Other bearing for turntable use?

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Other bearing for Turnatable use?

I have been experimenting with video head bearings for my upcoming DIY turntable, it seems like it will be very successful, but today I found yet another bearing of promise, Hard Drive bearings, I found a dissasembled one in a classroom I was teaching in.

These things might be good for a platter bearing or even gimbal bearings, the quality is very very high, as it would need to be considering how a hard drive works, no movement is tolerable at all (well next to none) and they spin at very high speeds for hours on end and the friction level of a used one is very low. And most would be in very good condition as HDs are totally dust sealed!

Oh and free from a junked computer!

Anyone tried it for a TT?
 
Anyone thought of using engine tappets as a starting point for a bearing? They are highly polished and hard. Im thinking two could be connected by a smaller shaft (welded) to give the desired length. Im not sure if bushings of the correct size can be had (probably), or what they should be made of. Any thoughts on this?
JA
 

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Tappets have far higher forces than a turntable, are really bigger than you want. Also the "bushing" is usually drilled into the engine block, hard to cut-out. Little point in a precision tappet running in a rude improvised bearing.

Altmann has a good idea. Valve stems are more our size (yet far stronger than we need). While many engines drill the stem guides in the head, others have replaceable guides. The slop of a new stem in a new guide should be very-very small, yet not tight. The 100 pound springs on engine valves may tolerate a slightly tight fit: put some toothpaste on the stem, through the guide, to an electric drill, and spin to taste.

That article cites 50 weight oil. That is for a HOT Harley spinning 100 times faster than a turntable. SAE 10 or Sewing Machine oil ought to cover turntable lubrication. ATF (automatic transmission juice) is also very suitable for fine clearances in no-fire machines, and you can get a drop off your car's tranny dipstick.
 
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You might consider that overall, value stems are rather small in diameter and later TT designs are going bigger in dia. For more surface area considering they have considerable more weight than TT,s of the past.
They are plentiful and will work in a pinch
Oil viscosity is related to tolerance. Tight tolerances require thin oil and loose thick.

Regards
David
 
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