Good question. How would you grease them, they're sealed?
The bearings shouldn't be soaked; just wiped down with an effective bit cleaner. Soaking means the solvent (whatever it is) gets into the bearing but can't get back out.
I'm no bearing expert, but I don't think they're designed to still operate properly at 20K rpm with solvent in them(?)...

 

I wouldn't soak the bearings either. I would wipe them off with lacquer thinner or contact cement cleaner. This stuff will lube a bearing. I've had them start squealing then sprayed them with this and they quit squealing for quite a while. If fact I can't remember the last time I had to change a bearing. Bearing Lubricant - Lee Valley Tools

 

How's it on TS lift and tilt mechanisms, Charles? It sounds like it's a non-sticky lube(?)...

 

It would probably work well for that Dan. It dries non sticky or greasy.

 

I use Trend Tool & Bit cleaner on my bits and blades. It is inexpensive and great at removing rust too with a little Scotch Brite polishing. Check out the before after shots of these bits. After cleaning them I sprayed them with WD-40 and wiped off the excess. Let them dry in the sun for about 5 minutes before putting them away. Total time spent was about 20 minutes.

Bearings in solvent is not a great idea.

 

Mike, isn't WD-40 a solvent also?

 

thanks for the advice i have other bits with the same size bearings so looks like i can still use the bit , no more thinners in the bearings for me

 

Kenny; if you start having a problem, just replace the bearing(s). They're pretty inexpensive.
Hopefully your bits are the type that the bearings can be remove from?
These are some http://www.carbideprocessors.com/whiteside/router-bit-accessories/bearings/US prices (not necessarily the least expensive either)...

Just click on the part # over on the right for the price.

 

Bearings are greased for life if they are a totally sealed unit. Some are just shielded and the grease will weep out. The most common bearing failure is caused by packing to much grease in a bearing which will not allow it to disapate the heat. Washing a bearing out with solvent will not hurt the bearing but will destroy the seals. Greas not oil unless you can run them in an oil bath!
Spent 42 years in bearing and power transmission.

 

I treat my bit bearings the same as my fishing reels, since they are identical to them in every way. They are shielded, not sealed. First, I do soak them in a cleaner. Brake parts cleaner to be exact. Then I use an air compressor to blow them out and I test spin them on the tip of a pencil to see that they spin freely. The one single difference between reel bearings and bit bearings, I apply only one single drop of a very thin oil to my reel bearings, as they must spin super free with not mucn force applied in order to get a long cast (baitcast reel spool bearings) but I will put two or more drops of oil on bit bearings because of the intense speeds they see (25,000 RPM). I also am not as particular on the type of oil there. That may be a mistake, but so far I have used air tool oil on the bit bearings and have had no problems, but that oil is much too thick for fishing reel performance.

 

Scott; "**NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA"

 

My apologies, I know I get Canadian pricing on most of their offerings in my catalogs or at least I used to.

Our goofy governments. Grrr....:frown:

 

Damn...hit the button to soon.

What a pain it is to get commonly available stuff down there, up here. It's a mystery to me.

 

Duane, technically yes but there is a world of difference between WD-40 and other solvents. WD-40 was used in a prolonged exposure test and did better than any of the other products tested at preventing rust. The Trend Tool & Bit cleaner works fine by itself but I went with what I know and trust to be safe.

 

This small can is the one I meant. SANDARD BEARING LUBRICANT 50Z I can't find the can of bearing lube I have, only the Top Cote, which on my can is labeled made by Sandaro. When I searched Sandaro I came up with this site. Lee Valley had a special on them at one time, maybe 20 years ago now, and I bought a can of each. You don't need much of either one but I usually forget about having them until I need them. The bearing lube really works well and the one I have was labeled Dri Cote.

WD 40 stands for Water Displacer, formula number 40. According to what I've heard it's made from fish oil. FWW did a test a little while back and WD40 did fairly well as a rust preventative. It beat out formulas that cost quite a bit more. There were 2 or 3 better ones though. I think Boeshield was maybe one of them.

 

2

I am confused, I read on this forum awhile back from a very good authority that never spray WD40 on router bearings. Now it is OK. What gives?
When it came out years ago it was touted as a waterproofer to spray on automotive wiring, then people started to use it as a penetrating oil to loosen frizzed bolts and nuts, then they started using it as a lubricant. Some people used it on their guns, others said don't use it on you guns. Very controversial stuff!!!

Herb

 

I'm with you on that, Bill. I use it a lot for stuff like my hammers and wrenches if I've been working in the rain, but I no longer use it for anything that'd matter if it didn't do as expected, ie precision stuff.
It's still a valuable product.

 

I don't use it on bearings either. There is way better stuff like Lubriplate white lithium grease or the bearing lube I linked to. I will use WD40 on the shafts of my router bits to keep them from corroding while stored. It's okay on chisels and the like too. I know quite a few log truck drivers use it on the wiring connections between the truck and trailer here in the winter. As an anti seize there are also better chemicals than WD40 like Moovit. I don't feel like WD40 penetrates or lubricates well enough to unfreeze nuts and bolts. To me it's like glues, there is no one size fits all.

 

I will check with Trend Steve but I do not think so. I told Marc Sommerfeld about it and he tried it. He liked it so much that they started carrying it on sommerfeldtools.com and they sell it for $9.90 a bottle.

 

I guess it will just go on my Woodcraft list for next time.

Steve.

 

I've cleaned out small bearings sometimes with my day job (machine shop tech). The "shielded" ones, anyway. Not going to clean the sealed ones. And it is very hard to remove the seals and then get them to seal completely again. But on the shielded ones, I'll soak the bearing in WD40 or the like, and then blow and spin it out, very well. Then put some hydraulic oil in a cup, or a spray paint top, and soak the bearing overnight. Most of the time I will replace, but sometimes I can't get the bearing that same day or even next day, and my customer doesn't want to be shut down for days. So I'll clean them up and re-oil using this method, and then my customer will buy a new bearing, and keep it on their shelf, until the one I cleaned goes bad. Most of those new bearings are still sitting on their shelves for years!!