How to check out a Clausing Lathe

[Jonathans]

I may have the ability to pick up a Clausing 4914 locally for less than $1000. I am a beginner and currently own a 9" SB with no quick change gearing. When I looked at the Clausing today, it appears to be lightly used, and runs smoothly. However, I could not change the position of the quick change gear box other than just moving the shifter vertically. I also could not figure out how to engage the lead screw. There was a lever at the top rear of the lathe that I believe was for the back gearing but when it was slid into the "Back" position the lathe would not turn. Not knowing the machine, or for that sake any lathe real well, I didn't want to play with it much not knowing what I was doing. There is no operator available where it is for sale.
Can someone please let me know some basic procedure I can do that will at least tell me that the lathe is operational and not crashed? I would appreciate that very much.


Thanks
Jonathan

 

[Doubleeboy]

There are numerous posts on all the metal working forums on how to check out a lathe, or do a google search.

That said it might be worth your time to find someone experienced in your area to look over the lathe with you.

Lathes that look good can still be clapped out if the bed wasn't lubes regularly or it was repeatedly crashed. Conversely lathes that are filthy with 50 years of oil crusted on them can turn accurate close tolerance work.

Personally I would be very hesitant to buy a lathe I could not see under power and if possible turn a small test bar up near headstock to check for wear.

Good Luck
michael

 

[Jonathans]

Thanks Michael,
I followed some basic procedures that I did find through searches and the lead bar would not engage, nor could I shift the gearbox.
This would lead me to believe that the lathe is not functional, but I posted here just in case there was something particular with Clausing lathes that I was missing.

 

[chips&more]

I would be a little careful, but siding more so on buying it! Especially if the owner has deceased, divorced or some story like that. Try and engage the feed (right or left) and turn the spindle with your hand (the gears may not be lined up). And while turning the spindle, try again and engage the QC. The feed screw will not turn unless the QC is in a position. That lathe is worth more than $1K any day of the week, Good Luck, Dave.

 

[LEEQ]

plus one on everything chips said)

 

[wa5cab]

Jonathon,

There are (almost?) always two things to do (move) in order to engage or disengage back gears on a lathe or mill. On the 4900 Series, before you move the lever, you open the cover on the left end of the headstock and pull out the handwheel visible there. This disengages direct drive. Then shift the lever to the left (when standing in front of the lathe) to engage back gear. You may have to rotate the spindle slightly in order to get the gearsto mesh. To return to direct drive, first disengage back gear by moving the lever back to the right and then push the hand wheel back in. You will probably have to rotate the handwheel slightly in order to get the gears or clutch to mesh.

Go to the Clausing/Colchester folder in Downloads, then the Clausing lathe manual folder. At the bottom of the list, you will find two fair copies of the 4900 series manual. One is formatted for printing and the other for reading. You may have to get over 30 posts first, but you are close now.

Robert D.

 

[rafe]

I know how I would check it out ......over the course of a few years in my shop. If that is a picture of the lathe

 

[Jonathans]

Thanks guys! That's exactly the kind of info I was looking for. I'll head back there and check it out again.

 

[alloy]

I know how I would check it out ......over the course of a few years in my shop. If that is a picture of the lathe

Your all the way in Florida, it would be better in my shop, I'm in the same state

 

[echesak]

Jonathan,

Feel free to PM me for any detailed questions out of the scope of this post. I have that exact lathe. I bought mine for $150. Although it was complete, it was fairly well used and needed a lot of clean-up. But it's worth a lot more than $150. In fact the brand new Baldor brake motor that was installed, is worth about 6X what I paid. It's got a little backlash on the cross slide and required A LOT of clean-up, but I've made a lot of good parts on it. Here in the desert Southwest, things rarely rust. So that's never really an issue for me.

The QC gear box requires the handle to slide. Mine was a little gummed-up. It wouldn't initially slide. After cleaning and a good lube, it works much better. When you engage the back gear lever, you have to pull the little plunger on the end of the hand wheel on the RH end of the machine. It's located just around the through hole. The fact that it will go into back gear is great. It interfaces mechanically with the reversing lever. On mine, the hole on the rear of the machine housing, where the reversing lever pivots, is a little worn. So I have to lift the lever a little, to disengage the lock. I just need to re-drill and insert a new bushing, I've just never had the need yet. Mine makes some noise in the gearing, when in back gear. I've yet to figure it out. My cross-slide threads have a bit of wear and backlash. So you might want to look at this also.

You can pull the back cover, after removing the hand wheel (a couple set screws, as I recall). It only takes a crescent to remove the acorn nuts. Take a look at the gears and make sure there are no missing gears or missing teeth on the ones that are there. You can also remove the top gear box cover (Three 1/4-20 socket head cap screws). Take a look at the gears in here as well. If you end up getting it, I may have some questions for you

I put a VFD on mine. In fact I have one on all my machines, except the CNC which is single phase. It allows me to keep the reversing feature and decelerate the spindle quickly.

Let me know if you have any specific questions and I can take a look at my machine. I'll shoot you photos, if you need for comparison.

Best,

Eric