[TowerTalk] Inexpensive thrust bearing?

[Clint Talmadge]

The Amateur Block was actually Phenolic. I would not use wood, as wood absorbs moisture and swells. That might put the "squeeze" on the mast and bind the rotor.

An idea: Go to WallyWorld and get a plastic cutting board as thick as you can find. Cut it into pieces that will fit the top plate of the tower. Bolt the pieces together with flat head bolts so the heads will not interfere with the top plate, while the nuts will stick up in the air bothering nothing. Drill the mounting and mast holes and use it. The plastic will not retain moisture and will provide a smooth inner surface against which the mast can turn. The only "yahbut!" to the whole procedure is that the plastic may degrade in the sun.

Just an idea..
Clint - W5CPT

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: ersmar at verizon.net 
  To: Rob Frohne ; towertalk at contesting.com 
  Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 11:35 AM
  Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Inexpensive thrust bearing?


  Rob:

       Use a block of wood.  My Rohn catalog from ca 1987 carried a thing they called an Amateur Block (P/N AB) that was intended to be bolted onto a flat top plate.  It was nothing more than a block of wood with an appropriate hole for a mast drilled through it.  IIRC it might have even been split through the diameter of the hole to allow for some slop in its fit around the mast.  


  73 de
  Gene Smar  AD3F

  From: Rob Frohne <frohro at wwc.edu>
  Date: 2007/03/21 Wed PM 12:06:59 CDT
  To: towertalk at contesting.com
  Subject: [TowerTalk] Inexpensive thrust bearing?

  Hi Everyone,

  Does anyone have a source for an inexpensive thrust bearing?  I have a
  plate on the top of my tower with a hole through it, and was thinking of
  putting a thrust bearing on, but the ones I found were around $50 which
  for my frugal self is a bit spendy for a thrust bearing.  It seems that
  there is probably a cheaper way to do this with some kind of automobile
  bearing or a sleeve of pipe and some set screws, etc.  Does anyone have
  any advice?

  73,

  Rob, KL7NA
  -- 
  Rob Frohne, Ph.D., P.E.
  E.F. Cross School of Engineering
  Walla Walla College
  100 SW 4th Street
  College Place, WA 99324
  (509) 527-2075
  http://www.wwc.edu/~frohro/

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