Dream lathe

[Odie]

Got my dream lathe ten years ago. VB 36 just before Steinert took over. It’s beast I’ll never fully realize the potential of

I'm seeing this information on the VB36 lathe bearings.

Phosphor bronze offers distinct advantages for the VB36's plain bearings compared to other bronze alloys due to its exceptional wear resistance, low friction, high fatigue strength, and superb corrosion resistance.

Key Advantages for VB36 Bearings​

• Wear and Fatigue Resistance: The addition of phosphorus increases wear resistance, making phosphor bronze much more durable under the cyclic and heavy load conditions found in large woodturning lathes.
• Low Coefficient of Friction: Phosphor bronze plain bearings provide smoother operation and reduce energy loss due to friction, which aids in the VB36's renowned vibration-free performance.
• Corrosion Resistance: The tin and phosphorus in the alloy provide excellent protection against corrosion, making it ideal for long-term use in environments where it comes into contact with lubricants and potentially moisture.
• Load-Capacity and Damping: Phosphor bronze can handle heavy loads while maintaining its shape and providing vibration damping, protecting both the spindle and the workpiece during extreme turning tasks.

What I don't understand is any real PRACTICAL advantage of this bearing arrangement over more traditional ball and roller bearings. Possibly there is some advantage when turning extremely large and heavy bowls, but for those of us who turn "average" sized bowls of around 24" or less, I'm having a difficult time seeing any advantage at all.....

=o=

 

[Mark Hepburn]

I'm seeing this information on the VB36 lathe bearings.



What I don't understand is any real PRACTICAL advantage of this bearing arrangement over more traditional ball and roller bearings. Possibly there is some advantage when turning extremely large and heavy bowls, but for those of us who turn "average" sized bowls of around 24" or less, I'm having a difficult time seeing any advantage at all.....

=o=

I think the main advantage is as you said the weight it can handle. And the swing is huge but with my hands now I don’t see me ever turning a 40” anything

 

[Steve Tiedman]

I'm seeing this information on the VB36 lathe bearings.



What I don't understand is any real PRACTICAL advantage of this bearing arrangement over more traditional ball and roller bearings. Possibly there is some advantage when turning extremely large and heavy bowls, but for those of us who turn "average" sized bowls of around 24" or less, I'm having a difficult time seeing any advantage at all.....

=o=

I'm certainly not a bearing expert, but when I imagine the contact patch of a ball, or tapered roller, on its corresponding races, that convex ball/roller-on-concave race patch is incredibly small, a point for balls, and a line of contact for rollers. On plain bearings, or journal bearings, the parts are riding/bearing on a film of oil or grease (depending on the application). Here is a rather in-depth look at the basics of these kinds of bearings.

Journal Bearings and Their Lubrication

Journal or plain bearings consist of a shaft or journal which rotates freely in a supporting metal sleeve or shell. There are no rolling elements in these bearings.

www.machinerylubrication.com

In an automobile, the engine crankshaft and steering tie rod ends are examples of plain bearing, one depending on an oil film (the crank), the other (tie rod end) depending on grease or a low friction sleeve, as the bearing surfaces.

With the VB36, I think those bearing are far more capable of supporting extreme loads (relative to the woodturner) than the ball and tapered roller bearings found in other wood lathes. But then, the VB36 is far more capable than any other commercially-built wood lathe for the home woodturner.

And the only two wood lathes that I'm aware of (I may be wrong, haven't thought of that as a desired feature in 25 years) that use/used a form of tapered roller bearings are Vicmarc and Conover, with tapered roller bearings giving greater support than ball bearings due to a greater contact patch between rollers and races, and thus higher load capacity. That's why they are used in automotive wheel bearings. And that was a big reason I went with Vicmarc lathes. Tapered roller bearing are also easily servicable and replaceable. Vicmarc has a Youtube video showing how to replace their bearings. This is a tapered roller bearing for those that haven't seen them.

https://www.vicmarc.com/product-page/lathe-headstock-bearings

 

[Brent@TurnRobust]

What I don't understand is any real PRACTICAL advantage of this bearing arrangement over more traditional ball and roller bearings.

Odie, plain bearings (also called sleeve or journal bearings), like in the VB, are the traditional bearings. Been around for many millennium. As Steve Tiedman points out, you have a bunch of them in your car engine. With proper lubrication, they work great and last a LONG time. Ball and roller bearings, some of which are lubricated for life, are the more recent innovation. Wood turning is really a pretty simple affair when it comes to bearings, and the bottom line is that all of the bearing types used in lathes these days work just fine.