New restoration project! 12" Craftsman lathe.

[LX Kid]

I ordered new nylon tumbler gears. The 24T has a roller bearing and the 20T has an oilite bushing. Finally got finished with the patio door frame and a new storm door installed. (See post #75) With the new nylon change gear bushings the lathe should run nice and quiet. Right now there should be nothing keeping me from the Crafty 12" installation "other" than the heat is really getting bad out in the shop.

 

[LX Kid]

Okay. You are probably wise to re-order the correct bushings rather than to cut off the ones that you already have and end up throwing away the remainder as they would be too short to use for anything.

Ha ha ha! Glue two short pieces together and trim/lathe to fit! Bubba's everywhere is gonna be proud!

 

[jcgrobbe]

Great thread! Just picked up a Craftsman 12" and this has been a very informative read.

 

[LX Kid]

Great thread! Just picked up a Craftsman 12" and this has been a very informative read.

Have you started a thread yet? We would like to see some pictures and share your lathes story!

 

[wa5cab]

At least let us know whether if was made before or after about 1956.

 

[LX Kid]

Received my tumbler gears yesterday and not really that happy with them. The width of the gears, wider, does not allow for the use of washers that would take up play. The 24T roller bearing pops in an out of the gear and bore size is .040" oversize of the 1/2" shoulder bolt. Same sloppy play with the 20T bronze bushed gear and can't use washers or it will immobilize either gear against the selector body. I lathed down two change synthetic gear bushings to fit the old Zmak gears and seems to work fine "so far" ever though lathe is not running yet. Now my problem is the nylon compound gear fitted to the Zmak gears has zero mesh clearance and very difficult to rotate. I tried lathing the gears outer diameter but found out real quick that nylon doesn't like to be lathed! Anyone have any ideas on how to decrease the gear diameter for mesh clearance?
"Maybe" the nylon will just wear in. I'll put some grease and very fine sand on it and maybe it will help the wearing in process! "NEWBIES" PLEASE DON'T DO THIS AS THIS IS A JOKE!

 

[wa5cab]

LX Kid, who did you buy the Nylon Tumbler gears from?

 

[LX Kid]

LX Kid, who did you buy the Nylon Tumbler gears from?p

Ebay "buckeyes1997" and he's already said I could return the nylon gears. I'm reusing my Zmak gears with new plastic bushing inserts I cut down from change gear bushings. This compound gear is giving me fits though with zero mesh clearance.

 

[LX Kid]

Problem solved! ( I hope ). I was looking, for something or another, and found this compound gear in the pile. If I remember correctly it came off a South Bend I restored a couple of years ago. Same teeth but the center hole was 5/8" instead of 1/2" for the stud bolt. I had some 1" Delrin type bar stock and decided to use it and lathed it down to press fit the 5/8" gear hole and then drilled a 1/2" hole for the stud bolt. Could have used some bronze but elected to use the Delrin type bar stock. All my gears are back to Zmak once again.

 

[LX Kid]

CAUTION LAHTE PORN PICTURES! HA HA.

HERE ARE TWO OTHER SOUTH BEND LATHES I IN STARTED 2019 AND 2020. THEY ARE 9A & 9C MODELS. WISH I HAD KEPT THE 9A MODEL. BOTH RESTORATIONS ARE OVER IN THE SOUTH BEND FORUM.