Ha Ha.... Mr Humble says, "I'm no spindle expert" Really??? He who designs, engineers, fabricates, uses, rebuilds thousands of spindles AND THEN teaches the masses how to do it... That IS an expert. Amazingly valuable info!!! Thank you so much for all you offer to us .:)
Makes me remember the time when the Makino CNC mill in our shop needed spindle work. Of course they bought the spindle bearings it was supposed to have but balked at paying an overpriced shop to rebuild it. They got one of the maintence guys to do the work. Just had to shake my head when I saw him packing the bearings with grease with his dirty hands and laying them on a dirty bench that had chips all over it. I told him he was dealing with class 7 spindle bearings and that he probably just ruined them....he just looked at me like I was an idiot. If I'd been putting wheel bearings on a farm wagon I'd have been more careful about keeping things clean. Within a few months they had to pull the spindle again and send it out to a real spindle shop. Great work, and as always, I watch and learn.
I'm like that when packing my bike wheel bearings. And I have to stop myself wasting time and paper towels sometimes because it's just a bloody bike wheel hub with crappy seals!
Wow, as retired fitter and machinist who worked with various shafts and bearings, I had no idea the extent you have to go to repair precision spindles! Man, was I in the dark. My work would be considered as a caveman type repairer compared to you Robin. You have taken greasing a bearing, cleanliness, tolerance and assembly skill to a new high. Your knowledge is truly impressive. I better ungape my mouth now, I starting to look like a caveman.
I agree. I was taught cleanliness above all else, but there's so much more to it than getting stuff clean. I ordered some precision ground stones today.
Hi Robin. I wouldn't worry at all. Anything you post is watched, rewatched, referred back to in time to come, and generally treated and appreciated as the reference material it actually is! Whatever you present to the community is generally taken as gospel - and for good reason. If I had a complaint to voice, it would be purely based on my own selfishness - not enough videos. Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge with us!
Of course we made it this far nonstop!! Never seen this much information anywhere! Thank you so much! My favorite part: -I’m not spindle expert -I’ve designed multiple hundred spindles and built multiple thousand :D
Seemed like a 20 minute video...you’re such an outstanding teacher. We are truly blessed that you take the time and effort to share your knowledge and skills with us. Thank you!
I couldn't find a way to give it more than one thumbs down. Just kidding. Really great content Robin just a couple of months too late for me. I'm also not a professional spindle rebuilder as we all know and I endorse this video! All the best, Tom
As a new machinist, I've watched this about three times. Just knowing what to order from mcmaster, like the LPS 3 and high pressure lube, makes this an absolute treasure of a video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. It is very appreciated.
"I have a lot of experience but that doesn't make me an expert." That is a very humble opinion of yourself and a huge breath of fresh air on RUclips. Thank you for your videos.
I will admit that it took 2 sessions to complete the video but it was captivating. I may never rebuild a spindle but these long form videos are great. The amount of information contained is priceless.
This rapidly went from "Hmm, looks interesting" to "OMG this is freaking fascinating!" What I really appreciate is that you explain (clearly) not only _what_ you are doing, but more importantly, _why_ you are doing it.
Of course I watched all the way thru. where else can I get such an education? No shop I have ever been in worked to your level so this is where I have to come to learn to be better myself. :-)
I can tell you I would much rather sit through this than the movies coming out these days. About the same runtime, some really cool suspense followed by utter satisfaction with the bearings that just shloop on like that. Busy rebuilding my own spindle on a 1990s Pinnacle Mill that one of the previous owners tried to convert to cnc that didn't go too well. The information you just gave me saved me quite a few bucks, so, thanks.
Watched it all the way through in one sitting. I’m a hobby machinist. I loved the content and the execution and delivery of the material. Thank you for taking the time to film this and share.
I've pause at 17 minutes in to commend your video editing style. I'm usually ADHD when it comes to videos. Some folks ramble on and I find myself clicking to other tabs while still listening to the videos and not really missing a lot of content. By contrast, your style is such that I am riveted to your video because the shots you include are so detailed, concise and relevant that you keep me interested. Most excellent.
“Tell your friends” my friends would not ever watch anything this detailed about my interests but I salute you Robin. Thank you for taking the time to share you immense wealth of knowledge with us mortal hobbyists
My father was a tool maker for an aircraft company, he passed away in 2010 so I never got to really learn anything about machining from him. Thank you so much for making these videos and sharing your knowledge and experience! It's an art that must be kept alive!
Rob, you're a wealth of information as always. The little details that you point out are the things that make the difference. The length of the video is absolutely justified because it is full of valuable information. Please do not leave out things or skip steps in videos like some people do. The care you take to document your process is greatly appreciated.
Always appreciate when you take the time to put up long form content on RUclips. Your Instagram is like a charcuterie board of precision, RUclips is like the main course!
I'm over an hour into this amazingly interesting video, and I still have no clue whatsoever what a spindle bearing is, what a spindle bearing is for, what they're used in, or pretty much anything else. but this is like better than ASMR. my dad used to let me watch him work on sewing machines and in his shop. and these shop videos really bring me back to that. so thank you for uploading
Donate! Let's motivate more videos! There are two people I am this excited to see videos come out for and your one of them. The confidence these videos give me to learn and grow is possibly the most valuable thing I obtain from RUclips. Thank you Robin!
I was spellbound, took an entire page of notes and you gave me tips I would have never considered on my own! The power of sharing knowledge! THANK YOU Robin !!!
Long form is excellent, thanks! I like when you explain the fundamentals (the ‘why’) and how you apply the principles (the ‘how’). Very practical and valuable way of teaching.
lol... "I've personally designed hundreds of spindles, and built thousands.... but I'm not an expert" says the man who is literally the definition of an expert. Great stuff!
Robin, this is one of the most insightful videos I've watched on RUclips. Thank you for sharing your experience. I just completed this work on my Fanuc Robodrill and the quality content of this video is unmatched (I looked everywhere for someone with professionalism and finesse). I turned a delrin bearing hub for some 7010c's on one end and 1/2" shank on the other to fit into a cordless drill chuck. I ran that through from the outside into the inside of a fume hood we have to create more of a clean room environment. This prevented the drill cooling fan from kicking up dirt and dust as It was outside the fume hood for massaging the grease. I used an electronics plastic spudger for the massaging of the grease which worked great. One note was that my NSK bearings came sans grease and coated in rust preventative so once I removed this coating with alcohol and greased the bearings I placed them in new clean room plastic bags procured from McMaster. I was worried the rust preventative in the original NSK bearing bags would contaminate the grease. I placed the bearings on a hot plate at 140 degrees and they then slide on spindle shaft beautifully and I even gave off the obligatory "oh baby" just like the video instructed me to. I am not brave enough to turn my own taper in the machine, however. If you are ever in NYC, stop by my shop! Best, James / Avoirdupois
Fascinating. Both my Dad and his father were journeymen machinists (or Tool and Die.) Since retiring at 71 yrs, I have been teaching myself machining using RUclips, books and the Machinists Handbook. I recall being fascinated by the blueprints Dad brought home to study to develop a plan for doing the job and when I took geometry, trigonometry and solid geometry in High School he would ask questions about the blueprints that would require I use what I had been studying to answer. It is making my retirement years interesting and I sometimes find a use for what I have learned. No way would I consider myself a machinist but it has given me a great respect for the people who are proficient in your area of expertise. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. Every day is an opportunity to learn something. Learning is a life long process.
I cannot believe I just sat and watched that from start to finish - it was absolutely fascinating. Your level of explanation and the whole video production was spot-on. "I'm not a spindle expert..." yeah, right! Thank you for the evening's entertainment. :)
I now have enough confidence to tackle the spindle bearings on my Wheel Horse mower! Seriously, just watched the whole thing and I know for certain I will leave a machine spindle job to those who "can". Thanks Rob!
I worked in (at the time) the highest class clean room at Texas Instruments. One of the things they pounded into our heads was “a collision that makes noise makes particles”, so definitely keep away from the rattling clanking arbor press.
74 yr old,40 yr ago this video would have been god send,but no internet,now still old guy interest. Thank You ROBIN.. Long/short your videos still help, even my limited machining, shop.. Someday out of millions of people there will be another ROBIN, due to your informative treasure trove of videos..Library of Congress/Smithsonian is where they belong.
Robin, Thank you for putting so much detail ( including rationales) into your videos. I guess that’s why you are one of only a few, who are regarded as ‘trustworthy’ by machinists all over the world. Regards, Robert Brown, Sydney AUSTRALIA
Robin, This is the first 1 1/2 hr long video I think I have watched with out having to fast forward through any of it . I normally don't like the longer videos but really enjoyed this one. Thank you. Gary
You sir are the definition of an expert, though it is refreshing that you don’t let it get to your head. I’ve dealt with some so called “experts” in my time and you are nothing like them. You offer concise and thorough information. I look forward to watching more of your wonderful content! Subscriber for life!
This is the reason that greats like Tom and Stefan mention you in their videos. Well done, not boring, just to the point, and points well covered. Congratulations.
The 1 1/2 hrs of time it takes to watch this video is such a worthwhile investment. I've watched this video through 5 times, and I will probably watch it again. 10/10
Fantastic video. Takes me back to my millwright apprenticeship at Schaeffer bearing. During my apprenticeship I spent 2 weeks in the spindle room watch rebuilds. I was told 99 percent of bearing failures are from dirt or contaminates.
Two years later...found this...really nice video. Nice to see an expert do outstanding work. No, it was just the right length good sir. Thanks so much! Cheers from Texas!
I had the spindles of two of my milling machines rebuilt. I took it to a shop in town, and they gave me a top shelf job, and charged me less than i could have done buying just the bearings. I do enjoy your video. I had no idea. Been a machinist all my life, and still learned from this video. There is more about bearings than i can ever learn, but at 70 years old still enjoy learning ... thanks for your passion.
Excellent video as always Robin. I have never built an engine or transmission in a clean room, that doesn't mean however that you don't take any steps to keep your assembly as clean and free from contamination as possible. I learned allot, thank you. R.J.
Rob, as a TRAK service tech I must say: job very well done. A lot of good tips, too many to list. Most of the spindle failures I see in the field are due to over-oiling of the upper head. The manual is quite clear but it happens anyway. If anyone is wondering, Add SAE 30 oil 2 drops (.1 ml or so) in the upper head oil cup every other week. This is only for keeping the grease in the quill feed drive train pliable. I will be sure to forward this video to our mechanical repair department. I keep hoping one day you'll need a service call so I can see your shop! Cheers!
You're too modest . Building so many spindles and constructing so many more, puts you right in the 10k hours zone on that subject and kinda makes you an expert. 😉👍
Sir you are a machine tool spindle expert, as you say spindle manufacturers use clean rooms and the professionals use all the sophisticated instrument machines and I bet none of the engineers who work for spindle manufacturers really know how things work they just operate the machines. Think of employees of any big manufacturer’s most are semiskilled. You know your stuff and you know it well. As a retired machine tool engineer from Scotland I wish my journeyman was as knowledgable as you are. Great respect 👍🏽👍🏽
I may never need all this info but I always want to know how things work. You have just answered a very long list of questions that have been in my mental backlog for some time. Top of the list was "what exactly is a matched set of bearings"... you just earned a SUBSCRIBE with one video!
Yes, I am one of these people who "need help", as you said. I watched the entire presentation and enjoyed it thoroughly. I find your presentations informative, accurate, very useful. In addition, I find you to be a very pleasant and positive person to observe and listen to. I hope you stay in good health and good spirits for a long time, finding the way to produce a lengthy presentation often, increasing your audience to the point you can retire from machining and live life of joy and peace. How is that for a gushing comment?
Just want to leave huge thank you for this and all the other great videos you are doing. For me, as an amateur hobbyist machinist, this is god-like level of knowledge right up for grabs. I will try to implement all these procedures to the best of my abilities the next time I go over my milling spindle. Again, thank you for the amazing teachings!
Well done Robin there were so many things that I learned. At the beginning you asked if people like the longer or shorter videos. I tend to like the longer videos on subjects like this one. Because it takes that long to cover the basics. As long as we are learning I don't think a video or a series can be to long unless it has alot of filler in it. Thanks for the info on Timkens pdf. Andy
I was hesitant to watch this because some of your videos end up in a realm that is far beyond a "home" machinists capabilities. I always understand your videos in theory but often times have no way put that information into practical use BUT this video was amazing!!! I now feel much more comfortable about working on my own machines in a proper and practical manner. Extremely informative!!!!
A most impressive lecture and practical on the challenges of building precision spindles. Has all sorts of applications outside machine tools including in my own projects. The man states at the outset that he is not an expert. I wont argue one way or the other. But he's very obviously a safe pair of hands! Moore would approve. Thank you Robin!
No problem watching all of that full of really good information and tips for any one who has a machine with a tired spindle . Good work Robin as always .
LOL, nope didn't make it non stop. In fact I stopped, rewind and listened to some parts a couple times or more. I really enjoyed this tutorial video. Thank you for developing and sharing this information video. Excellent job!
Robin, your RUclips videos are taking their place on my reference shelf right next to Machinerys Handbook. That was an excellent demonstration of best practices, and I cannot get enough of this stuff! Please, keep doing what you do best, and I cannot thank you enough for sharing.
Cade Austin (below) is absolutely right. Robrenz - - "I've personally designed hundreds of spindles, and built thousands.... but I'm not an expert" - If you are not the expert, who is? You are THE MAN for spindles.
I didn't make it through non-stop. The need arose to pause, grab a beer, and have a smoke. Very interesting video. It was the first video of yours that I have watched. I came here by recommendation by everybody's favorite German machinist Mr Gotteswinter.
Watching you being that thorough, that precise, knowing what you're doing, getting practically immaculate results having reliable tools feels like heaven to me. I wish my life had been different.
Thank you for the monumental effort in producing this fantastic video. This has to be the very best video on explaining the correct way to rebuild a spindle, and you did it in such a way that it was enjoyable and easy to watch......all 94 minutes. I stayed to the very end, and laughed when you said that I must be nuts for making it that far! I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. BTW, the Wooly Mammoth tusk gag was priceless! I have to say that I was wondering where the hell I was gonna find that! :)
I have no mill or lathe (I have a wood lathe, not a “real” lathe) and yet I find value in this video because the concepts espoused. For example, not over looking seemingly minute details, like massaging the grease into the balls [chuckle chuckle], or deburring the threads of the set screws. I work hard to keep my shop (garage) tidy and efficient, and it makes me proud. So watching you work at a higher level, gives me something to work towards.
Less than 20 minutes in and i already feel inferior in terms of spindles and bearing knowledge.. you sir are a superior technical educator. Definitely more than I expected, but thoroughly and pleasantly appreciated. I cringe when I think about what my spindle is going to look like when I do pull it. I am a fan, that’s what I’m trying say. Thank you kind sir for the education.
Thank you Thank you Thank you :) Enjoyed every minute of the video ! There is something definitely wrong with me and I bet several others. I re-watched this video 3 times from end to end. So much information packed into one video that I don't need to hunt all over to internet to learn it in parts. The only problem I was faced with after watching . Was that I had to beg for forgiveness from my 1965 J-head bridgeport mill. When I first moved into my Now home shop. I didn't have any machines that didn't need a lot of TLC. So I got a book on renovating my mill. ( good book by the way ) Completely broke the mill down and cleaned, repainted & repaired what I could. When it came to the spindle. New bearings were out of the question. ( just bought the house with the shop, No money for parts ) So cleaned the best I could and put it back in. Now, 4 years has passed and learning every thing I can from Great RUclips creators like yourself . I now have the knowledge and confidence to rebuild the spindle right this time. ( and the money for parts ) Again, Thank you for taking the time to video your work . The information will help thousands of people just like me for years and years to come. PS: my world has gotten much smoother after making a set of flat stones. I stone just about everything with them.
"I'm not an expert on spindles"...proceeds to provide a master class on a machining topic. Yes Robin, there might be be better, but you are teaching me this for free, and this is amazing. Machinists are truly under appreciated. Where else do you find this degree of daily competence?
First, I want to say "Thank you" for the level of detail you offer in your videos!! I have been designing machines for years but they were mostly hydraulic and pneumatic type machines with practically no spindle designs, all of my designs were built by a particular machinist but he has since retired (so have I for that matter). I was a cabinet maker for many years as well and I'm finding that my obsessive need for precision in cabinet and furniture building has carried over to machining quite nicely (I recently setup a small shop and started doing my own machine work since I retired from cabinet making). I nearly always used precision vernier calipers, dial calipers and depth micrometers in my cabinet making. I did own and use a small 9x19 lathe and a small bench mill (for over 30 years) but that was only for cabinet tool modifications and repairs. I did build my own line boring machine for drilling 13 blind holes at once in the sides of upper cabinets (for adjustable shelves using 1/4" pins), I build that machine myself over 25 years ago and it still works good to this day. Recently I went for broke and bought a much larger lathe and milling machine, a surface grinder, a tool grinder much like yours as well as a wide array of machine shop measuring equipment and tooling (the tooling costs add up real quick as I'm sure you know all too well!!). Anyway, I am finding your experience as a machinist to be very valuable and helpful for this phase of my life!! It is all very much appreciated!! BTW, the videography thing (implied by the name) is a side passion of mine, I produce promotional and instructional videos for the companies that I work for from time to time, it's just one of my hobbies :-) Thanks again!! Joe
Don't worry your self too much about a clean room, back in the early 80s I worked for Fafnir bearing as a mechanic over screw machine rebuild. I built all the screw machine spindles and whenever the grinding dept. had a spindle needing rebuilt for some reason I did them too and we never had a clean room while I was there, The ID grinders were the only ones that use radial contact bearings and they ran if I remember correctly 30 to 50k rpms and were lubricated with an oil mist lubricator not grease. The OD grinders and Blanchard's all ran bronze hydrostatic bearing that had to be scraped in ,now boy that was fun lol. Changing bearings in the Screw machines like the acme 3 1/2 was a two man job just getting the things out and back in was a major strain. I used to put the bearings in a pan of hot oil sitting on a cheap kitchen hot plate and cooled the spindles down by spraying them with Freon until I finally was able to talk them into buying me a regular old house hold deep freezer. Now I always lined up the runout points properly whenever installing bearings even the screw machines that don't work in as tight of a tolerance as finish grinders but Screw machine has 6 spindles and if you have an .001 to .0015 variation between spindles and your part has a tolerance of + - .003 to .005 they all have to be on the money. dam I sure miss being covered in cutting oil from head to toe, dripping off my elbows all day long!.....not lol
as a tool maker for 35 years i can say your explanation and concise information with no fluff kept me on the edge of my seat. we have had spindle rebuilds done in our shop and the techs are in and out in half a day i always said we need new vendor to replace our spindle bearings. will show my boss this video so he believes me. thank you
Probably better assembly precadure and bearing quality than the factory! And I don't think they would turn the spindle taper running in it's own bearings at the factory, but could be wrong.
Das ´Marco´ , great reading you here . Love your wacky humor but nevertheless great expert in Electronics , you are ! Grtzz from the Netherlands Johny geerts
Of course I watched it to the end. Ok so you’re not in a clean room. Clean rooms have tolerances also. “Everything is made of rubber”👌I love that saying! I greatly enjoy your attention to details that most don’t know, understand, consider or appreciate. It is impressive watching you measure things to sub micron levels in your garage. When someone brags to me how absolutely perfectly precise they made something I point them to your channel. And then I explain about how atoms have radiuses and so do neutrons. One of my pet peeves is how some routinely over use absolutes in everyday conversations. I appreciate your consciousness to such terms. Waiting for your next video.
I appreciate you showing this high-level machine building!. A true "technician"! It's always interesting to see what other's "pet peeves" are. It's fantastic, a benchmark. Thank you for your content.
Your expertise is unmatched for me !☆☆☆☆☆ Thought as a european as soon i saw "Italy" on a bearing , being replaced by an German made one i Know you improved it by alot . Not to shame Italy , love it the food and beauty all around is the BEST...but bearings and precision thats German territory ...lol Greetings from the Netherlands Johny geerts
If I wore a hat, I'd take it off to you, sir. In fact, I may just go out and buy one. That's how much I'm enjoying this.
Wow thanks Tony, that means a lot coming from you!
ATB, Robin
I feel like im seems a serious version off you tony!! Both are my favorite youtubers!!!
Good to see you here too, Mr. Tony.
@@ROBRENZ I
@@ROBRENZ I
Ha Ha.... Mr Humble says, "I'm no spindle expert" Really??? He who designs, engineers, fabricates, uses, rebuilds thousands of spindles AND THEN teaches the masses how to do it... That IS an expert. Amazingly valuable info!!! Thank you so much for all you offer to us .:)
Long format any day!
Learned a lot, especially about grease packing bearings.
Thanks Robin!
Next episode of Stefan's down under "Bearings to all my machines" 😂😂 ether way couple sets of stones just sold.
Thanks for watching Stefan!
ATB, Robin
Makes me remember the time when the Makino CNC mill in our shop needed spindle work. Of course they bought the spindle bearings it was supposed to have but balked at paying an overpriced shop to rebuild it. They got one of the maintence guys to do the work. Just had to shake my head when I saw him packing the bearings with grease with his dirty hands and laying them on a dirty bench that had chips all over it. I told him he was dealing with class 7 spindle bearings and that he probably just ruined them....he just looked at me like I was an idiot. If I'd been putting wheel bearings on a farm wagon I'd have been more careful about keeping things clean. Within a few months they had to pull the spindle again and send it out to a real spindle shop.
Great work, and as always, I watch and learn.
I'm like that when packing my bike wheel bearings. And I have to stop myself wasting time and paper towels sometimes because it's just a bloody bike wheel hub with crappy seals!
When the presenter is as knowledgeable and informative as you:
-Short video = Good
-Long video = Excelent
I made it to the end in one sitting. Thanks for sharing - a goldmine of good information!
Thanks for stopping by Keith
Wow, as retired fitter and machinist who worked with various shafts and bearings, I had no idea the extent you have to go to repair precision spindles! Man, was I in the dark. My work would be considered as a caveman type repairer compared to you Robin. You have taken greasing a bearing, cleanliness, tolerance and assembly skill to a new high. Your knowledge is truly impressive. I better ungape my mouth now, I starting to look like a caveman.
I agree. I was taught cleanliness above all else, but there's so much more to it than getting stuff clean. I ordered some precision ground stones today.
thanks god, there are still people on this platform explaining some real stuff
Hi Robin.
I wouldn't worry at all. Anything you post is watched, rewatched, referred back to in time to come, and generally treated and appreciated as the reference material it actually is! Whatever you present to the community is generally taken as gospel - and for good reason. If I had a complaint to voice, it would be purely based on my own selfishness - not enough videos. Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge with us!
Well said.
I second!
Yeah, I often don't make it through one of these videos, without skipping back to check something.
Legit, solid content.
Not only did I “make it this far “but I’ve actually watched this video a couple times in the last two years. It’s just that interesting. Thanks!
same
There are some great machinists and teachers on youtube but you are in a class by yourself Robin. Thank you for putting this together
Of course we made it this far nonstop!!
Never seen this much information anywhere! Thank you so much!
My favorite part:
-I’m not spindle expert
-I’ve designed multiple hundred spindles and built multiple thousand :D
I second that.
My y best part was that first bearing slipping on. 🤤
Seemed like a 20 minute video...you’re such an outstanding teacher. We are truly blessed that you take the time and effort to share your knowledge and skills with us. Thank you!
I couldn't find a way to give it more than one thumbs down. Just kidding. Really great content Robin just a couple of months too late for me. I'm also not a professional spindle rebuilder as we all know and I endorse this video!
All the best,
Tom
Thanks Tom, your endorsement means a lot.
ATB, Robin
Jeez Tom. Jelly much? (Kidding of course)
And Robert is your mother's brother
As a new machinist, I've watched this about three times. Just knowing what to order from mcmaster, like the LPS 3 and high pressure lube, makes this an absolute treasure of a video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. It is very appreciated.
"I have a lot of experience but that doesn't make me an expert." That is a very humble opinion of yourself and a huge breath of fresh air on RUclips. Thank you for your videos.
It's hilarious how much it stands out that this channel seems to only have comments from people who can spell.
I will admit that it took 2 sessions to complete the video but it was captivating. I may never rebuild a spindle but these long form videos are great. The amount of information contained is priceless.
This rapidly went from "Hmm, looks interesting" to "OMG this is freaking fascinating!" What I really appreciate is that you explain (clearly) not only _what_ you are doing, but more importantly, _why_ you are doing it.
Of course I watched all the way thru. where else can I get such an education? No shop I have ever been in worked to your level so this is where I have to come to learn to be better myself. :-)
Thanks Brian!
ATB, Robin
“I’m not a spindle expert” - really? Then who the hell is????
I can tell you I would much rather sit through this than the movies coming out these days. About the same runtime, some really cool suspense followed by utter satisfaction with the bearings that just shloop on like that. Busy rebuilding my own spindle on a 1990s Pinnacle Mill that one of the previous owners tried to convert to cnc that didn't go too well. The information you just gave me saved me quite a few bucks, so, thanks.
Re: Video length. Any RobRenz video is a good video.
Watched it all the way through in one sitting. I’m a hobby machinist. I loved the content and the execution and delivery of the material. Thank you for taking the time to film this and share.
I've pause at 17 minutes in to commend your video editing style. I'm usually ADHD when it comes to videos. Some folks ramble on and I find myself clicking to other tabs while still listening to the videos and not really missing a lot of content. By contrast, your style is such that I am riveted to your video because the shots you include are so detailed, concise and relevant that you keep me interested. Most excellent.
Same with Stefan Gotteswinter, no rambling,just concise usefull information by someone with a passion for doing the job correctly
“Tell your friends” my friends would not ever watch anything this detailed about my interests but I salute you Robin. Thank you for taking the time to share you immense wealth of knowledge with us mortal hobbyists
bad friends
My father was a tool maker for an aircraft company, he passed away in 2010 so I never got to really learn anything about machining from him. Thank you so much for making these videos and sharing your knowledge and experience! It's an art that must be kept alive!
Loved the video, long format didn't bother me. Thanks for taking the time to explain all that! Can't wait for the next one!
Rob, you're a wealth of information as always. The little details that you point out are the things that make the difference. The length of the video is absolutely justified because it is full of valuable information. Please do not leave out things or skip steps in videos like some people do. The care you take to document your process is greatly appreciated.
Always appreciate when you take the time to put up long form content on RUclips. Your Instagram is like a charcuterie board of precision, RUclips is like the main course!
I'm over an hour into this amazingly interesting video, and I still have no clue whatsoever what a spindle bearing is, what a spindle bearing is for, what they're used in, or pretty much anything else. but this is like better than ASMR. my dad used to let me watch him work on sewing machines and in his shop. and these shop videos really bring me back to that. so thank you for uploading
Glad you enjoyed it!
Each and every one of Robin's videos show an excellent concept taught.
Never any click bait, and never any politics or other B.S.
Bravo again!
Donate! Let's motivate more videos!
There are two people I am this excited to see videos come out for and your one of them. The confidence these videos give me to learn and grow is possibly the most valuable thing I obtain from RUclips. Thank you Robin!
I was spellbound, took an entire page of notes and you gave me tips I would have never considered on my own! The power of sharing knowledge! THANK YOU Robin !!!
Just came back to watch this for the third time in a year. This is like a graduate class in careful work, thanks for giving it to the world.
same lol
I think I need help! I made it through the entire video. Another masterpiece video. I learned a tremendous amount as always. Thanks for this!
Long form is excellent, thanks! I like when you explain the fundamentals (the ‘why’) and how you apply the principles (the ‘how’). Very practical and valuable way of teaching.
Long is great when full of content, well done sir.
Thanks a million for your time
lol... "I've personally designed hundreds of spindles, and built thousands.... but I'm not an expert" says the man who is literally the definition of an expert. Great stuff!
Robin, this is one of the most insightful videos I've watched on RUclips. Thank you for sharing your experience. I just completed this work on my Fanuc Robodrill and the quality content of this video is unmatched (I looked everywhere for someone with professionalism and finesse). I turned a delrin bearing hub for some 7010c's on one end and 1/2" shank on the other to fit into a cordless drill chuck. I ran that through from the outside into the inside of a fume hood we have to create more of a clean room environment. This prevented the drill cooling fan from kicking up dirt and dust as It was outside the fume hood for massaging the grease. I used an electronics plastic spudger for the massaging of the grease which worked great. One note was that my NSK bearings came sans grease and coated in rust preventative so once I removed this coating with alcohol and greased the bearings I placed them in new clean room plastic bags procured from McMaster. I was worried the rust preventative in the original NSK bearing bags would contaminate the grease. I placed the bearings on a hot plate at 140 degrees and they then slide on spindle shaft beautifully and I even gave off the obligatory "oh baby" just like the video instructed me to. I am not brave enough to turn my own taper in the machine, however. If you are ever in NYC, stop by my shop! Best, James / Avoirdupois
That's the best spindle rebuild video I've seen. I could watch this all day long. Excellent work, thank you!
Fascinating. Both my Dad and his father were journeymen machinists (or Tool and Die.) Since retiring at 71 yrs, I have been teaching myself machining using RUclips, books and the Machinists Handbook. I recall being fascinated by the blueprints Dad brought home to study to develop a plan for doing the job and when I took geometry, trigonometry and solid geometry in High School he would ask questions about the blueprints that would require I use what I had been studying to answer. It is making my retirement years interesting and I sometimes find a use for what I have learned. No way would I consider myself a machinist but it has given me a great respect for the people who are proficient in your area of expertise. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. Every day is an opportunity to learn something. Learning is a life long process.
Probably the most informative 90 minutes that I have ever spent. Thank you very much.
I cannot believe I just sat and watched that from start to finish - it was absolutely fascinating. Your level of explanation and the whole video production was spot-on. "I'm not a spindle expert..." yeah, right! Thank you for the evening's entertainment. :)
I wonder what kind of help we need now and if he has any specific recommendations. :)
I now have enough confidence to tackle the spindle bearings on my Wheel Horse mower! Seriously, just watched the whole thing and I know for certain I will leave a machine spindle job to those who "can". Thanks Rob!
I worked in (at the time) the highest class clean room at Texas Instruments. One of the things they pounded into our heads was “a collision that makes noise makes particles”, so definitely keep away from the rattling clanking arbor press.
74 yr old,40 yr ago this video would have been god send,but no internet,now still old guy interest. Thank You ROBIN.. Long/short your videos still help, even my limited machining, shop.. Someday out of millions of people there will be another ROBIN, due to your informative treasure trove of videos..Library of Congress/Smithsonian is where they belong.
Thanks for the very kind words
Robin,
Thank you for putting so much detail ( including rationales) into your videos. I guess that’s why you are one of only a few, who are regarded as ‘trustworthy’ by machinists all over the world.
Regards,
Robert Brown,
Sydney AUSTRALIA
Robin, This is the first 1 1/2 hr long video I think I have watched with out having to fast forward through any of it . I normally don't like the longer videos but really enjoyed this one. Thank you. Gary
You sir are the definition of an expert, though it is refreshing that you don’t let it get to your head. I’ve dealt with some so called “experts” in my time and you are nothing like them. You offer concise and thorough information. I look forward to watching more of your wonderful content! Subscriber for life!
This is the reason that greats like Tom and Stefan mention you in their videos. Well done, not boring, just to the point, and points well covered. Congratulations.
The 1 1/2 hrs of time it takes to watch this video is such a worthwhile investment. I've watched this video through 5 times, and I will probably watch it again. 10/10
Thanks, glad you found it useful.
Fantastic video. Takes me back to my millwright apprenticeship at Schaeffer bearing. During my apprenticeship I spent 2 weeks in the spindle room watch rebuilds. I was told 99 percent of bearing failures are from dirt or contaminates.
Hope you're doing well Robin, I always come back to your videos, some of the most in depth stuff on the platform
Thank you very much for taking the time to make this video. I would have watched an 8 hour video with minimal restroom breaks just fine.
Two years later...found this...really nice video. Nice to see an expert do outstanding work. No, it was just the right length good sir. Thanks so much! Cheers from Texas!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I had the spindles of two of my milling machines rebuilt. I took it to a shop in town, and they gave me a top shelf job, and charged me less than i could have done buying just the bearings. I do enjoy your video. I had no idea. Been a machinist all my life, and still learned from this video. There is more about bearings than i can ever learn, but at 70 years old still enjoy learning ... thanks for your passion.
Excellent video as always Robin. I have never built an engine or transmission in a clean room, that doesn't mean however that you don't take any steps to keep your assembly as clean and free from contamination as possible. I learned allot, thank you. R.J.
Rob, as a TRAK service tech I must say: job very well done. A lot of good tips, too many to list.
Most of the spindle failures I see in the field are due to over-oiling of the upper head. The manual is quite clear but it happens anyway. If anyone is wondering, Add SAE 30 oil 2 drops (.1 ml or so) in the upper head oil cup every other week. This is only for keeping the grease in the quill feed drive train pliable.
I will be sure to forward this video to our mechanical repair department. I keep hoping one day you'll need a service call so I can see your shop! Cheers!
What does "TRAK" stand for?
A brand name for some Southwestern industries milling machines
You're too modest . Building so many spindles and constructing so many more, puts you right in the 10k hours zone on that subject and kinda makes you an expert. 😉👍
Sir you are a machine tool spindle expert, as you say spindle manufacturers use clean rooms and the professionals use all the sophisticated instrument machines and I bet none of the engineers who work for spindle manufacturers really know how things work they just operate the machines. Think of employees of any big manufacturer’s most are semiskilled. You know your stuff and you know it well.
As a retired machine tool engineer from Scotland I wish my journeyman was as knowledgable as you are. Great respect 👍🏽👍🏽
Thanks for the kind words.
I may never need all this info but I always want to know how things work. You have just answered a very long list of questions that have been in my mental backlog for some time. Top of the list was "what exactly is a matched set of bearings"... you just earned a SUBSCRIBE with one video!
Rob I don’t care if you make 10 minute videos or 10 hour I will watch from start to finish. Thanks for giving you knowledge to the community
Your knowledge and dedication to correctness is awesome! I can only dream about having such nice tools. Thanks!
Thanks a million, Robin. Watched all at once and remained rapt. I really appreciate the schooling!
Yes, I am one of these people who "need help", as you said. I watched the entire presentation and enjoyed it thoroughly. I find your presentations informative, accurate, very useful. In addition, I find you to be a very pleasant and positive person to observe and listen to. I hope you stay in good health and good spirits for a long time, finding the way to produce a lengthy presentation often, increasing your audience to the point you can retire from machining and live life of joy and peace.
How is that for a gushing comment?
Well done and appreciated!
Just want to leave huge thank you for this and all the other great videos you are doing. For me, as an amateur hobbyist machinist, this is god-like level of knowledge right up for grabs.
I will try to implement all these procedures to the best of my abilities the next time I go over my milling spindle.
Again, thank you for the amazing teachings!
Well done Robin there were so many things that I learned. At the beginning you asked if people like the longer or shorter videos. I tend to like the longer videos on subjects like this one. Because it takes that long to cover the basics. As long as we are learning I don't think a video or a series can be to long unless it has alot of filler in it. Thanks for the info on Timkens pdf. Andy
I was hesitant to watch this because some of your videos end up in a realm that is far beyond a "home" machinists capabilities. I always understand your videos in theory but often times have no way put that information into practical use BUT this video was amazing!!! I now feel much more comfortable about working on my own machines in a proper and practical manner. Extremely informative!!!!
A most impressive lecture and practical on the challenges of building precision spindles. Has all sorts of applications outside machine tools including in my own projects. The man states at the outset that he is not an expert. I wont argue one way or the other. But he's very obviously a safe pair of hands! Moore would approve.
Thank you Robin!
Moore does approve!
No problem watching all of that full of really good information and tips for any one who has a machine with a tired spindle . Good work Robin as always .
LOL, nope didn't make it non stop. In fact I stopped, rewind and listened to some parts a couple times or more. I really enjoyed this tutorial video. Thank you for developing and sharing this information video. Excellent job!
I AM a bearing engineer, and I must say that you've got it right. There's tons of knowledge in this video!
Thanks Jim that's good to hear.
".....forgetting the fact that this is left hand (threads)......
It brings me comfort to know this also happens to even the best in the business. Lol
Robin, your RUclips videos are taking their place on my reference shelf right next to Machinerys Handbook. That was an excellent demonstration of best practices, and I cannot get enough of this stuff! Please, keep doing what you do best, and I cannot thank you enough for sharing.
Cade Austin (below) is absolutely right. Robrenz - - "I've personally designed hundreds of spindles, and built thousands.... but I'm not an expert" - If you are not the expert, who is? You are THE MAN for spindles.
Humility. Excellent quality in a teacher.
I didn't make it through non-stop. The need arose to pause, grab a beer, and have a smoke. Very interesting video. It was the first video of yours that I have watched. I came here by recommendation by everybody's favorite German machinist Mr Gotteswinter.
Thanks for watching!
Mind-bogglingly-fantastic content. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise in such detail. It’s very refreshing to see such quality.
Watching you being that thorough, that precise, knowing what you're doing, getting practically immaculate results having reliable tools feels like heaven to me. I wish my life had been different.
Thank you for the monumental effort in producing this fantastic video. This has to be the very best video on explaining the correct way to rebuild a spindle, and you did it in such a way that it was enjoyable and easy to watch......all 94 minutes. I stayed to the very end, and laughed when you said that I must be nuts for making it that far! I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. BTW, the Wooly Mammoth tusk gag was priceless! I have to say that I was wondering where the hell I was gonna find that! :)
I have no mill or lathe (I have a wood lathe, not a “real” lathe) and yet I find value in this video because the concepts espoused. For example, not over looking seemingly minute details, like massaging the grease into the balls [chuckle chuckle], or deburring the threads of the set screws. I work hard to keep my shop (garage) tidy and efficient, and it makes me proud. So watching you work at a higher level, gives me something to work towards.
Less than 20 minutes in and i already feel inferior in terms of spindles and bearing knowledge.. you sir are a superior technical educator. Definitely more than I expected, but thoroughly and pleasantly appreciated.
I cringe when I think about what my spindle is going to look like when I do pull it.
I am a fan, that’s what I’m trying say. Thank you kind sir for the education.
Thank you Thank you Thank you :)
Enjoyed every minute of the video ! There is something definitely wrong with me and I bet several others. I re-watched this video 3 times from end to end. So much information packed into one video that I don't need to hunt all over to internet to learn it in parts.
The only problem I was faced with after watching . Was that I had to beg for forgiveness from my 1965 J-head bridgeport mill. When I first moved into my Now home shop. I didn't have any machines that didn't need a lot of TLC. So I got a book on renovating my mill. ( good book by the way ) Completely broke the mill down and cleaned, repainted & repaired what I could. When it came to the spindle. New bearings were out of the question. ( just bought the house with the shop, No money for parts ) So cleaned the best I could and put it back in. Now, 4 years has passed and learning every thing I can from Great RUclips creators like yourself . I now have the knowledge and confidence to rebuild the spindle right this time. ( and the money for parts ) Again, Thank you for taking the time to video your work . The information will help thousands of people just like me for years and years to come.
PS: my world has gotten much smoother after making a set of flat stones. I stone just about everything with them.
"I'm not an expert on spindles"...proceeds to provide a master class on a machining topic. Yes Robin, there might be be better, but you are teaching me this for free, and this is amazing. Machinists are truly under appreciated. Where else do you find this degree of daily competence?
this is the equivalent to a therapy session for a recently graduated precision mechanic apprentice. Thank you for your video
Yeah I've made it so far nonstop. Thanks for sharing, that was awesome.
First, I want to say "Thank you" for the level of detail you offer in your videos!!
I have been designing machines for years but they were mostly hydraulic and pneumatic type machines with practically no spindle designs, all of my designs were built by a particular machinist but he has since retired (so have I for that matter).
I was a cabinet maker for many years as well and I'm finding that my obsessive need for precision in cabinet and furniture building has carried over to machining quite nicely (I recently setup a small shop and started doing my own machine work since I retired from cabinet making).
I nearly always used precision vernier calipers, dial calipers and depth micrometers in my cabinet making.
I did own and use a small 9x19 lathe and a small bench mill (for over 30 years) but that was only for cabinet tool modifications and repairs. I did build my own line boring machine for drilling 13 blind holes at once in the sides of upper cabinets (for adjustable shelves using 1/4" pins), I build that machine myself over 25 years ago and it still works good to this day.
Recently I went for broke and bought a much larger lathe and milling machine, a surface grinder, a tool grinder much like yours as well as a wide array of machine shop measuring equipment and tooling (the tooling costs add up real quick as I'm sure you know all too well!!).
Anyway, I am finding your experience as a machinist to be very valuable and helpful for this phase of my life!!
It is all very much appreciated!!
BTW, the videography thing (implied by the name) is a side passion of mine, I produce promotional and instructional videos for the companies that I work for from time to time, it's just one of my hobbies :-)
Thanks again!!
Joe
Your welcome.
Don't worry your self too much about a clean room, back in the early 80s I worked for Fafnir bearing as a mechanic over screw machine rebuild. I built all the screw machine spindles and whenever the grinding dept. had a spindle needing rebuilt for some reason I did them too and we never had a clean room while I was there, The ID grinders were the only ones that use radial contact bearings and they ran if I remember correctly 30 to 50k rpms and were lubricated with an oil mist lubricator not grease. The OD grinders and Blanchard's all ran bronze hydrostatic bearing that had to be scraped in ,now boy that was fun lol. Changing bearings in the Screw machines like the acme 3 1/2 was a two man job just getting the things out and back in was a major strain. I used to put the bearings in a pan of hot oil sitting on a cheap kitchen hot plate and cooled the spindles down by spraying them with Freon until I finally was able to talk them into buying me a regular old house hold deep freezer. Now I always lined up the runout points properly whenever installing bearings even the screw machines that don't work in as tight of a tolerance as finish grinders but Screw machine has 6 spindles and if you have an .001 to .0015 variation between spindles and your part has a tolerance of + - .003 to .005 they all have to be on the money. dam I sure miss being covered in cutting oil from head to toe, dripping off my elbows all day long!.....not lol
as a tool maker for 35 years i can say your explanation and concise information with no fluff kept me on the edge of my seat. we have had spindle rebuilds done in our shop and the techs are in and out in half a day i always said we need new vendor to replace our spindle bearings. will show my boss this video so he believes me. thank you
brilliant! 'good as new' would be an insult
I've seen this name before somewhere.
Probably better assembly precadure and bearing quality than the factory! And I don't think they would turn the spindle taper running in it's own bearings at the factory, but could be wrong.
Das ´Marco´ , great reading you here .
Love your wacky humor but nevertheless great expert in Electronics , you are !
Grtzz from the Netherlands Johny geerts
Of course I watched it to the end. Ok so you’re not in a clean room. Clean rooms have tolerances also. “Everything is made of rubber”👌I love that saying! I greatly enjoy your attention to details that most don’t know, understand, consider or appreciate. It is impressive watching you measure things to sub micron levels in your garage. When someone brags to me how absolutely perfectly precise they made something I point them to your channel. And then I explain about how atoms have radiuses and so do neutrons. One of my pet peeves is how some routinely over use absolutes in everyday conversations. I appreciate your consciousness to such terms. Waiting for your next video.
Robin, you're a national treasure.
I appreciate you showing this high-level machine building!. A true "technician"!
It's always interesting to see what other's "pet peeves" are. It's fantastic, a benchmark. Thank you for your content.
I for one like the longer detailed format. Very informative!
This is what you would call a professional in every sense of the word .. I love how technical you get
loved the video - but was a slideshow in the end for me. Tried it on my phone and my computer.
excellent tips though! Thank you for the videos Robin!
Same for me. Definitely damaged video for the last 25min. or so.
Same, still managed to follow the explanations though, just a bit jarring.
I watch it through and it is fine. It might have not processed completely when you watched.
FANTASTIC content. THANK YOU a thousand times over for taking the time to make this!
Your expertise is unmatched for me !☆☆☆☆☆
Thought as a european as soon i saw "Italy" on a bearing , being replaced by an German made one i Know you improved it by alot .
Not to shame Italy , love it the food and beauty all around is the BEST...but bearings and precision thats German territory ...lol
Greetings from the Netherlands Johny geerts
Thank you very much!
Pulling up a chair with a full cup coffee. Can't wait. Really appreciate the effort you put into videos.