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The Shop => Tools => Topic started by: yorkie_chris on December 16, 2012, 03:26:13 PM

Title: Changewheel set up
Post by: yorkie_chris on December 16, 2012, 03:26:13 PM
So on with the very steady improvement of my old denham lathe, it uses changewheels for screwcutting. I've got some of the wheels but not the full set.

At the moment it's a bit of a bodgerama, I didn't get any sort of shaft or anything to hold the gears on the segment arm.

The gears have a 3/4" bore with keyway, the slot on the segment arm is 5/8".


Can anyone recommend a clever solution for this? I haven't seen any old lathes with this setup to copy but there must be plenty on here.
Title: Re: Changewheel set up
Post by: awemawson on December 16, 2012, 03:54:40 PM
So you need to turn up a short stub, with a  5/8 diameter and 5/8 thread at one end, a plain 3/4" section at the other with probably a reduced diameter part on the end threaded 5/8". The stub is retained onto the quadrant with a 5/8 nut on the 'far' side of the quadrant, the gear slips onto the 3/4 plain section, with a fat washer followed by a 5/8" nut.

You will also probably want to make up one with a double length 3/4 plain section for pairs of gears pinned together, though sometimes a sleeve is used with a keyway to fix two gears together
Title: Re: Changewheel set up
Post by: DavidA on December 16, 2012, 04:28:55 PM
I've just done the same thing with my lathe after getting a gear set that had different bore diameters.
It's just a matter of turning up a set of adapters.

Very satisfying when it is all done.

Dave.
Title: Re: Changewheel set up
Post by: yorkie_chris on December 16, 2012, 04:34:17 PM
Do you just run the gears on plain steel journals or make a brass sleeve?

Do you drill the gears on a common PCD to dowel/bolt them together when running a pair and not use the keyway?
Title: Re: Changewheel set up
Post by: Pete. on December 16, 2012, 05:12:53 PM
If you turn up a stub at 3/4" diameter with a 5/8" or smaller thread on the end then file or mill flats in the 3/4" bit so it fits in the 5/8" quadrant slot you won't have trouble holding it when tightening the nut that will hold the stub to the quadrant or the retaining nuts for the changegears.
Title: Re: Changewheel set up
Post by: DavidA on December 17, 2012, 03:23:28 PM
Being cast iron my gears are happy to run on the steel shafts.

Dave
Title: Re: Changewheel set up
Post by: hopefuldave on December 19, 2012, 12:20:47 PM
Yorkie Chris wrote:

Do you just run the gears on plain steel journals or make a brass sleeve?

-------------

Mine has just the one cast-iron stud gear, but it's on a keyed steel carrier sleeve[1] that runs on a pair of caged needle-rollers...

First time I took it apart I thought "Ooh, POSH!" and then "Oh..."[2]

Dave H. (the other one)

[1] To allow for compound gear pairs *if required*
[2] Cos the stud shaft was in a right state!
Title: Re: Changewheel set up
Post by: DavidA on December 19, 2012, 02:04:10 PM
Where the gears are just running as idlers I let them run straight on the steel shafts.
Where they are keyed I have made a couple of split 'shells' that fit the shafts and slip past the keys. I filed a matching keyway into the gear to alllow it to drive.

I will have to make up some further spacers to get some sort of standardisation. But for the threads I need at the moment it works well.

Dave.
Title: Re: Changewheel set up
Post by: Raggle on December 20, 2012, 07:50:25 PM
An alternative to keyways is to pin the gears

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/27950278@N04/8291965343/)

These are a bit smaller and from my Exe 2-1/2" lathe. They are 18DP with a 7/16" bore. The pin is press fitted into the gear and engages with a clearance hole in the gear it is coupled to.

A similar system was used on Drummond lathes I believe.

Ray
Title: Re: Changewheel set up
Post by: awemawson on December 21, 2012, 03:34:54 AM
An alternative to keyways is to pin the gears

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/27950278@N04/8291965343/)

These are a bit smaller and from my Exe 2-1/2" lathe. They are 18DP with a 7/16" bore. The pin is press fitted into the gear and engages with a clearance hole in the gear it is coupled to.

A similar system was used on Drummond lathes I believe.

Ray

Infact rather like the suggestion in the first reply  :doh:
Title: Re: Changewheel set up
Post by: DavidA on December 21, 2012, 06:49:12 AM
Pinning them together face-to-face is fine,  my gearset came with such an arrangment.  But won't you still have to key them to the leadscrew on occasion ?

Dave.
Title: Re: Changewheel set up
Post by: yorkie_chris on December 21, 2012, 07:15:34 AM
The output from the headstock and input to the screwcutting/power feed gearbox are both keyed.
Title: Re: Changewheel set up
Post by: Pete. on December 21, 2012, 01:09:33 PM
Just make a keyed blank gear with pin-holes so you can chop and change the gears on those shafts as you like.