i have been trying to think how i could do that myself, that sounds simple enough. i have a bench grinder and vernier calipers.

i do know a friend of a friend who works in a tool making workshop, might see if i can call in a favour when the time comes.

being a noob i am not sure what a pillow block is. do you mean a small square of mdf with a hole for the bearing? you then make a hole larger than needed in the machine chassis so that the pillow block can be moved to line it up perfectly?

also, if i am going to get some thrust bearings i need to understand them a little. my understanding of thrust bearings is that they handle the load laterally along the length of the screw but they have no ability to handle side to side loads. do i need a ball bearing and a thrust bearing in each pillow block or am i missing something?