I finally have a Lathe Project...

[aarggh]

That looks a fair bit work in front of you there, what is the best way for you to remove the rust without pitting or further damaging the surface?

cheers, Ian

 

[kf2qd]

Looks like smoke damage not fire and heat damage.

 

[ConductorX]

I cleaned that spot on the ways with only a green scotch brite and some elbow grease. I rather not use a rust converter like naval jelly or the like. The ways and certain other parts should be shiny. The rough cast areas I plan to wire brush with power tools and then repaint. I mainly need advice, Should I take it down to component parts? That is how I restore cars, even to the point of drilling out spot welds to get a rust inside heater channels an such.

The heat damage was to the aluminum plates that have the settings stamped on them they were melted away. Also in the cabinet is a variable speed drive system that had aluminum parts that melted away. I think a variable speed DC drive will easily replace that part.

If you tell me what those parts are with the question marks that would help a bunch.

"G"

 

[Swifty]

Pic 3: depth stops for turret
Pic 4: taper turning attachment
Pic 6: boring bars
Pic 7: adjustable turret style stop for saddle
Pic 12: travelling steady
Pic 14: milling attachment

Paul.

 

[chipenter]

At least yours is all there mine was missing feed screw and gibb strips , I have also restored cars M G s , strip it down as you would a car into boxes or trays and do one thing at a time , you will have to check the alignment anyway and lathes are heavy ,

 

[tomo]

That's not a bad a bad looking lathe! Just a bit of tlc.

 

[McLarenross]

Wow man. You've got your work cut out for ya. Should be a fun project. If the lathe got hot enough to melt the aluminum pulleys in the drive system I would be very afraid of the heat treatment of the ways and whether it had warped them or not. If the head stock is frozen up your probably gonna need bearings which arent cheap. I would also suggest a full tear down to its smallest components and thoroughly clean and inspect every single part for heat damage.

 

[ConductorX]

Pic 3: depth stops for turret
Pic 4: taper turning attachment
Pic 6: boring bars
Pic 7: adjustable turret style stop for saddle
Pic 12: travelling steady
Pic 14: milling attachment

Paul.

Taper turning seems to be an important skill. I will have to see and understand how that works. I assume there is some adjustment there to cause the cutting tool to travel at a constant angle to the part you are turning.

A traveling steady would be attached to the carriage to support turning a shaft?

I think I can see how the milling attachment would work in pic #14. I could put an end mill in the lathe chuck. Then attach the part to that tool to do the milling. Is that correct?

Thanks for the info, I plan to keep you posted as things progess. Right now I am waiting on my shop to be delivered and installed. It isn't even here yet.

"G"

 

[Swifty]

Haven't used a taper turning attachment since trade school over 40 years ago. But as I recall, they can be adjusted for a limited range of degrees. Yes, the travelling steady is fixed to the carriage to support thin work right near the cutting tool, I can't recall ever having to use one, although every lathe seems to be supplied with one. Never used a milling attachment on a lathe, but if you do a search on this you will find plenty of advice. I have always had a milling machine, but there are plenty of members that do use the attachment.

Paul.

 

[Tin Falcon]

the some kind of chuck with center missing I believe is a Jacobs chuck. The inside is tapered and a rubber collet with steel inserts goes inside. they come in various sizes and usually in sets.
I have never used them but a place i worked had them.

It has been a little while since I used my taper attachment. IIRC one end is calibrated in degrees the other in inches per foot taper. you disengage the cross slide screw lock in the taper attachment and the taper attachment moves the cross slide as you move the carriage in the z axis or longitudinal.
they are nice for machining Morse tapers . the lines get you close. then you either set up a finished taper to copy and indicate in the last bit or use a taper gage of some sort and do the die and try method. And you can measure the taper per inch with layout lines and a mic.
Tin

 

[kquiggle]

Looks like a fun project ahead of you - better get yourself a barrel of elbow grease.

I think the part you have labeled "Adjustable Tool Holder" is a milling attachment that bolts onto the cross slide. I look forward to seeing comments from other people on this forum who know more than I do.

 

[Ryker Carruthers]

I have a 16" south bend that had the same thing happen to it. It is an older one, 1922, so all the babbit was melted out but we do that for the steam engine so no biggie. Also something you may want to try is electrolysis to remove rust. I talked to a good friend about cleaning the ways and he said you basicly cant hurt them unless you try to. He said fine bristled wire wheel or a wetstone will do great

 

[ConductorX]

I have a 16" south bend that had the same thing happen to it. It is an older one, 1922, so all the babbit was melted out but we do that for the steam engine so no biggie. Also something you may want to try is electrolysis to remove rust. I talked to a good friend about cleaning the ways and he said you basicly cant hurt them unless you try to. He said fine bristled wire wheel or a wetstone will do great

Good news about the ways. I plan to remove all of the parts bolted to the ways and check them with a straight edge for warping. If they pass then I will continue to restore the lathe.

It doesn't have babbit bearings that I can find. I found this drawing of the head stock. It has two tapered roller bearings opposed to each other and a set of ball bearings on the outboard end. My fear is these bearings are damaged and no more are in captivity.

I will keep everyone posted.

"G"

 

[IrnHed]

I found that truck repair places know where to find old &/or obsolete parts. They're really helpful if they know what you're up to. Seem to love model engines & things to decorate their walls.

Speaking of which, any luck getting the "Watch Repairs" sign? Be a good inside joke on the wall

IrnHed

 

[ConductorX]

I'll have to ask about that sign. The warehouse where the lathe was stored is chock-a-block full of old signs, gas pumps, a Packard car, a 75' Harley and a farm sprayer. The sprayer is on a wood wagon with steel wheels, a wood tank, pump and a hit and miss engine to operate the pump. I did ask for permission to photograph it once restoration starts.

"G"

 

[Todd...]

the unkown chuck is a jacobs rubber flex, unsure of size but you are missing the collets that go in the middle, wich are steel bands held together by rubber. supposed to work pretty well from what i hear and the collets are readily available new or used.

 

[Meldonmech]

Hi Ron,
I have restored a few machine tools, and would suggest that if possible break down into units, and completely restore each including painting. When you see a completed unit it will inspire you to go on to complete the next one. To completely clean the whole lathe this size, can make you feel you are getting nowhere.
Good Luck with the project David

 

[kvom]

I have a rubberflex chuck and collets. They are useful for sizes for which my 5c collets don't work, and each collet has a fairly wide size range. They are particularly useful for holding material that is threaded or knurled; I cut a strip of thin metal from a soda can to wrap around the work and insert the covered part into the collet.

The taper attachment works as Tin says. You need to disengage the cross slide screw (usually a bolt head for this somewhere on the cross slide itself) and lock the taper attachment itself to the ways (on my lathe that's a separate piece). Then when the carriage is moved the angled slide forces the tool in or out. Setting the slide angle can be a bit of a challenge. With a DRO, use two DIs to measure the X and Y coords as you move the carriage in the direction you intend to cut (always measure this way to eliminate backlash in the screw). The ratio of the two readings give you the tangent of the slide angle. On some lathes you can use a sine bar or angle bar between the slide and the ways to set the angle, and in any case a protractor will get you pretty close.

For duplicating a taper such as a Morse, you can check the the taper to be duplicated in headstock, and then adjust until a DI attached to the carriage and touching the taper does change as you move the carriage. It's finicky any way you go.

 

[ConductorX]

OK so this weekend I want to remove the head stock, carriage and the turret. I can see the bolts for the head stock and turret.

The carriage appears to have some allen head screws that would seperate the main parts.

Also two bolts that attach the taper tool to the carriage.

Any thing else I need to find or look for?

Thanks much,
Gary

 

[rhitee93]

You have a great project there! I redid a WWII era South Bend 10L a few years ago. I tore it down to the last nut and bolt, and would highly recommend that approach. Not only can you get everything as clean as the day it left the factory, but by the time you get it put back together, you will know the lathe very well, and maintaining it will be a breeze.

I used a hot Trisodium phosphate bath to strip most of my parts. I had a plastic 55-gallon drum with no top. I suspended a 5-gallon bucket heater in the drum to get it up to about 150F and put my parts in. The TSP will take off every bit of grease as well as the old paint. Yo will have to scrub a bit, but you can get the parts very clean, and ready for paint.

I reassembled my lathe in the position it is in today. I just don't have any way to move the thing when it is in one piece.

Good luck, and please keep posting pics of your progress