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View Full Version : Where can I buy cheap brass bushes over the net ?



JDarvall
22nd Feb 2006, 07:45 PM
Just on the off chance...does someone know of an Australian internet site that sells discount brass bushes.....well, doesn't have to be brass. Anythings fine. Aluminium? The plastic ones that often come with grinding wheels seem to suffice. The local places in Lismore charge the earth.

What I've got is a couple of pillow blocks, each with a bearing thats meant to take a shaft of 25mm diameter.... but the only threaded shaft I have is 1/2" in diameter....This shaft is perfect to fit a couple of grinding wheels I have , so I thought I could bush the shaft to fit the bearings.

Which means I need a couple of bushes each with..

outer diameter = 25mm
inner diameter = 12.7mm
and about 3/4" long.

Guessing that they may be unusual, cause its going from a metric to an imperial diameter.....which makes me think they may cost a bit....?

Shorely, you must be able to buy them cheap somewhere... yes ?

Any help with a site would be appreciated. One of those simple sites that just list all the bushes they've got, with prices alongside would be ideal for me. Not some elaborate maze of graphics and salesmanship, that takes me old computer a year to get through. :rolleyes: Thanks

Grahame Collins
22nd Feb 2006, 08:09 PM
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it looks like the moths that inhabit your wallet may have to see daylight.

Discount anything, implies volume and it is not likely that you gonna see those babies in volume sometime soon.
In forty plus years of connetion to the Metaltrades I have not seen the likes of what you mention in that meric / imperial combination ,but never say never.

Your best course may be to get some engineering works or some one with a metal lathe to turn some up. $40 or so may pull it up.

Because they are a bushes, reaming of the internal diameters are required.

Grahame

Gra
22nd Feb 2006, 08:13 PM
Why not make your own, Drill out some 25mm solid

scooter
22nd Feb 2006, 11:17 PM
Gra's got the idea, Jake:- securely clamp a solid bit of something to yer drill press table, drill into it first with, say, a 7/32" bit for a pilot hole, then a sharp 25mm spade bit (pilot will stop the spade bit wandering), drop in a 3/4" long piece of your chosen 25mm bush material in the hole then work up to the 1/2" hole size in the guts.

Don't move table through the whole exercise so all of the holes are concentric.

May need to secure the bush material in the hole somehow to stop it spinning when you drill out the centre - dunno how but put the thinking cap on, I have faith in you, grasshopper :D

Otherwise, apparently grinding wheel bushes can be successfully turned from hardwood on a wood lathe, do you know any turners around Kyogle? Local high school woodwork teacher mebbe??

Good luck ..........cheers................Sean

fxst
23rd Feb 2006, 12:44 AM
Ideally if you know of a hobbyist with a metal lathe you can get them made up all I use is a piece of old prop shaft (phosphor Bronze) if I need to make a bush or 2.
no real need for engineering works ....maybe check out a local minature railway mob for help
Pete

rodm
23rd Feb 2006, 12:51 AM
Come on guys making a bush on a drill press for a grinder is not the sort of thing you want to be suggesting in an open forum. :eek:

I'm all for doing it yourself but this is not the way to go. A drill bit does not drill a round hole and needs to be reamed to make it suitable for a shaft. A spade bit is 100 times less likely to drill a round hole in brass. A drill press will not drill a perfectly vertical hole to the tolerances required unless you are extremely lucky and even then the chances of drilling two are non existant. The outer diameter of the brass also still needs to be turned down to size because most bar stock is not perfecfly round.

A grinder typically runs at 2850 RPM and if you have it running on two eccentric bushes you can imagine the path the wheels will be turning on. It will vibrate like mad and even if you dressed your wheels they would be oval.

I suggest you get some bushes (phospher bronze and not brass) turned or sell your 25mm pillow blocks and find some 1/2 inch ones on ebay or buy a complete workhead. Timbecon have these ones for $44.90 on special at the moment.
Link is here.
http://www.timbecon.com.au/productsearch/default.aspx?txtSearchBox=spindle

A lot cheaper than a new eye or body repair. ;)

I know this makes me sound like a grumpy sod and I don't mean any disrespect to anyone but I shuddered when I saw the suggestions.

Schtoo
23rd Feb 2006, 01:14 AM
Jake, get new pillow blocks to suit the shaft. Prolly the easiest and cheapest way to go.

As much as Rod sounds like a grumpy old sod, he is bang on the money. Grinding wheels spinning at high speed are not something you should be halfasshing with.

Unless we got what you want bassackwards.


(of course, you could be a complete nutter like me, and make the lathe to turn the bushings... ;) )


Which reminds me, I am going to make a smaller version of my lathe, something I can take to my 'office' and do some work there with. Anyone got a bunch of AA batteries so I can feed my camera for the event? :D

Shedhand
23rd Feb 2006, 01:25 AM
I needed some brass bushes made to fit my router table when mounting the router with long screws (extra bite, greater safety) with the router base removed.
I didn't need precision but got it from a mate who is a nutty railway (miniature) buff. He has a state of the art metal lathe. I'm with Rod and Schtoo go that way or by a new pillow.;)

Skew ChiDAMN!!
23rd Feb 2006, 01:36 AM
I turn non-ferrous metals on my wood lathe fairly often, using normal HSS woodturning scrapers. Slow speeds are the go, heat is the enemy.

Not worth doing for readily available parts though... unless you've masochistic tendencies. :rolleyes:

JDarvall
23rd Feb 2006, 04:17 AM
Thanks everyone. Really ! thanks...appreciate all the comments.
I probably should respond to every one of your posts, but... jeez its too early in the morning, and that means a lot of typing...:o ...thats ok isn't it?

I'm leaning towards Rod's idea. With that workhead. Very cheap. I've got one setup already and they are good, your right. Cause their all one piece, instead of seperate pillows they seem to bind easier to the table.

The only thing I don't like about these workheads is their so long, and will only take one wheel. Does anyone sell complete workheads with a pully in the centre with a thread either side to take 2 wheels ? I've only got so much table space and I like to mount many wheels of different profiles.

:D Thanks sean. I like your advice, and being stubborn I'd normally try the drill press idea, but keeping the drilling concentric sounds too hit and miss....and I can't really fix a poor attempt; have to start over and over and over.....be fiddling with the thing all day.

Still can't believe you can't buy cheap bushes somewhere. They don't look like overly complex creations...and you'd think many thrifty types would have had a need for them before ....odd. ....uh oh, its that time again, the cows are waiting. :rolleyes: gota work. Seeya :) Thanks.