One of my favorite purchases I’ve made in woodworking has been the Craftsman Professional 14″ Bandsaw model 22401. While the 22401 is a very good machine, it does have it’s faults. One common problem of these bandsaws became very apparent within the first 10 minutes of use. The upper guide bearing shields popped off and grease went everywhere. If you haven’t replaced your guide bearings yet, be prepared to.
The 22401 uses a standard size radial ball bearing as guides for the blade. The diameter is 22mm. The width is 7mm and the bore is 8mm. This is the same bearings used in common skateboards and rollerblades.
I paid just under $9 shipped on Ebay for a set of 10 bearings. Bearing sets are also available locally.
1. If you look closely, you can see that the top bearing has a missing shield.
2. I used the 22401’s included hex wrench for removal of all of the bearings.
3. Everything will be reused except for the bearing itself.
4. Grease sprayed everywhere, but this was the largest glob left by the bearing.
5. All of the bearings are removed in the same fashion
6. The new bearing set that I bought on Ebay came in a tube of 10. Instead of using replacement bearings with metal shields, I opted to use bearings with rubber seals. I figured the seal would keep sawdust out of the bearing better than the metal shield.
7. Reuse the hardware including the sleeve for the inner bore.
8. Reassemble in reverse order and adjust the bearings.
The old bearings lasted for 10 minutes. The new bearings have lasted 7 years. Not a bad $9 investment!
