Can some one help me out.
I’ve got a skil 100 that needed a serious cleaning. I’m trying to get the barrel taken apart so I can change the bearings, but this gear just won’t let to.
Is there a trick to getting the gear off?
Please help.
Thanks.
Have you tried a sdmall gear puller?
So I ended taking the guard and belt off my other skil and low and behold the gear slid right off. There is I managed to work away and get most of the gear of the shaft but its going to take a bit more work.
My next issue I ran into is the bearings are stuck on inside both ends of the barrel cavity. Any ideas on how to pry these out?
I can’t wait until my referb is complete.
DO NOT pry or beat, it took me several years to find a “small” gear / bearing puller, most standard pullers are too beefy to get behing the gear or bearings, use liberal amounts of marvel mystery oil or similar products to help the pieces slide off easier
Also when you do manage to get the gear off make sure you don’t loose the keyway piece that holds the gear onto the shaft. I made this mistake one time & it took me quite some time before i could get/find another one.
Buy a gear puller from the bearing shop, and if you have to get the right size bolts to extend past the whatever you call that part that screws on the body. Remember where you put beariing puller to do it again in however many years it takes for the bearings to go out again has been the hardest part for me to get. If you have to take the part to the bearing shop and they will probably help you out. Its a good time to do the bearings on the motor too since you have the thing already torn up. If your scared or whatever have Petec rebuild your planer; I am thinking about having him do one of mine, especially if I can’t find that bearing puller; still like most of you guys here I am pretty cheap. Petec does make’m run and sound purdy.
PeteC, final answer.
Gear Puller it is. I never even knew that tool existed.
Thanks.
If either rear-most bearings are stuck, you have to drill two small holes from the outside and use a punch to knock them out (cutter or motor sides). Not for amateurs. If they’re stuck to the shafts, you need to use a bearing separator first to get enough space for the jaws of the puller to get under the bearings. I’ve never seen a separator or puller that works on these bearing sizes without considerable modifications. If you don’t know what a gear puller is, well you shouldn’t be attempting to do this yourself. And never spray any penetrating lubricant near the motor to try a free up rusted or stuck parts. Old tech motor brushes spark like hell and will ignite oils and such, and then you have a flamin’ Skil.
The new bearings are pressed on both shafts for the rear ones, and into the cover plates for the outer ones (arbor press, not a hammer). If a bearing doesn’t fit tightly in a cover plate, then it has been spun-out and you need a new plate. Same with the rear ones; if the motor armature or cutter head with bearing slips in with no resistance, the housings are gone. If you assemble it anyway, the cutter or armature will wobble and vibrate and the belt will track all crazy. I’ve seen Skil’s with these problems for sale with the loose bearings epoxied in. They still run funny and an experienced user can tell.
Its a bearing puller, not a gear puller. I will try and find it, and get some pics posted.
Puller 
Separator Combination puller/separator
Great work Pete! The tool on the bottom you call a “Combination puller/separator” is the tool, and you need those different bolts to either extend it or make it smaller. Bravo, Pete.
There is another puller that goes into a hole (reverse of the one shown), but I’ve never seen one tiny enough for the Skil bearing holes (.312" diameter). A puller and separator costs about $75 together, and the combo tool about about the same. So if the rear bearings at the cutter and motor come off the shafts and are stuck inside, drilling holes from the outside is the only safe way to get them out. I’ve adapted a screw extractor to a puller, but there was a lot of risk cracking the housings around the bearings, so I went back to the drilling. Some Skil’s that were used for boatbuilding have the bearings really rusted in tight.
For what it’s worth I would have Pete refurbish your Skil, I sent Pete my 7.5 and it runs like a champ, worth every penny
Thanks again Pete
Fresh, I was able to remove a stuck cutter head bearing by briefly and carefully heating up the area with a blow torch. I did not want to drill a hole on the housing out of fear of cracking it. Metal expands when heated and contracts when cooled but be very careful with cast aluminum. Good luck
Thanks for the kind words Tom. Nice knob, making these has become a lost art. Back in the day, they poured a thin layer of whatever color resin that was left after various glass jobs in a paper cup until there was about 1/4" in the bottom. Then a 3/8 bolt was stuck in and held it straight with some tape. Leftover resin was again layered in until you had the thickness you wanted, and then the cup was peeled off and it was brushed with some clear hotcoat from another job. The bolt was chucked into a drill (held by another guy) while you took the Milwaukee to it until you got the shape (ball, mushroom, etc) desired. The bolt is cut off to 3/8" to fit the Skil when all the gloss and polish was done. Often these were given as gifts by glassers. I love seeing custom knobs, I hope others will make some as it really personalizes your Skil.
Thanks Pete, here’s a couple more
Try pouring the resin into a light bulb coated with mold release.
Thanks Tom, those are really nice. Can you share how they’re made?
Looks like he’s cutting up bowling balls, and then turning the pieces on a lathe. Nice custom appearance.