Two Questions After Adjusting The Shims In My Headstock

[buffcleb]

this was the last thing I had to go through on my 1933 9 inch lathe... you can see in the video that someone poured a babbitt bearing in the front bearing... anyone ever see that before?

second question... there are some grooves in the rear bearing and race... I checked them for flatness and it looks like what ever caused it happened a long time ago... in use the rear bearing gets warm... not hot but warm... is this something I should be concerned about? it was warm in use prior to adjusting the shims when I ran the lathe...

I'm new to lathes and this is my first one... I did turn my first piece today and am pretty happy with how it turned out :

 

[Ulma Doctor]

i have not seen babbit poured directly over bronze, but in a pinch you'll find crazy things happen!

if your clearances are between .001" and .002", generally you should be ok
if you are still wondering if your clearances are too tight, use some plasitgauge across the rear bearing area and measure the assembled clearance
welcome to the wonderful world of machining!
all the best!
mike

 

[woodtickgreg]

The only thing I might add is that you should set the dial indicator up closer to the bearing cap, like on the smooth surface closer to the bearing cap. Out on the ends of the spindle will give you exaggerated readings.