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If you have: Access to a wood lathe; A small supply of one of the hardwoods mentioned above (I'd go with apple wood if you can get it, or sugar-maple/rock-maple/hard-maple or whatever it is called in your area if you can't); A set of inside calipers and a set of outside calipers; and a couple of hours, you can make your own. If the old wooden bearing is not too rotted but only broken, you can use it for a pattern. (If not, use the inside calipers to get a rough idea of the size these bearings need to be.) Rough out the basic shape on the lathe, and as you get closer to the necessary diameter, check frequently with the calipers. I'd leave it a little big to begin with -- you can fit it to closer tolerances later. Once you have the bearings turned to just about the right size (as close as you can get, that is), I'd boil them in oil for a while. (On top of a woodstove -- if you have one -- is a great way to do this.) I remember seeing an old ad for the Studebaker Bros. Wagon Company (yes, they later manufactured automobiles) wherein they boasted that their wagon axles were made of solid hickory and boiled in oil for six hours. I guess *that* must have saturated those axles! Anyway, once the bearings are boiled & you're convinced that they're ready to install, double check the diameters of the bearings and axles, both outside and inside. You may need to do a little bit of work with a fine file or some sandpaper if the oil caused the wood to swell up much. It's OK if they are just a little bit tight; in fact, you want them that way. If they're good and tight, every time you grease them you'll push out any grit that may have worked its way into them. Before you install the bearings, make sure that all surfaces are clean, shiny, and grit-free. If not, do the necessary prep work with wire brush, file, sandpaper and/or crocus cloth, and be sure to clean up any filings or sandpaper grit (I usually use gasoline and a rag or a spray can of brake cleaner.) A little bit of axle grease will usually hold the bearings in place while you get things put back together. Once everything has been reassembled, turn the discs to make sure they spin just barely freely and don't bind. Then torque all bolts to necessary specs. Wash out the grease cups (or zerk fittings), again with gasoline or brake cleaner, and put grease in them before re-installing. Lastly, walk the grease to them and keep an eye on them to make sure they have enough grease, especially the first few times you use the implement. With frequent greasing and by storing the implement in out of the rain, those new bearings should last decades. Good luck with your project, and let us know how you make out! -- Maine Fordson
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