The Craftmans Shop > New from Old
Boxford back from the dead
chipenter:
I don' know about Boxford but South Bend used taper pins all over the lathe .
seadog:
I'm struggling to think where there is a taper pin on my AUD. Possibly the gearbox, I can't think of anywhere else.
nrml:
Now that you have the lathe completely dismantled, can't you get the base of the feet ground to take out most of the twist?
AdeV:
Chipenter - no taper pins so far! Everything's held together with grub screws, cap-head bolts or regular nuts/bolts. I'm sure I'll find some when I come to dismantle the slides.
Nrml - I'm thinking, per Pekka's comment, that I might just ignore it for the time being. Once I strap it down to a base (unfortunately I don't have the original base - it was there, but I couldn't transport it) I'll see what happens. With a bit of luck, it'll pull itself back into shape without needing any work.
So, on to tonights shennanigans. Only did a bit tonight, I'm knackered! And getting all sorts of aches and twinges from lumping all these heavy, er, lumps around.
First up, I figured I'd have one last look at the countershaft/motor plate/headstock foot, to see if I couldn't wrangle the buggers free. And what do you know? It just slid right out!! The GT85 penetrating fluid I'm using in lieu of WD40 must have quietly done its work over the last 24 hours.
With the foot now separated from the base plate, I can see that the weird bit is, indeed, a "screw" of sorts. There's supposed to be a protruding lump on the shaft (it's missing) which engages in the slot. Twisting the lever 1/4 turn would thus push the motor plate out about 3/4" (very approx measurements, based entirely on guesswork at this point), which I assume is enough to swap the belt to a different set of pulleys.
Photo 35 shows you just how badly bent that shaft is. I tried to remove it through the foot casting, but it won't go. A rub down with some emery cloth might be enough to get the job done, if not, I'll cut the end off it. However, I'd quite like to extract it whole if I can, so I can take measurements to turn up a replacement. Photo 36 shows the hole where the knob would have gone, which then engages in the slot in the "quick screw" device (visible in the previous pic, and also the last pic in the last update post I wrote). This has to handle the belt tension, so it would need to be fairly strong. Hasn't stopped it escaping though!
So, having got that far, I need some emery, a pin spanner, and more time for the penetrating oil to make it all slippy, to go any further, so I set that aside and tackled the pulley carrier. I didn't take any pictures of disassembly, it all went with dreary ease. Finally I was down to just the bearing holding the pulleys. This bearing is ruined:
However, I should be able to press it off the shaft easily enough, and press on a replacement. The numbers are on the other side, though, so I have to remove it before I will know what to get! That'll be a job for the weekend. Pic 37 shows the offending item, although I could have sworn I'd taken the bearing cover off before I took the picture :scratch:
AdeV:
So finally tonight, I had a bit of a poke around the headstock. Removing the "inconvenient and slow to change bolted up" tumble reverse was a doddle, it slipped out smooth as silk. A little playing around got the back gear running just fine (the lever can be pushed too far, which over-meshes the gears and locks everything up. I suspect there should be a stop somewhere, but it's either broken, or missing, or it's supposed to be the operator's skill that does it... am unsure. The main front bearing is just fine (pics 38, 39).
Further evidence that this really IS one of the very early lathes is on the bearings - the inner race is marked "2788", just like the Lathes.co.uk site said it would be, if it were an early machine. These are, apparently, the more expensive bearings (typical!). Fortunately, it was packed full of old, but still greasy grease, and it's silent and smooth when turning, so I think there's life in the old dog yet. I'd wiped most of the grease away for the picture.
The bearings on the back-gear shaft are another story, they're quite rough. Hopefully they're just fairly ordinary ball bearings. Once I get the shaft out, I'll take a look. I'm not yet sure how to do that...
I couldn't get the back cover off the rear bearing, I think it's stuck on with old paint. I'll have a go at running a knife around the edge of it another day. Pic 39, boring as it is, shows where I got to. I had a go at removing the front lever, but it's stuck on tight. I don't know if it just needs some of the magic penetrating oil, or if there's more to it than just a grub screw.
Looks like I'll need a C pin spanner at the very least to undo the spindle assembly to disassemble further.
Now... if it really is an early machine, and all the evidence except for the pulleys, which should be flat belt pulleys, and the speed chart on the front (which is correct for the 4-speed pulley), that means it's got the exact same spindle as a South Bend (60 degree thread form) instead of the more usual Whitworth (55 degree). So if I ever want more chucks for this thing, I'll have to buy old South Bend stuff from the States. The gift that just keeps on giving :palm:
A question for you: What's the best way to shift old moly grease? Dissolve in petrol (gasoline) & wash it out? Dissolve in something else? Take it a long way outside, near to someone you don't like, and blast it with high pressure air? :wack: Best idea wins a cup of tea, which I will drink on your behalf. Or coffee, if you prefer. :coffee:
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