Omnimil - Oil or Grease in head bearings

[WvW]

Hi there,
I'm currently cleaning up my omnimil, and have a bit of a query about whether the lubrication points should be oiled or greased.

I stripped the pulley off the head, and noted that there was plenty of grease in the cavity. However the manual suggests that these points should be oiled.

The bearings appear to be just roller bearings - my only reference is car wheel bearings, which are greased, but the manual suggests oil, and I have read that some people have got machines which have been greased when they should be oiled.

I'm a bit green with the little grease/oil points - they look like grease points to me, which confuses me further.

Thanks for any guidance you can give.

 

[123hotchef]

the cetainly look like grease nipples

 

[WvW]

That's what I thought.

I think the head has been refurbed or replaced at some point - it was a different colour to the machine. Maybe it was an updated version which is converted to grease.

 

[m_c]

Just because we usually call them grease nipples in the UK, doesn't mean it should be grease that goes through them.

I'd go with whatever the manual says.

 

[Brad93]

Grease was specified for our Elliott

 

[Richiew]

My lathe is a Marlow. It specifies grease for spindle bearings. Not my picture or mill as it is too cold to go into the garage but here's a pic of a similar data plate.

 

[WvW]

Grease makes sense to me, given the oil would just drop from the top to the bottom of the head. There is no circulation of oil so the bearings would just run dry. Grease makes more sense.

 

[Brad93]

Some

Grease makes sense to me, given the oil would just drop from the top to the bottom of the head. There is no circulation of oil so the bearings would just run dry. Grease makes more sense.

if they were to be oiled you'd have either a wick, drop oiler or a fixed oil pump.

My Archdale is oiled. It makes a mess. But then it's a lot older and a production machine.

I would clean the old grease out without separating the two opposing angular contact bearings. Pack with a very high quality new grease and maybe give it a shot of grease every six months. Grease has come a long way in 40 years.

 

[WvW]

Cheers Brad. Any recommendations for the grease,? I've got some Castrol LM grease, but I suspect I bought it because it was cheap at the time. Must have had it 20 years.

 

[Brad93]

Cheers Brad. Any recommendations for the grease,? I've got some Castrol LM grease, but I suspect I bought it because it was cheap at the time. Must have had it 20 years.

Well I'd think any good quality bearing grease designed to run at up to 2000rpm would do.

You could go mental and buy a tube of Kluber but I doubt its worth it.