TIPS ON PRECISION SPINDLE REBUILD 

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.

When the presenter is as knowledgeable and informative as you: -Short video = Good -Long video = Excelent

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.

Long format any day! Learned a lot, especially about grease packing bearings. Thanks Robin!

It's hilarious how much it stands out that this channel seems to only have comments from people who can spell.

“I’m not a spindle expert” - really? Then who the hell is????

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!

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!

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

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!

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.

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. :-)

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

There are some great machinists and teachers on youtube but you are in a class by yourself Robin. Thank you for putting this together

Long is great when full of content, well done sir.

brilliant! 'good as new' would be an insult

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 made it to the end in one sitting. Thanks for sharing - a goldmine of good information!

".....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

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 RU-vid. Thank you Robin!

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 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.

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!

Re: Video length. Any RobRenz video is a good video.

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.

Hope you're doing well Robin, I always come back to your videos, some of the most in depth stuff on the platform

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!

"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 RU-vid. Thank you for your videos.

wooly masterdon tooth ....you had me going there 😂😂

I'm an English teacher with only a drill and a Dremel but I watched this in one go. Yes, please send help!

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.

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. 😉👍

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!

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!

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.

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.

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

“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

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 !!!

Always appreciate when you take the time to put up long form content on RU-vid. Your Instagram is like a charcuterie board of precision, RU-vid is like the main course!

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.

That's the best spindle rebuild video I've seen. I could watch this all day long. Excellent work, thank you!

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.

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?

unfortunately the video turns into a slide show from 1:23:00 on

"If you're worried it's gonna cut you, it's not done" wow what a thread philosophy. I'm taking that.

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 RU-vid, 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.

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.

Thanks a million for your time

Probably the most informative 90 minutes that I have ever spent. Thank you very much.

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.

Robin, this is one of the most insightful videos I've watched on RU-vid. 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

Long videos from RobRenz? Definitely good.

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!

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.

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!

Yeah I've made it so far nonstop. Thanks for sharing, that was awesome.

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

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. :)

Any video from you is appreciated, even a short one like this one :D.

Robin, you're a national treasure.

I can stop at 2 beers, I can only eat half a pint of Ben and Jerry's, BUT an hour and a half of Robin rebuilding a spindle....I shall not be moved !!!! I feel no shame :)

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

Your knowledge and dedication to correctness is awesome! I can only dream about having such nice tools. Thanks!

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

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!

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.

guess I need help Robin. I watched start to end - twice. truly fascinating.

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

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.

Wish I had a time machine so I coulda seen this last summer when I reassembed the vertical and horizontal spindles of my deckel. I think I got it done good enough, but with the tips and knowledge contained in this video I could probably have taken it to another level.

I had a plan for the day, it was going to be busy. Then a RobRenz video lands and my plans are in tatters. 😁 Great to have you back!

"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?

A Magnum Opus. I made it to the end! Thank you, Robin. Lots of wisdom in there. 👍👌💪🦶👀

FANTASTIC content. THANK YOU a thousand times over for taking the time to make this!

OK, I know I need help! Thanks for helping me. There are things I learned that I had never considered.

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

Thanks a million, Robin. Watched all at once and remained rapt. I really appreciate the schooling!

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

I have a lot of experience, but I’m not an expert . That is humble wisdom .

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.

Sat thru the whole video, great information, I'm rebuilding my 612 boyer schultz grinder and have found your technique spot on perfect, thank you for sharing the incredible amount of detail that is required for spindle assembly.

After you recommended the Timken Fafnir catalog I printed the entirety of it out and its become my new favorite reading. Thank you for the suggestion

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!

Mind-bogglingly-fantastic content. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise in such detail. It’s very refreshing to see such quality.

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.

Robin, your RU-vid 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.

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!

Best youtube video on this topic so far. Quickly went through it and learned alot already. That "massage" tool was awsome. Will check the entire video out as soon as I have some time over. Great job!!!

Love all the videos, tips and tricks on all your platforms Robin. Thank you for keeping the trade alive and informed

Yes Rob I made it through the video, if nothing else to find out how little I know. Very informative and professional.

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.

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 saw this video in my feed and it made me chuckle because I just rebuilt my surface grinder spindle yesterday.

What a superb introduction to this topic. Thanks for the effort Robin. Paul

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!

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! :)

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 .

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.