1956 13x36 feed question

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dansawyer

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The lathe is a 1956 13x36 engine lathe. This has the single lever, 2 slots in the apron to select the feed mechanism The drive mechanism in the apron is loose. When I reach under there is significant play in the shuttle that connects to the power feed.
If anyone has a similar lathe can they check the take off and let me know if it is loose. This has 1/8 to 3/16 play in both the up and down as well as the in and out dimensions. It is almost as though a bushing is missing.
If anyone can comment on what keeps this mechanism from having excessive free play that would help as well.
Thanks, Dan
 
That is the early Student/.Master feed system......the feed gears are held in a sort of shoe that slides along the feed rod.....there is a worm and a couple of small gears ......the whole assy falls out if you take out the feed rod......The mechanism also seats against a bar at the back of the apron when engaged ......this ensures the gears mesh correctly......please note under no circumstances should assume the feed will kick out under excess load (as the later safety feed does)......this system will load up until something breaks.
 
Thank you for the reply. I will have to pull the feed rod.
Is the 'shoe' generally loose on the feed rod? My shoe has a significant amount of play. Since the whole mechanism rides on the rod the gear alignment changes as the rod rotates. This changes the feed rate slightly resulting in patterns in the cut surface.
Again thank you. Dan
 
I have one of these,but its 20 years + since I did anything to it,so memory isnt 100%.......i dont want to say stuff that isnt right ,but I think maybe the worm gear runs in bearings in the shoe ,somewhat independant of the rod .......the whole gear train is locked in alignment by engaging the feed lever in the relevant slot......this raises the shoe gearing into mesh as the shoe is located at the back by a steel rail .....all the looseness of running on the feed rod is eliminated ..........Obviously an older machine will have wear here,as the shoe is prone to getting full of swarf......which I vacuum out every use and squirt some oil into the gears inside for lubrication.
 
I just went out and checked. I hoped if I dropped the apron and lifted on the saddle I could separate the two - No luck there. However I did confirm the 'shoe' appears to be only held in by feed screw. I will post a new thread on how to remove that. I have seen something, but I can't find it now.
Thanks. Dan
 
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