Sorry about that. I somehow managed - with thick fingers - to get it posted before I'd even completed it!!!!
Only 30 minutes for editing... really?
Mods, please delete post #46.
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VEEEEERY incremental progress;
I've been working through some issues and ruminating on a number of things.
One was the drive belt. I had finally decided on the automotive poly V belt in the 6 rib variety. Nothing available locally in the correct 40" length, so I've ordered and received a K060400 Goodyear, and knocked the spindle out far enough to install it.
That mystery hole in the back gear shifter finally did bug me enough to change it out. Fortunately, I purchased a complete spare headstock off of ebay some time ago to get a good cone gear (could not find one separately), and it had a good shifter. All I had to do was swap over my latch key and spring.
I've had a binding in the back gears right along, and today's more focused study proved to me that since it bound at about the same point on the change gear end pair every time (the bull gear never coming close to one revolution), it must be in the smaller of the two back gears. Yep, looking at that original small gear LA-124 showed a lot of wear from the old carnage (it was the only one of the 4 main gears not totally destroyed). Fortunately again, the spare headstock had a perfect replacement ready and waiting for cleanup. Bind is now gone!!
I also took the opportunity to slot the change gear end of the back gear eccentric shaft LA-125 so that back gear adjusting would be easier. NO KIDDING... that works well! A quick trip out to the vertical mill and a couple of passes with a slitting saw had that done and smartly. I could have tossed one in with a hacksaw or something, but using the mill was a lot more fun, and the result looks factory! I further took the opportunity to drill a small hole in the quill sleeve LA-126 and tap it to 10-32 to add an oil hole screw. I should have thought that out better. Drilling it adjacent to the smallest flat belt cone would have made it far more accessible than in the center of the sleeve where I put it. Ah well.
All kinds of jiggering of gears and set screws and so on has finally resulted in a completed headstock assembly... I think. It really does take a lot of fiddling to get everything situated and clearanced properly, but it is far better that it be done now while the headstock is still off than later when it is installed. I think I have got it. Picture below of the headstock sitting on the bed, just for the fun of it and to give me more motivation.
At least I noticed that the carriage rack has to go on before the headstock is bolted down, as one screw is under the case. I took the time to spruce up the variously buggered heads and slots of all the screws before installing them. You can also see that pieces of the rear primary drive are being stripped and refinished. The guard frame has been baked and is done, and the drive box LA-374 is stripped and awaiting its coloring.
At this point, I think it is time to finalize the base assemblies of the lathe. I have been ruminating on just what I am going to do for leveling. Some sort of jack screw arrangement is in order, and this needs to go in hand with a planned raising of the entire lathe to a height more forgiving of my own 6'5" frame. At least 4" is planned, if not 6, but how to accomplish that has eluded me so far. Something quick and easy might not satisfy my stylistic temperament. In any event, it occurs to me that locking this all down and getting the bed leveled before bolting down the headstock would be a good idea. I would also want to stone and finish the ways while they are most accessible.
And so it goes.....
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