings for these bits for sale separately. In Canada, we have Lee Valley Tools and they carry them. I don't know who the big guys are in the US, but you will have a few I'm sure. Maybe even Home Depot ?

Lee Valley has them as small as .250" OD and as large as 1.125"

Here's Lee Valley's page:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=30124&cat=1,46168,46180

Edit to clarify: buy at your local woodworking store may mean getting your bearings much quicker locally rather than having to go the mail / web order route.

 

[Mcgyver]

really good tip, love those bearing prices.....i have just the project for a set of those

 

[GailInNM]

I posted my favorite bearing source a few months ago, and have used them since then with complete satisfaction. A very large selection of small ball bearings.

http://stores.ebay.com/RCBoyz

Prices start about a dollar and low cost shipping. Be sure to go the their ebay store and not to their web site. The ebay store has a larger selection and lower prices.

More details in original post at:
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=2097.0

Gail in NM,USA

 

[KC6UVM]

I'm shopping for bearings for some of my projects and I found an inexpensive source at www.vxb.com out of Anaheim, CA. Another option I looked at was at www.mcmaster.com.

 

[kvom]

I got some small bearings from Gail's source --- very fast ship and good prices.

 

[BobWarfield]

Try these guys:

http://www.vxb.com/page/bearings/CTGY/8mm

That page is the largest ID size listed for the routers for comparison. Many varieties and grades. The cheapest is 8 bearings of that size (608Z) for $3.95.

If you need parts, I keep a page of links here:

http://www.thewarfields.com/cnccookbook/CCResourcesSup.htm

Many sources for bearings, raw materials, machinery, tooling, and so forth.

Cheers,

BW

 

[Jadecy]

you may want to try the direct approach - http://www.bocabearings.com/

 

[Kludge]

VXB also has an ePay presence but their website has better prices. They also have the rails, bearings et al if you want to make your own milling table.

Beyond that ... thank you for all the neat references, gentles.

Best regards,

Kludge ... who's bookmarking as fast as he can.

 

[Andrewinpopayan]

Another good source of small bearing sets is in old PC hard drives, also useful for powerful magnets and small screws.

 

[wareagle]

I read it somewhere on this site I believe, so who ever posted it previously, Thank you!!!

I have used the typical hobby shops for small bearings, but have since done business with these guys and thought that they had a great selection and reasonable prices. They also have a clearance section IIRC. I think I have done either two or three orders with them, and have no complaints.

 

[BillH]

For my projects that don't require anything special, I buy electric motor ballbearings from Enco. They have some on sale for half off. Ordered a 3/4" ID and a .5" ID ball bearings.4$ and 2$ if I remember correctly, and thrown in with my other stuff, free shipping.
Using them for a Flight Yoke project for flight simulator. Building the damn thing stronger than the real thing. I can't help it. ;D

 

[BobWarfield]

Bill, I know it's not an engine, but please show your flight yoke on a thread here somewhere!

BW

 

[tsvservice]

Don't overlook old VCRs for mechanical parts. A typical VHS VCR has several SMALL ball bearings in the capstan motor and pinch roller. In addition, you can salvage a big chunk of aluminum (the main mechanical chassis), one or more 6-12 volt DC motors, lots of metric screws, spare power cord, sheet metal case (if it's old enough), etc.

 

[Kermit]

I have removed several Hall effect transistors from them over the years. They make nice cover interlocks when put near a magnet in the closed position.

The ones I like are mounted on a seperate tiny piece of board with a long wire harness already connected - those are the easiest to re-purpose.

They could just as easily be turned into an RPM tach...hmmm 8)



Kermit

Building the damn thing stronger than the real thing. I can't help it. ;D

I like the way you think pardner ;D