I need some real basic questions answered - SB 9 in. lathe X4 ft.

J

jbmauser

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I have just hauled a SB9 home after disassembling it to move and reassembling it. I think it is a model C. The only light oil I have on hand is 3 in 1 oil. The lathe was bone dry an unused for years. I cleared the oil ports of sawdust and gunk best I could with a drill bit to pull out the gunk and applied the 3 in 1. I have not run the lathe and did not let the seller start it. the spindle turned easily by hand and the AC cord on the motor was extremely disintegrated. I need to know it the 3 in one is a problem? What is the recommended oil for the motor, head stock and ways also all the small oil ports. the How to run a lathe books indicates different oils for different parts. No mention of the motor fill caps.

My lathe did not come with the little wheel gizmo that you watch to engage the half nuts to cut threads. Do I have to get this or can you cut threads without it?

Lots more questions to follow, one on top is a safe way to remove the stuck 3 jaw chuck. I have tried the book method of a piece of wood against the bed, engaging the back gears and working the pulley to break it free.

I will have the rewire done this evening and the switch reassembled and mounted. Can I run it with the oil I have or wait and buy thinner stuff?

thanks in advance. JB
 
Thanks 1200rpm. I did see rebuilding kits on eBay with felt wicks and wipers. I figured I would make my own wipers little wing things. I did not think about the wicks. I also thought those could be pulled out of the caps and cleaned and reinserted. I never thought you had too pull them from the bottom after removing the cast spindle plate.

Is there any tutorial or such on proper rebuilding of an old dormant lathe?

I pulled down the instructions on how to pull apart the major pieces to lighten it for relocation from the South Bend yahoo Group library. Great find. any other info would be helpful.

The oil you recommended is for the spindle only? Is the 10 in the name the viscosity? Way oil is different?? JB
 
jbmouser, that same ebay seller that has the felt kits also sells a great book on restoring a SB lathe. Plain language, lots of photos, tips and tricks. Buy both the kit and the book for $50 or so. Just do it, you can thank me later ;)

He also frequents another machining board with a South Bend subforum, and is a nice guy and a hobbyist himself.
Here's his website:

http://www.wswells.com/
 
The kit on e-Bay is good, as is the instruction manual. Completely rebuilt my SB9A using it (with some help from a tool and die maker). I used the Mobil Velocite 10W for the spindle. Works fine.

- Phil
 
Mauser,
Be very careful removing that stuck chuck. Do as 1200rpm says.

You have a good lathe there, so don't get in a hurry.

While you are waiting, start looking at your back gear teeth and others. Frequently you will find broken teeth. If you have any, start checking EBay for replacement gears. There is a good chance that a previous owner has already broken a few for you. Get the appropriate lubricants and rewire that motor/switches that need it and put in a ground.

Randy
 
It will run fine with that oil for now and probably for the next few thousand hours but get the right oil for your peace of mind. I just finished a SB9A restore and although the spindle bearings weren't properly oiled for years, they were in excellent condition. Definitely, re/re the spindle, check bearing clearance and clean or replace wicks. I tried for a week to remove my chuck. I finally unbolted the chuck from the backplate, removed the spindle with it still attached, put it in a vise with a couple bolts thru the backplate holes and used a 5' pry bar between them. It took all my weight to finally loosen it. Don't stress those back gears, they WILL break! And no need to spend $50+ on rebuild instructions, it's all pretty simple, everything you need to know is in these links:

http://www.armurerieduroi.com/pages/lathe_index.html
http://steammachine.com/hercus/page4.html
 
Thank you all for good info. No back gear teeth missing cleaned a thick coating of sawdust. Chuck is still stuck but soaking. I found 3 in one oil for electric motors. I released the pulley system so I could lie the motor back to 45 degrees to fill the oil caps and let them soak. I will see if I can find 90 degree oil caps or make some kind of elbow to keep it lubed. I will order spindle oil and way oil online as I have not found any local.

I am now looking for an effective cleaner to remove decades of gunk and slime from 99 percent original paint. This lathe has never been in a real shop. The seller told me he is the third owner. It was originally owned by a VP of South Bend (he says) who gave it to a friend when he got another. The owner says he got it next when the 2 nd owner passed.

The seller used it as a wood lathe. (this I can believe) I got it with a lot of tooling including the wood steady rest but not the mounting assembly. just the long steady rest and a hand full of cutting tools. I know the seller never really used the lathe for other than telling me his sons turned some brass cannons when he showed me the brass cut offs and explained to me that the gears were set up for the fastest speed because he turned wood bowls. I just smiled and continued taking the lathe apart. I don't know a lot about these lathes but I know what the change gears do. thanks all, I am putting my lube order together as I clean and oil the SB. Now I have to sell off a unimat sl and a dunlap craftsman 109 to replace the funds that bought the SB.
 
<<<< Now I have to sell off a unimat sl and a dunlap craftsman 109 to replace the funds that bought the SB.>>>>

For some unknow to me reason those Craftsman 109's seem to be hot items. They go for $300.00-$400.00 on Ebay. I bought one years ago for $75.00 and the only thing as far as I found it good for was turning armutures. Sold it locally for $300.00 and was glad to see it go.
That and the Unimat should sell fast.
 
I bought a 9A a few months ago, in good shape but with lots of accumulated oil and grime.

While it was still in my pickup, I coated it with engine cleaner, let it soak, brushed it where needed, then I ran it down to the coin-op car wash and hit it hard, removing 90% of the gunk. Drove immediately home, blew it down with compressed air, followed with a liberal dose of WD40 everywhere it would reach, more air, more WD40, and then oiled everything that would take oil.
it's now clean as a pin and working nicely. The WD40 is a very good solvent that won't harm the paint. In fact, I decided I'm not going to repaint it because the original paint looks pretty good now, though a bit aged. I guess that's "patina" and adds about $150 to the value ;)

I'll be doing the felts soon, cook-booking it per SW Wells

Martik777, thank you for posting those links.
I thought I knew all the SB sites
 
Just don't let Simple Green stay on aluminum for any length of time. It etches it.

when I got my 9A, before I took it from my pickup, I hosed it down with engine degreaser, scrubbed it in with a brush, then ran down to the coin-op car wash and pressure-washed it thoroughly.
Then I drove home, blew it down with aire, then went over it with a lot of WD40 to chase the last of the water out of the tight spots. Once I wiped it off and oiled everything, I decided maybe it didn't need paint after all.
 
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