Open gear lubrication?

[Mike Hage]

Do I lubricate open gear mills by smearing grease on the gears? Leave them dry? Thoughts?

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[wind fab]

mike

grease would attract dirt dust debris

paul

[windybob]

No grease on the gears.

[Mike Hage]

Graphite? Or will that just blow away?

[CTXmiller]

I don’t own any open gears, but I thought those had or used something like grease cups.

[Mister Ed]

I don’t own any open gears, but I thought those had or used something like grease cups.

They do have oil/grease cups for the shafts & bearings.

However, I think Mike was asking about lubing the gears themselves.

[Wayne]

Unless it's a run in oil, enclosed in a body I don't think they got any lub. I've got several open gear and have never seen anyway to lub the gears. On some mills you might have had some grease drip down if it ozes out past the shaft and drops down as you turn the grease cups. For the most part anything you got on the gears would be slung off while spinning. That's how my simple mind sees it.

[windybob]

No lube on the gears. Notta. No. None. lol

[Mike Hage]

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Ok ill keep them dry. Yes they have grease cups on the shafts and oil for the bearings. Someone did smear grease on my old butler gear teeth and the gears are really worn but that likely has a lot to do with the shafts being out of alignment cause the bearings didn't get lube.