Router Ballscrew Bearing Question

[jjwl89]

What type of bearing/bearing assembley is commonly used on routers with ballscrews? I have read some threads about thrust bearings. What are these and where can I get these?

Thanks

[starCNC]

THK and Thomson have some nice linear slide and ballscrews. You might find a good deal on ebay.

[Cliff_J]

http://www.mcmaster.com/

Page 1002 explains bearings a bit - a flanged bearing should do according to their text but you likely want ball bearings so...

Page 1020 shows needle bearings and how a tapered set can support radial loads and one-way thrust loads.

The front tires on your auto are supported by two tapered needle bearing that face each other. When you go around a corner the side forces are primarily on one bearing, when you turn the other way they're on the other bearing.

Page 1023 has a thrust only bearing. Note that it isn't setup to handle anything but thrust and will not support the shaft radially and will need another ball bearing to do that job.

Page 1017 at the bottom has bearings suited for radial and axial (thrust) loads. A little more pricey, but if kept inside their load ratings should last a very very long time.

A regular ball bearing will likely work, its a question for how long and that's a function of how much you're loading it. I think most of us cheat that because we're not running 24/7 operations and need thousands of hours between servicing.

Oh, and obviously there are more sources, this one was just convenient! :-)

HTH,
Cliff

[ger21]

http://www.nookind.com/endmount/EndMountHome.cfm

Check out their catalogs, too. Lots of good technical info.