Select 816 B Lathe Acquired

[Danuzzo]

Recently purchased a used Select 816 B lathe. I have attached lots of photos. According to the spec sheet that came with it, the swing is 8 3/8", distance between centers is 16", weight is 275 lbs (don't know if that includes the legs and motor, but it felt like it did not). Hardened and ground bed ways. Also, taper roller bearings. I hope to be able to locate a manual for it or a similar lathe. Per my research, it was made in Taiwan around late 1970's or 1980.

I have not confirmed it yet; but, the spindle thread appears to be 1 1/2 -8 with, I think, may be a MT#3.

Came with a 4 jaw chuck, 3 jaw chuck (both made in England), faceplate, live center, tool holders steady rest, follow rest, tool bits,and various other items, It even came with a milling attachment that may be aftermarket that Have not yet tried to see if it fits.

Runs very nicely, back gear too. However, the spindle bearings appear to be heating up. Don't know if the heat is excessive or not. Looks like the bearings have grease zerk fittings that were surrounded with grease when I got the machine, so I added some bearing grease.

I hope to be able to find a manual for it or for a similar type lathe. Any help would be appreciated. Also, any input on this lathe or similar lathe would be appreciated, particularly with regard to the spindle bearings getting hot. If and when I need to replace the spindle tapered roller bearings, is it easy to find tapered roller bearings that would be an exact match in size?

 

[Danuzzo]

Couple more photos of the milling attachment and other items. Anyone know what that item is next to the milling attachment? Looks like 2 blocks with a thumbscrew that slide on round rails.

 

[Danuzzo]

I was really hopeful that someone being familiar with my lathe or a similar one would have responded or with the spindle bearings. Oh well, maybe one of these days someone will. In the meantime, I am very pleased with it's performance. I did neglect to mention that it has power cross feed as well. Used that today for some facing operations.

 

[Apprentice707]

Hello Danuzzo, This looks to be a useful lathe and very substantial. You may find this url useful.

"Select" & "David" Lathes They sell manuals but is also a very interesting site.

Cheers

B

 

[comstock-friend]

The same Taiwan factory probably made the same or very similar lathes for Enco, Jet and other distributors. So you can expand your search criteria. My Enco is very similar but is a 12"/36". I think the closest I got to a manual was for the Jet.

Your Select also looks like an Asian copy of the 9" South Bend, so for operation and function (not parts) the venerable SB 'How to Run a Lathe' will be useful.

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=17726
John

 

[Danuzzo]

Thank's, John and Apprentice707. Apprentice, I have been to that website and found it very helpful; but, I did not know they sold manuals. I will look further. I will also look at the site you linked, John. I appreciate the responses very much.

 

[RonW]

I was really hopeful that someone being familiar with my lathe or a similar one would have responded or with the spindle bearings. Oh well, maybe one of these days someone will. In the meantime, I am very pleased with it's performance. I did neglect to mention that it has power cross feed as well. Used that today for some facing operations.

If you go to www.lathes.uk and look in the "machine tool archive" your lathe is listed with a history. I didn't look further but I would not be surprised if Dave doesn't have a manual for it as a PDF. Material is .lastly free but he likes a donation from time to time. Have a look but be prepared to spend a lot of time " drooling" over what's there. A real mine of information.
RonW

 

[Apprentice707]

You could also try www.pdfdrive.net It is good for all sorts of manuals and books. all free and legal.

 

[J Harp]

I think that milling attachment is an Atlas product. It might need to be modified to fit your lathe.

 

[packrat]

Thanks for posting that site www.pdfdrive.net it is very good...

 

[Danuzzo]

I think that milling attachment is an Atlas product. It might need to be modified to fit your lathe.

May very well be. Color is a little different than the Select lathe. I been too busy trying out my new to me lathe to have time to try the milling attachment. I'll get around to it one of these days.

 

[goldstar31]

I stand to be corrected- as I'm only a humble mortal and not an engineer( whatever that might be)

Looking at Lathes..co. UK- which has better photographs, there TWO possibilities.
The first is that 'something' can be slotted on thee lathe's top slide as there are no Tee slots on the boring table. On that, there seems to be a spigot- rather like the one on the Myford Super 7. The ML7 has a tiddly peg!
So there is provision for a dedicated vertical slide with a spigot rather than a 'couple of tee nuts'
It doesn't exist and the alternative is ' something similar' and there is a suggestion which I cannot argue- from an Atlas lathe.

Actually, an English firm in the Lake District in Troutbeck ( G.P.Potts) made a set something similar.
The First bit was a pair of simple 'drilling and boring heads to be fitted to either a vertical slide or the top slide or boring table and the propulsion from a clock/watchmaker's set of pulleys. I have Two.
The next was a a tubular rise and fall gadget which could act as a vertical slide and bore/drill. I gave mine away to a friend who was a clockmaker and is now in his middle 90's and final one iis a complete rise and fall slide- with a Myford slotting and a single division plate and obvious;y a Myford spindle.

There is one advertised at £295 now. As with most things, the company no longer exists and the necessary castings were available from Woking Precision Models( A;ommg with Westbury castings) and it is no longer vtrading but I think that Hemingwaykits has the patterns.

Me, well I have a pre-war Perfecto vertical slide which fits my present Myford and my Sieg C4 but I have also a Myford vertical slide which, among other tasks, will take a GH Thomas small dividing head which has TWO Acme threads to do any number not immediately available from the 3 Division plates- and- natually, the single hole division plate.

That's the story- about what is possible to our original poster. I wish him well.


Norman

 

[BaronJ]

Hi Danuzzo,

I'm surprised that no one has pointed out to you that the headstock bearings are intended to be oiled, not greased ! Using grease will cause the bearings to get hot simply because of the churning of the grease in them.

If you have the manual it should tell you how to adjust the bearings and what to lubricate them with. They are not cheap either !

 

[Danuzzo]

Hi Danuzzo,

I'm surprised that no one has pointed out to you that the headstock bearings are intended to be oiled, not greased ! Using grease will cause the bearings to get hot simply because of the churning of the grease in them.

If you have the manual it should tell you how to adjust the bearings and what to lubricate them with. They are not cheap either !

Thanks. Yes, I am aware of the great debate between oil and grease for the spindle bearings, most going with oil. However, I do not have the manual, and there are grease (I guess they could be for oil) zerk fittings in the headstock on each end of the spindle. There are numerous oil fillers on other parts of the lathe, outside of the headstock. Also, all the evidence I observed appeared that the bearings were greased on this used lathe, not oiled. There is a leakage of excess grease that came from the inboard and outboard spindle ends outside and inside the headstock.

If oil is the proper lubricant on this lathe, is there any way to switch over without taking the spindle off and cleaning all he grease?

 

[Danuzzo]

I think that milling attachment is an Atlas product. It might need to be modified to fit your lathe.

You are in fact correct. Good call. The model number is 10-500 (actually has 10-501 and 10-502 stamped on it). I looked it up, and low and behold, it comes back as an Atlas. I may just end up selling it.

 

[clockworkcheval]

The item next to the milling attachment looks like an item we made at our horological workshop as part of a copying attachment. We load the item with springs and it pushes the slide (spindle removed) to the sheet-metal form at the back of the slide. However I do not see the other elements of such an attachment, like the support for the sheet-metal form.

 

[BaronJ]

Thanks. Yes, I am aware of the great debate between oil and grease for the spindle bearings, most going with oil. However, I do not have the manual, and there are grease (I guess they could be for oil) zerk fittings in the headstock on each end of the spindle. There are numerous oil fillers on other parts of the lathe, outside of the headstock. Also, all the evidence I observed appeared that the bearings were greased on this used lathe, not oiled. There is a leakage of excess grease that came from the inboard and outboard spindle ends outside and inside the headstock.

If oil is the proper lubricant on this lathe, is there any way to switch over without taking the spindle off and cleaning all he grease?

Hi Danuzzo,
I wouldn't call it a debate Some manufacturers recommend grease. However you should use what ever the lathe manufacturer says.

As far as cleaning the grease out without stripping the bearings out and washing them in a solvent, I would try and pump some oil into them and hope that it pushes the grease out, probably into the gearbox. At least it will thin the grease down and allow the spindle to rotate more freely. Whether it will clean them is impossible to say.

The problem with grease in the spindle bearings is because of the relatively low rotational speed, the grease gets churned and forced into any gap or void where it behaves like a solid adding rolling resistance as the rollers or balls try to climb over the grease.

 

[Danuzzo]

Update: My spindle pulley is loose on the spindle, as if the bore of the pulley is larger than the spindle shaft.. No way to make it tight from my attempts. Set screw does nothing. There is no key slot for the pulley, and it appears the only thing holding it in place is the back gear.

So, in light of the very warm running bearings and this loose pulley, I decided needed to remove the spindle. What I discovered is that the spindle measures 1.575" OD where the pulley goes, while the pulley bore is 1.625", a difference of .050". No bushing of any kind, nor any bushing referenced in the parts schematic. Is it possible that it was designed this way? This obviously explains the play between the pulley and the spindle.

I got the rear bearing out (came right out) Front bearing still on. Both races still on; but, it looks like I might be able to pry off the races due to a little space (about 3/16" behind them between the bearings and the headstock casting).

Never replaced bearings before, and any comments or advice I can get would be would be appreciated. Here are some photos.

 

[BaronJ]

Hi Danuzzo,

Sorry I mistakenly thought you were referring to the headstock bearings.

At least you can now get at them to clean and re lubricate them with oil.

That pulley should be a good fit on the shaft.

 

[ShopShoe]

It sounds like someone wanted to repair or assemble that lathe and just rounded up some parts to get the job done.

I am not familiar with that machine, but can you get the bearings races out by driving or pressing from the back side, preferably with a brass or other tool softer than the other metals?

Good luck and please let us know how it all works out.

--ShopShoe