Bearing Guide

A list of replacement bearings for machines I have owned, or verified. The links are suggestions only. When possible, I recommend buying a high-quality bearing from one of the manufacturers listed at the bottom of the page. All lathes require 2 bearings unless otherwise noted.

Craftsman 103 Lathe (1958)
(As of 2022, quality bearings in this size are getting harder to find. I was unable to find a ZZ metal shielded bearing which was original equipment, only rubber sealed)

6203-3/4 RS metric bearing with 3/4" bore (19.05mm)

Comet II Lathe
NSK 6005ZZ or NTN 6005ZZ

Delta 46-111 Lathe
Short answer: NSK 6205ZZ or NTN 6205ZZ
Long answer is the original bearing was MRC 205FSF (2 each)
But MRC replaced that bearing with the 87xxx series
205FSF = 87505, 25mm x 52mm x 5/8" (mixed unit bearing)
I found it more economical to buy a 6205ZZ and that would be my recommendation.

Delta 46-460 Midi lathe
?? Unknown

Delta 930 Lathe (requires 2 each part)
Timken 07204 cup
Timken 07100 cone
This is a 2 part tapered roller bearing

Rikon 70-100 Lathe
25x47x12 Sealed Ball, lots of options on this one

Timken 6005RS or SKF 6005RS or Nachi 6005RS or Koyo 6005RS or SKF 6005-2RS

Rikon 70-220 VSR Lathe
Timken 6204-2RS & Timken 6005RS, 1 each

Delta/Rockwell 14" Band Saw
Bearing 6202Z, 2 each, top wheel
Bearing 6204Z, 2 each, bottom wheel

Porter Cable 7301 Laminate Trimmer
NSK 6002DW
NTN 608Z

Porter Cable 100M Router
NTN 608Z

Quality Bearing Manufacturers

• FAG / INA
• NTN
• NSK
• SKF
• Timken / Fafnir
• Koyo (JTEKT)
• Nachi
• Nice

Bearing Suffixes

• RS/2RS = rubber shield, superior dust protection, higher friction
• DW = thin rubber shield, excellent dust protection, medium friction
• Z/ZZ/2Z = metal shield, medium dust protection, low friction
• FSF = One felt seal and one shield

Misc suffixes

• C# (e.g. C3) = internal free space between moving parts, 3,4,5 is greater than normal, 1,2 is less than normal. This prevents the bearing from seizing if the inside or outside ring expands or contracts. 
• (NSK) DDU = contact rubber seals, VV = non-contact rubber seals
• (NTN) LLU = contact rubber seals, LLB = non-contact
• (Nice) DC = double sealed, same as RS, TNT = Shell Gadus 2 grease

Note, there is such a thing as mixed unit bearings that are measured both in millimeters and inches. Usually the bore is in inches and outside is in millimeters. Why such a thing exists I don't know.

Sources for bearings: I buy most of my bearings from ebay. I can usually find overstock or NOS (New Old Stock) higher quality bearing for a lower price, just be sure to buy from a reputable seller. I have no preference on manufacturer but prefer to buy American, German, Japan, in that order. I'm not a believer in buying super cheap Chinese bearings for machinery, mostly because I don't like replacing bearings. I would rather spend a little more and do it once than have to redo it every few years.