- Joined
- Jan 11, 2013
- Messages
- 1,821
I don't know if I've missed something like this before, but I've never seen anyone modify their spindle gear cover, to accommodate oiling directly, the spindle gear for powered carriage or crosslide drive. Oiling requires removal of the cover, or opening the gear door on a South Bend. My lathe is a 1965 10 L (heavy).
We were discussing recently making important or things to maintain on machines, and in our shops, EASY to do. I remember Brad Jacob posted a fantastic thread on PM restoring a 13 inch SB (which is BEAUTIFUL) and added a GITS to the top of the traverse pinion shaft. This got me thinking.
Heavy Ten's can have some outside gear train noise issues, but I can say that I have eliminated them to a degree that I am now completely happy. I mean actually very quiet now!! By cleaning the gears, changing lube to 75W synthetic oil (I had it around for my truck- NO detergents) AND a trace of anti-sling agent- Lucas Oil Stabilizer (also for the truck). Not a grease, and lets debris flow way, while clinging oil to gears and quieting the gears.
I needed a way to make it easy to get oil down on that top gear without removing the top cover, and also without opening the side- because I kept remembering to lube the gears AFTER I had work started in a collet, and the drawbar handle blocks the door. >:/
I did not want any debris going in, so I decided on a GITS oil cup I had in my spare machine parts bin.
The only problem was how to get the oiler standing up straight on this slope-y, round-y part of the lathe- no square, level surface. NO surface of the cover sat nicely and level on any fixture on the mill, and I would go nuts looking at a crooked oil cup up there.
So I made a temporary, level, registered surface of my own right there with some plumber's putty!! Hah hah.
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First I marked and measured the highest point on the cover, that would spill into the middle of each gear tooth:
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.
.
.
I removed the spindle cover, and prepared the mount on the milling machine table. YOU WANT TO DO THIS NOW. I will show this later.
Then re-installed on the lathe, laid the plumber's putty over the mark, and then smushed the 6 inch Starrett level into that until it read dead level:
.
.
.
.
NOW re-install the cover in the PREPARED milling machine fixture. Shim'ed it until the bubbles centered again.
The reason to prepare the mounting first is that you don't want to be fiddling with it while the level is clinging with plumber's putty. It sticks well, but if you hit with your finger, you have to install on the lathe again and re-level it.
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.
.
Now time to plunge mill just enough for a nice flat place to drill. Looks like a nice landing pad for an oiler
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.
These long center drills come in handy when switching to a longer drill next:
.
.
.
.
Nice SLOW drilling with a Letter-size "U" Drill ( .368 inches ) for 1/8-27 NPT Tap (tapers from .375 to .400 inches). Moderate speed and a slow feed so the bit doesn't "catch" the bottom of the hole as it goes through:
.
.
.
.
1/8-27 NPT Tap and a spring loaded tap centering device. Best thing ever for tapping in place:
.
.
.
.
Ahhh nice place to mount an oiler:
.
.
.
.
Sits nice and straight, and easy-access-oil without hesitation! Plenty of clearance above the gear inside to the bottom of the oiler. I gift that gives back every time I turn on the lathe.
.
.
Bernie
We were discussing recently making important or things to maintain on machines, and in our shops, EASY to do. I remember Brad Jacob posted a fantastic thread on PM restoring a 13 inch SB (which is BEAUTIFUL) and added a GITS to the top of the traverse pinion shaft. This got me thinking.
Heavy Ten's can have some outside gear train noise issues, but I can say that I have eliminated them to a degree that I am now completely happy. I mean actually very quiet now!! By cleaning the gears, changing lube to 75W synthetic oil (I had it around for my truck- NO detergents) AND a trace of anti-sling agent- Lucas Oil Stabilizer (also for the truck). Not a grease, and lets debris flow way, while clinging oil to gears and quieting the gears.
I needed a way to make it easy to get oil down on that top gear without removing the top cover, and also without opening the side- because I kept remembering to lube the gears AFTER I had work started in a collet, and the drawbar handle blocks the door. >:/
I did not want any debris going in, so I decided on a GITS oil cup I had in my spare machine parts bin.
The only problem was how to get the oiler standing up straight on this slope-y, round-y part of the lathe- no square, level surface. NO surface of the cover sat nicely and level on any fixture on the mill, and I would go nuts looking at a crooked oil cup up there.
So I made a temporary, level, registered surface of my own right there with some plumber's putty!! Hah hah.
.
.
.
.
First I marked and measured the highest point on the cover, that would spill into the middle of each gear tooth:
.
.
.
.
I removed the spindle cover, and prepared the mount on the milling machine table. YOU WANT TO DO THIS NOW. I will show this later.
Then re-installed on the lathe, laid the plumber's putty over the mark, and then smushed the 6 inch Starrett level into that until it read dead level:
.
.
.
.
NOW re-install the cover in the PREPARED milling machine fixture. Shim'ed it until the bubbles centered again.
The reason to prepare the mounting first is that you don't want to be fiddling with it while the level is clinging with plumber's putty. It sticks well, but if you hit with your finger, you have to install on the lathe again and re-level it.
.
.
.
.
Now time to plunge mill just enough for a nice flat place to drill. Looks like a nice landing pad for an oiler
.
.
.
.
These long center drills come in handy when switching to a longer drill next:
.
.
.
.
Nice SLOW drilling with a Letter-size "U" Drill ( .368 inches ) for 1/8-27 NPT Tap (tapers from .375 to .400 inches). Moderate speed and a slow feed so the bit doesn't "catch" the bottom of the hole as it goes through:
.
.
.
.
1/8-27 NPT Tap and a spring loaded tap centering device. Best thing ever for tapping in place:
.
.
.
.
Ahhh nice place to mount an oiler:
.
.
.
.
Sits nice and straight, and easy-access-oil without hesitation! Plenty of clearance above the gear inside to the bottom of the oiler. I gift that gives back every time I turn on the lathe.
.
.
Bernie
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