Craftsman Jointer Motor Bearings

[Phil Thien]

I agree with Steve, I’d grease those up if possible.

[RickW]

Previous advice about removal is good.

My experience with replacing bearings in Craftsman tools/equipment for over 40 years is this:

Bearings have a number printed/etched on one of the races. This number is used to find replacement bearings. The numbers are industry wide----except for Craftsman bearings. Matching numbers does not mean the new bearings are the exact match. In fact, I do not remember ever finding an exact match for a Craftsman bearing using the numbers. What I had to do was take the old bearing to a bearing retailer so they could measure all the important dimensions and find a suitable replacement.

Some older Craftsman machines used bearings with a metric outside diameter and a fractional inside diameter. An example is a 6202-5/8, which has a standard outer diameter of 35mm but a bore sized to fit a 5/8 inch shaft. It looks like a standard 6202 bearing, but you would need to measure it to determine the exact size.That's where you would need to measure it yourself or take it to a bearing supply house, as K.L. McReynolds said above.
Rick W

[petertay15]

OP here. Big surprise when I pounded out the motor bearing. Thanks to the suggestions here, I put the aluminum bell under a heat lamp for a minute, then tapped out the bearing. BUT, only one end has a bearing. The end with the cap (bottom photo) is just a bushing! No bearing at all. Amazing since this is a motor presumably meant to last a lifetime without lubrication. —Peter

[Stwood_]

That bushing is impregnated with lube.

[Phil Thien]

Don’t knock a good oil-impregnated sleeve bearing, they can provide great performance.

[petertay15]

It was that bushing that was locked up. Of course, it is loose now. Should I cook it in oil before putting everything back together?

[Stwood_]

You can, yes. .............

[MarkSingleton]

Sounds like you will be all good very shortly.