Bearing Assembly For Tufting Machine Cutting Attachment

A tufting apparatus comprising:

• a cutting assembly comprising at least one shaft;
• a frame that supports and receives therethrough each shaft of the at least one shaft;
• and
• at least one bearing assembly, each bearing assembly being disposed between the frame and a respective shaft of the at least one shaft, wherein each respective bearing assembly comprises:
• a journal bearing positioned on the respective shaft, the journal bearing having opposing first and second ends;
• a first split collar that is positioned on the first end of the journal bearing and a second split collar that is positioned on the second end of the journal bearing, wherein the first and second split collars apply a compressive force to fixedly couple the shaft to the journal bearing;
• and
• a bearing race having an inner surface that defines a cylindrical bore, wherein the journal bearing is rotatably disposed within the cylindrical bore of the bearing race, wherein at least a portion of the bearing race positioned between the journal bearing and the frame, and wherein the journal bearing is positioned between the first and second split collars,
• wherein the bearing comprises a stop surface that is configured to bias against the frame to fix the axial position of the bearing race in a first direction, and
• wherein the first split collar is configured to bias against the frame to fix the axial positon of the bearing race in an opposed second direction.