Wood bearings

[Mister Ed]

Here is a question ... who has ever made their own wood bearings? What worked? What didn't? I have always wanted to play with trying to make some, never really had an easy application for them ... until now.

These IXLs have pretty rectangular bearing holders (except for one) and may prove to be a pain to pour (haven't got my head around it yet). And well ... they originally had wood (they were also available with babbitt or graphite inserts).

I already checked with Woodex ... but they quoted over $250 per mill (4 blocks 2"x1.625"x2.563" with a 1.125" hole bored).

[Kenneth]

I made a set of wood bearings once for a F&W Star 12.
I used hard maple. At that time, I had access to a small lathe.
Unfortunately I no longer have access to a lathe. I don't think they
are that difficult to make if you have the machine to work with.
You would glue the upper and lower piece together with low tack
glue and bore the center, then take them apart and you have the two
halves.

Kenneth

[Mister Ed]

Kenneth,
Did you do anything to impregnate or saturate the wood with oil?
How did they hold up?

[windybob]

I have made a few, but not a pro. I think one of the main things to do is make them to where the weight of the shafts is pushing down on the end grain. It is much stronger than the side grain. I have read that you boil them in linseed oil. Otherwise soak them in thin oil. Also, don't make them fit too tight, in case the wood swells with the oil.

[Wayne]

I have made some wood bearings, but I drilled the hole first then cut them in half with my band saw. You can then use shims to get the proper fit.

[pcowley (RIP)]

Glue the two halves together with brown grocery sack and Elmers glue. I also use a clamp if possible and a spade bit. Drill the hole and then separate the two halves and sand the paper off. Maple bearings will not absorb any oil in the short term.I boiled some maple in oil for a week and got about a 1/32 inch of penetration. End grain dose not matter. Drilling the oil hole is what matters. All of the wood bearings I have duplicated has been with the grain. The maple acts almost like babbet because the shaft is going to turn on a thin film of oil. Just like babbet bearings the maple will wear the shaft more than the bearing if not supplied with surface oil. Also the end grain bearings will collect metal particles in the cells of the wood and wear the shaft.

[Smax]

Have made a set made from bois d arc soaked in oil that so far have lasted about twenty years in my Dempster number 10. Prefer maple but was not able to find any. Cut into a square block then drilled and cut it in half.

[windybob]

All good information, thanks! Yes, Smax, that wood is really hard stuff. Had a whole row of those trees when I lived in the country.
I either used ash or oak for my bearings I made. I forget now.

[Mister Ed]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to start with some blue beech (aka hornbeam) its a bit harder than hard maple, but not as hard as Smax's Osage Orange (I think that's what the bois d arc is?).

I have read some articles (about making cart bearings for use in parts of Africa) that did talk about essentially boiling the bearings in "ground nut" oil (peanut oil?). You are not really boiling but bringing the oil temp up to 300 or so and then the moisture in teh wood will vaporize when it heats up ... kinda like when you deep dry something. I am hoping for a little more penetration ... but suspect I will get Paul's noted 1/32".

[windybob]

Yes the tree is called by other names too...."hedgeapple" is another.