help getting lathe up and running?

[goldstar31]

At the risk of expected criticism, I would forget all this stuff about alignment, do it yourself gizmos and other devices and determine PRECISELY what has happened to your lathe and especially, its bed and saddle over what is many years. We now know that some ''comedian' has been parting off with the lathe running and using a hacksaw.
There are other discoveries which have to be unearthed and I would simply arm myself with a packet of cigarette papers, a set of feeler gauges and a sweethearted bit of plate glass( I said plate glass) from the local glazier! Ideally, it should be a bit larger than the lathe.
leaving the mounting bolts out, I would put the plate over the top of the bed and by using the feeler gauges- or if wear is negligible, the cigarette papers. Ideally, it should be possible to draw a relief map of the 'hills and hollows'

Then- and only then, should a decision be made of the future work.

Once done, it will be possible to comment.

Regards

Norman

 

[goldstar31]

Incidentally there was quite a bit on the subject in MadModder about the late David Lammas who overhauled an early Myford and wrote it all up in Model Engineer. 'Miner', the late and very lamented John Stevenson and myself went to town on it. Sadly, the original poster has not been heard of for the last 4 years!
'Miner' was also poorly- so that's it.

Maybe someone with access to old Model Engineers will unearth the two articles and perhaps my PostBag write up in the same magazine.

Earlier here, I wrote up about the existence of Machine Tool Reconditioning by Connelly. Was the lathe overhaul bit on the said lathe? Checked- it was a South Bend but it was a flat bed job

 

[Putt-Rite]

how about I pour a 6" plinth? Or more or less?

 

[DanP]

This is what I made to install and remove the chucks on my Super 7. 3/4" 5 ply, 10" from chuck centre to tip of handle.

 

[Putt-Rite]

At the risk of expected criticism, I would forget all this stuff about alignment, do it yourself gizmos and other devices and determine PRECISELY what has happened to your lathe and especially, its bed and saddle over what is many years. We now know that some ''comedian' has been parting off with the lathe running and using a hacksaw.
There are other discoveries which have to be unearthed and I would simply arm myself with a packet of cigarette papers, a set of feeler gauges and a sweethearted bit of plate glass( I said plate glass) from the local glazier! Ideally, it should be a bit larger than the lathe.
leaving the mounting bolts out, I would put the plate over the top of the bed and by using the feeler gauges- or if wear is negligible, the cigarette papers. Ideally, it should be possible to draw a relief map of the 'hills and hollows'

Then- and only then, should a decision be made of the future work.

Once done, it will be possible to comment.

Regards

Norman

You Guys,

Oh man it's going to take me quite soem time to get this thing in turning trim...I hope y'all can hang in there with me...I intended to do an Al pour today and also pour the concrete for the plinth but it's not happening, too many little things in the way in the shed...

I should probably turn some rounds on the wood lathe and make up a grid of them so I can pour 3-4 round bars at a time before I do anything...oh but first I need the form for the plinth...but I want to do both at the same time lol...

if you can hang in there it'll make me a happy camper...

I think I'll do a 6" reinforced plinth for under the black sewing machine stand; the stand is low so I'll sit down to work and that will also make it stiffer than standing-height. I will add an angle iron stiffener, I think it has a little wobble to it as it is now, and a shelf for 3 cinder blocks filled with concrete for added weight, and maybe make the top double-thickness, or maybe not. I have to settle on something and get going...

 

[Milliron]

I have had one of these in the past. They will work just fine for a first lathe If the chuck is seized on the spindle, use caution ,the back gears which would allow you to lock the spindle with the pin engaged are made of zamick. It is a pot metal used for die casting and can not really be repaired if broken. I wouldn't t wedge anything in the gear teeth for that reason.don t panic if it is stuck, I have never seen one that would not come off if you were careful. You should be able to really tighten the drive belt and put a 10in. Crescent wrench on one of the chuck jaws and bump firmly with the palm of your hand to remove it. Contact me if you need additional help. Henry

 

[DJP]

My first lathe, a 1940s Southbend 9, came with wooden stand and the storage space beneath soon became loaded with spare chucks, steady rests and other tooling to provide stabilizing weight. The lathe was well worn so that parting off was a challenge with excessive vibration that I don't think any bench strength would have fixed.

Before you get overwhelmed with suggestions, I would simply log each idea in a project file for some future date. The important thing is to know if the lathe works as adding money to repair it may be better spent on a new lathe which may or may not fit on your custom made bench.

Personally I would test the important parts of this project first which is to confirm that the machine is useable. If not, you will have different issues and new priorities. You may even find a good used lathe that is in better shape so investing too much in this one would not be my approach.

I'll leave you to it as it's your project and my thoughts are just suggestions for your project file. It does bother me that you are trying to deal with every new suggestion so please ignore mine if it helps.

 

[Anatol]

re: stuck chuck
Kroil is magical stuff, but you have to give it time to work (like weeks) applying Kroil daily or every few days. 50/50 ATF and acetone is a commonly used alternative. I call it 'poor man's kroil'.
Don't underestimate the power of hot and cold. If you can heat the chuck (not too hot, maybe with an electric hotplate) and cool the shaft (with ice) it might just drop off - especially if you have soaked it in kroil for a week or two.
just my two cents

 

[ShopShoe]

What Anatol said: Soak your stuck parts with the fluid of your choice, then use hot and and cold to cause expansion/contraction to help break the bond, then soak with fluid again. Repeat this cycle as many times as it takes. Be very careful with applying any kind of added force and be very patient.

One of the most satisfying of shop experiences is to finally get something apart without damaging anything.

Let us know how it goes.

--ShopShoe

 

[Anatol]

What ShopShoe said: "use hot and and cold to cause expansion/contraction to help break the bond, then soak with fluid again"

A dead-blow hammer can be useful later in the process to shock encrusted corrosion. I'd put the chuck face down and give it a knock on the side about every 45 degrees.

 

[Putt-Rite]

Hokay one of my mistakes was listing too many issues I have to deal with

I've thought about the plinth...24" x 48" x 4" will weigh 382 lbs. I'd add 2 eyes to it so it could be moved in the future (I have an HF engine hoist crane thing. I wouldn't mind putting this off for a little while as I have house (circa 1912, asbestos siding, the works)maint. going on and when I think about it, I really don't want to do this...but I have to...I just don't want the labor...

I do have it temp. bolted to the wood bench I made...how about we assemble it so it is at least put all together so I know what it looks like? Then I can disassemble and decide what to do next...I need to hook up the motor and reverse switch and etc.

smallish parts can be gotten from South Bend and I do have a carbide long handled scraper. There's also peopel parting out old machines all the time...

So how about I next bolt down the countershaft bracket assembly?

 

[john_reese]

When you have the bed cleaned up measure the width of the bed at several points between the headstock end and the tailstock end. The dimensions at the extreme ends of the bed will be the original width. These areas are not subject to wear from the carriage. If the portion of the bed where the saddle contact it are narrower than the original width you will have to grind or scrape the edges of the bed to get them parallel. Failure to do so will result in a lathe that will not cut consistent diameters. That is a problem with flat ways. With V ways you can do accurate work even with a worn bed