New To Me Mckenzie Lathe

The saddle is on a rack a pinion is this normal or an old machine type thing is it possible to ditch the rack an pinion for a another screw?

The saddle moving by rack and pinion is normal. My 2012 lathe (12x36) is that way. a thread chasing dial could be added, and there may already be screw holes for one. The dial is somewhat generic. The gear on the end of it is what must match your lead screw thread pitch.
 
The saddle moving by rack and pinion is normal. My 2012 lathe (12x36) is that way. a thread chasing dial could be added, and there may already be screw holes for one. The dial is somewhat generic. The gear on the end of it is what must match your lead screw thread pitch.
I'll have to double check but I believe it's an 8tpi lead screw.
Can I change the gearing for the rack and pinion? One turn of the hand wheel moves the saddle like a foot lol and if I want to make my own graduated collars that might be difficult.
I'd also like to get a quick change tool post at some point. At this point I'm just searching out my possible options if anyone has any suggestions for updating the lathe please let me know this is my first lathe and its all new to me! (I've used a lathe once before in highschool but it was already all set up)
 
anyone have any links for a simple graduated collar diy?
 
So a little update on the lathe! I got the saddle, apron and compound all taken apart for cleaning, there was so much crud packed in-between all the crevices it took some force just to get it apart! I had to take out a whopping 8 bolts for the entire thing to come apart lol
The lathe has power feed on the cross slide and for the saddle, the cross slide has a knob that you turn to engage a set of idler gears which then allows you to pull a pin connected to a gear that connects the idler gears to the cross slide lead screw. there is a tooth missing on one of the gears I'm gonna braze and cut out a new tooth clean it up and assemble it.
As for the gradated collars it looks as if it may have had them but where removed. The compound definitely has one but someone has ground off all graduations for some reason :/
 
For anyone reading this I have another update... I got more time to clean up the apron and saddle and found the gib for the cross slide was cracked and the gib adjustment screw was stripped so I'll have to remake those as I doubt I'll be able to find replacement parts... If anyone can chime in on this id appreciate it!
The compound didn't turn because of course it was packed with crud and after a bit of scrubbing and paint removal I found the degree markings. I reassembled it all and it all moves nice and smoothly! The whole clean up and reassembly took about 4-5 hours very easy to work with machine and other than those 2 broken parts its in great shape!
 
Hi Izzy,

Congratulations of the lathe. It looks like a great find from here.
I really like the look of the legs.
Your cleaned-up ways look to be in great shape!

Absolutely you could make a new threading dial. The hardest part should be finding/making the gear to mesh with the lead-screw.
Of course, once you know the lead-screw pitch, you may be able to get one from another donor machine.

-brino
 
nice lathe Izzy! congrats!!
it looks a bit like my antique Flather lathe.
i look forward to the progression of the old girl!
 
Thanks guys! I should have the saddle/apron all put back together soon enough and once that's back together I'll need some help with the head stock!
There's a lever on an eccentric that has a large gear and a small gear that engages with the gearing on the head stock but it feels like it locks it or something is something broken? Or what I'm I looking at I'm used a more modern lathe lol
 
Hi Izzy,

It just sounds like you're not familiar with a lathe back-gear. You probably just need to unlock the bull gear from the drive pulley. Often there is a small lock within the gear and you move a small knob, or bolt on the side face of the gear.

Here's mine, a Southbend 9" from 1937 or so:
20161216_134626.jpg

That knob/pin locks the cone pulleys to the bull gear. With it locked they all rotate together.
With it unlocked the pulleys are unlocked from the bull gear (and the lathe spindle).
It looks/feels kinda weird with it unlocked, because turning the pulley does NOT turn the spindle......until you rotate the back-gear cam so that the two gears on the back-gear shaft engage the two gears on the spindle shaft.

-brino

EDIT: on mine it's locked with the knob out towards the circumference. To unlock, I pull the knob out away from the gear side face and then slide it towards the center of the gear. To re-lock it's a little trickier....pull out the knob and try to push it towards the gear circumference, then rotate the drive pulley by hand until the pin slips into a slot. You can feel it and hear it. I slacken the drive belt to make it easy to turn.
 
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Yea that deffinetly explains what's going on over here I'll have to check for that next time I'm at the machine. I thought the back gear was in the gear box attached to the motor. The gear box attached to the motor has 2levers 1 selects between 2 speeds and the second makes the output shaft spin in reverse. What exactly is that back gear used for?
 
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