I'm working on a project that has a shelf with a rotating table in the middle. The rotating table has a 19" video monitor in the middle of it and sits parallel to the ground. It's looks somewhat like a large donut and rests on a shelf. The monitor will spin around as needed (usually 90 degrees at a time and very infrequently) I initially looked for a huge lazy susan but couldn't find one. I then looked at thin section thrust bearings, but that would have cost $1000+. My alternative is to route a cove in the top of the shelf and in the bottom of the rotating table. In the cove I'll put 1/2" steel ball bearings. The cove will act as a "bearing race", hopefully keeping the bearings contained and allowing the parts to move freely and easily.
My question is, has anyone done anything similar? What problems might I have in doing this? Will the bearings indent the wood and create divets in the cove (from the weight). The monitor weighs somewhere around 30-40 lbs. Would it be a bad idea to put bearing grease in the cove with the bearings? I was thinking of painting some hot parafin wax on the coves and then rubbing it off. This should protect the wood from a light application of bearing grease.