Method of manufacturing cylindrical bearing member

A method of manufacturing a cylindrical bearing member of a given length comprising the steps of:

• extruding a cylindrical column-shaped metallic member having said given length to form a primary intermediate article having a hollow cylindrical body portion and a transverse bottom wall,
• press-fitting said primary intermediate article into a die having one end flared by a flared punch to form a secondary intermediate article having a flared end portion open at one end of the cylindrical member in a flared manner,
• pushing down a grooved punch from said one open end into the inner central body portion of said secondary intermediate article to form a tertiary intermediate article having a plurality of blind grooves formed in the inner circumferential surface of central body portion of the article,
• press-fitting said tertiary intermediate article into a die whose inner circumferential surface is circular to form a fourth intermediate forged article processed in a round shape with said flared portion narrowed, and
• punching out the bottom wall of said fourth intermediate forged article to form a plurality of blind grooves each having blocked ends spaced from the top and bottom ends of the article in the longitudinal direction, parallel to the axial direction of the cylindrical body portion.