Who is the sadist who designed the oil wicks for South Bend?

[MontanaLon]

Got the book and wicks to refurb the lathe. I have to say the book is well put together and mostly clear on what needs to happen and when. I get maybe an hour at night after the family goes to bed to tinker on it. Lately, I have spent the quite a bit of time on the apron. Every problem I have encountered has been as a result of a previous owner having tinkered with a hammer. Biggest of those was getting the taper pin out of the shaft that holds the pinion gear to run the carriage along the bed in the apron. The narrow end was peened larger than the hole so I had to file it down. I tried it all, heat, prayer, animal sacrifice, burning incense. All failed. Ended up having to drill it out. Amazed that nothing broke.

So getting that out allowed me to reinstall all of the parts and replace the wicks along the way. I have to say I hope whoever installed the wicks at the factory was paid well. Because that was a pain in the butt.

I found with the last gear to go back, the crossfeed drive, that doing it backwards from the book worked much better. Being that it was the last gear I was curious to know whether running all of them backwards wouldn't be easier. Not curious to take the whole thing apart and try, I'm curious, not masochistic.

Now I have to think seriously about moving the bed into the basement. I actually think I can do it by myself if I go through the window. There is only a 4 foot drop that way. Will attach the bed to a 2x10, pull it in with a pulley system and lower it to the floor and it will be right where I plan to set it. Of course, easier said than done.

 

[martik777]

It is not necessary to disassemble every part to refurb. Usually a good flushing out with solvent is sufficient, especially the QCGB.

I found it easy to move the bed downstairs using a dolly with the bed in a vertical position.

 

[woodtickgreg]

I moved my bed into the basement on a dolly, wasn't that bad. Took it down the stairs by myself. I just strapped it securely to the dolly. I have moved it 3 times this way. The cast iron base is not as easy to move, that takes a couple guys and a dolly.

 

[MontanaLon]

It is not necessary to disassemble every part to refurb. Usually a good flushing out with solvent is sufficient, especially the QCGB.

I found it easy to move the bed downstairs using a dolly with the bed in a vertical position.

The wicks are hardened with oxidized oil. I could almost use them as square nails.

 

[lordbeezer]

There's a lot of wicks.in places that makes you say how they do that.time and patience for me.bet factory workers could do in seconds..course theye didn't have to dig out old stuck felts..

 

[derf]

I found that in some locations it was easier to run a needle and thread through the wick and pull it through. I'll bet the wicks were installed by women at the factory...they have more patience and are nimble fingered.

 

[lordbeezer]

Forgot to say machines were designed back then to last...

 

[MontanaLon]

It is not necessary to disassemble every part to refurb. Usually a good flushing out with solvent is sufficient, especially the QCGB.

I found it easy to move the bed downstairs using a dolly with the bed in a vertical position.

I may delay the QCGB tear down. I hosed it out with solvent and it is very clean. Problem is, the Christmas tree gear stack is supposed to have a taper pin through the nut. I looked, there is no taper pin. Polished it up and hit it with cold blue and there is no outline of a pin on any of the 6 sides. But it will not move with just the wrench so the pin may be hiding very well.

Then the clutch shaft has a staked in pin and it is giving me trouble even moving. They staked the snot out of it on both ends. I may have to get after it with an engraving cutter in the dremel to be able to move it out. But the wicks are hard as nails so I will have to keep the oil flowing some other way. That makes me a bit nervous. It was designed to get the oil through the wicks so slopping it on the outside of the gears may not adequately lubricate them.

 

[martik777]

Those wicks can be rejuvenated, soak and toss about in solvent, they will come out quite serviceable. The wicks in the QCGB can be removed with tweezers with the shafts in place.

I don't trust the apron wick system so I remove the saddle every few months and lube it manually.

 

[Glenn Brooks]

I had a couple of taper pins in an old big iron Standard Modern lathe that we’re plain invisible on a polished shaft. Didn’t even know they were there, until I couldn’t get the shaft and the sleeve part. As I remember, I of so gently probed around the shaft with a pin punch and small hammer until I found a pin and ding, saw a faint hole outline emerge. After that it came right out.