Turret toolpost is "crunchy"

D

dbb-the-bruce

Dave
H-M Lifetime Diamond Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2019
Messages
499
My Southbend 9 came with a square turret toolpost. I tried it once or twice when first getting started and gave up (for a number of reasons).

The biggest issue is that it doesn't rotate easy - ie. with a nice click-click-click as the balls hit the detents. I decided to give it another shot. I took it completely apart and cleaned it thoroughly. Reassembled it with a little fresh lube etc.

After that effort, it's a little better but still seems to bind up. I can get smooth clicks for a few and then it just grabs and I have to work it up and down a bit, kind of feeling my way over each detent.

Is this just the nature of the beast or is there some trick I'm missing?
It seems to be pretty well made - most of the rest of the accessories that came with the lathe are all high quality. I couldn't find any manufacturing marker on the turret.

Just looking for suggestions, It's useable as is but I'd be inclined to use it more if it worked smoothly.

-Dave
 
I removed the detant from my tool post and replaced it with a brown paper shim.
Nice easy movement and I can clamp the tool post in any position.
I just have to replace the paper now and again.
 
dbb-the-bruce said:
My Southbend 9 came with a square turret toolpost.
The biggest issue is that it doesn't rotate easy ...I can get smooth clicks for a few and then it just grabs
Click to expand...

Sometimes the black-oxide/blued finish is a problem; machined OK, but duriing the blueing, it got roughened.
I've had good luck painting the (clean) bits of assemblies with some metal polish (Liberty polish, nothing fancy)
reassemble and work it until it feels right; the polish turns black, it's removing some of the soft oxide,
but it won't scratch the metal underneath. Clean and oil afterward, of course.

The other reason for nonrotation is bent screws or shafts...
 
OK. I'll give it another look and take some pictures.

I'm confused about "get rid of the detent balls" - doesn't that kind of kill the whole point of the concept? You would still get the repetitive alignment height-wise but just line up with the lathe axis by eye/hand?
 
dbb-the-bruce said:
I'm confused about "get rid of the detent balls" - doesn't that kind of kill the whole point of the concept? You would still get the repetitive alignment height-wise but just line up with the lathe axis by eye/hand?
Click to expand...

I found having the tool post set to a few particular positions only to be a tad restrictive.
Sometimes (quite a lot actually) I needed to turn the tp to an angle that the detant didnt want so I removed it.
Alignment for threading is now easier to get spot on and parting is is also just as easy by aligning the blade against the chuck body, although most of the time I just use the eyecrometer against the cross slide edge.
Never having been trained in the correct use I just plough on ahead with what I feel will work.
Caveat--- sometimes it doesnt.:laughing:
 
The detent balls limit you to what the manufacture thought you might need.
 
That's kind of why I haven't been using it. Most of my work to date has been machining mechanical boxes out of wood - I found that using the lantern tool post gave me a lot more range and adjustability. I did attempt to use the tool turret when performing multiple steps on 24 identical parts but found that it was more of a pain to use than the "time saved".

I'm now pursuing working with brass. Because the tool presentation is much more critical, I figured it was time to try the turret again.

I'm most likely going to eventually end up with a quick change system - that seems to be what most people are using.

In the meantime, I'm trying to make the turret work as best as possible. After reading the responses here, I took it apart again yesterday and "lapped" the detent face, the machining was rough enough that you could see the arcs made by the cutter edge (there must be a name for that). However, the balls only roll over a small land/track between each hole and that area had a smooth wear path between each hole.

The lapping helped, but it still grabs every three or four clicks. I guess it's good enough for now - a lot better than when I started. Next step is to just use it without the detents.

Thanks for all the suggestions.
-Dave
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top