Love of lathes.

[AlanBeckett]

That looks very promising young Col.
I've got a few items here that could do with ......


Alan

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks Big Al, yes it's coming along and I think if you lived nearer my blaster would be in for some heavy use?

I had another good session in the garage this morning. I intended to replace the counter-shaft bearings so before getting into re-painting I thought I'd do these now and I'm glad I made this decision. I knew the lathe to be noisy when I bought it thinking most of the noise due to worn motor bearings which I've replaced. The pictures below show what I found as I removed both bearings; the grease had just about solidified; the pulleys spun OK but now with the bearings in my hands I could hardly turn them. I've just ordered a pair of new 6304 bearings through eBay costing £7 including delivery these being rubber sealed types. It's strange to see these original open type bearings but no external method of greasing via grease nipples?

To finish the morning I did quite a bit more blasting on small items. The pulleys have come up well. I now need to clean the garage because it is incredibly dirty after all the paint stripping. I also need to buy the new paint but as yet I'm unsure whether to brush or spray; if I spray I could buy primer filler at Rufforth Auto Jumble together with a small Bergen touch up spray gun fitted with an 100 ml cup to save me cleaning my big gun out. These Bergen spray guns look excellent value at around £15 each and are of the HVLP type which cut down a great deal on over spray.

I can't believe how much I ache after a couple of hours blasting; working in a cold breeze doesn't help but as they say no pain no gain?

Kind regards, Col.

               

[Retired]

Hi,

Only half an hour on the lathe this afternoon before rain stopped play and I put the car away.

I decided to make a start on the bed planning to get it ready for its new paint then I could paint all the big items at one go to save a lot of time. The belt idler pulley is buried in the end of the bed at the head-stock end and as this looked rough it needed to come out. It appeared to be locked into place with a single machine screw through the bed casting as seen in the picture?

Fortunately I have plenty of experience in stripping machines and although I slackened this screw right off I didn't start pounding on the end of the pulley shaft in the way a novice would most likely do; I poked around a bit and sure enough found another machine screw which I loosened and a bit more poking around revealed a third machine screw which again was loosened. Now it was an easy job to punch the end of the shaft using a hammer and aluminium drift; the shaft was punched out far enough for me to grip and pull it free by hand causing no damage.

This sort of job is what usually catches a novice out; remove the obvious machine screw and have at the shaft end with hammer and drift and when it doesn't move as expected hit it even harder resulting in either a distorted shaft end or a fractured casting; the two extra screws were found to be in a pair of collars. Pulling the shaft out by hand the collars and pulley dropped safely onto the bench. I started to clean these items then down came the rain so I knocked off for the day but I plan to do more work on the bed tomorrow. I would bet this idler pulley hasn't been touched since the lathe was first put together in the factory but at least it was still spinning freely on its phosphor bronze plain bearings.

I'm now in for some very dirty work and a lot of de-greasing but it's going to be fun.

Kind regards, Col.

                   

[Refugee]

Did you extract the idler shaft through where the bung with a number "1" on it that I can see in photos 2 and 5 in post 85?
It is just me trying to turn all the photos into a 3D image in my mind. I would have expected there also to have been access to the other end from inside the bed too. Is this true?

[Refugee]

I have just had a quick look for a photo of the bed taken from behind and below the head stock so that I can see where the belt window is. I can almost see where it goes over the head stock drive pulley.

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks Refugee for asking and I'll take a few more pictures to explain in better detail how the idler pulley was located and how I removed the shaft to release the pulley.

Yes; the "bung" is located in the outer shaft end and this is actually the grease cup. The picture shows just how difficult it would be for a novice to extract this shaft because the outer end of the shaft is hidden by layers of dirt and paint the only clue being the grease cup; I use an old broken power hacksaw blade which I've sharpened across one end like a wood chisel as a scraper to remove this kind of dirt and paint which it does quickly and easily; this then exposed the outer end of the shaft. Access to the inner end of the shaft is rather limited due to a strengthening web between the ways so I had to punch the shaft out using the aluminium drift at an angle; this exposed just enough shaft for me to grasp in my gloved hand to fully extract it. I used an aluminium drift in order not to throw up a burr on the shaft end otherwise it would have turned into a nightmare trying to remove the shaft; it's surprising just how much trouble a slight burr can cause also I avoid using "grips" on shafts because these too cause damage to the shaft. It's most important to exercise patience whilst stripping a machine; it's incredibly easy to cause severe damage; even a slight hammer tap on a shaft will render a close fitting shaft extremely tight to remove. Always double check for fasteners like grub screws which are often easy to miss and please don't assume simply slackening a fastener is enough; many have pointed ends which fit into a dimple in a shaft so to simply slacken by a small amount the shaft will initially move then suddenly lock solid; this is the point where a novice uses a bigger hammer?

For those unfamiliar with this kind of work had the soft aluminium drift not been successful then an alternative method to remove this shaft would be to remove the grease cup then a suitable threaded rod could be screwed into the shaft end and used as an extractor which is the correct way in this instance but using the aluminium drift was much quicker.

It's just been pouring down with rain but I'll pull the car out and have another session on this Lorch today; I'm keen to press on with this restoration.

Kind regards, Col.

[Refugee]

I would have soaked it in thin oil for a day or two and then rocked it end to end to loosen all the grease and to check that the screws are out far enough with a wooden stick and rubber hammer. A hard stop would tell me that there is something like a screw that is not clear of a flat or something else like that or even a threaded hole through the shaft.

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks Refugee; as long as undue force isn't applied all should be well; unfortunately novices tend to jump in throwing caution to the wind usually resulting in damage.

As promised Refugee here are a few more pictures showing how the idler pulley was located within the bed. The image of the end of the bed now clearly shows the outer hole and another image shows the inner hole; access to the inner hole is rather restricted by the strengthening web between the ways nearby. One image also shows the rectangular hole cast in the head-stock base where the belt runs; the other half of the belt comes up from the counter-shaft between the ways and over the mandrel pulleys via the idler pulley; I've not seen this arrangement previously so it adds a bit more interest.

I've just had a heavy session removing paint and dirt from the front of the bed which has taken all morning leaving me with aching arms. Pity I daren't use the blaster but gently does it to avoid damage.

The new counter-shaft bearings have just arrived and I'm sure the Lorch will welcome these?

Kind regards, Col.

                   

[AlanBeckett]

The bed looks to be nicely Scraped young Col.

Alan

[Alan Douglas]

I remember using a similar sequence on my Logan when I first got it. Always a tradeoff between wanting to use the new toy, and the fun of restoring something. I've been known to restore a tool or other item that I knew I would never use when I finished.