Rear Gear train gear clearance.

[Olin]

All
In my post about aligning the head stock with the ways, I mention that I needed to re-install the rear gear train. Somewhere along the line, I heard or read that when you adjust the clearance for these gears, you should use a piece of paper and that the gears meshing should show complete impressions without cutting the paper.

What other methods are used to provide clearance without undue wear.

All the best.

Olin

 

[8ntsane]

Not knowing what lathe you have. But setting the lash clearance with paper has been done by many for many years . I have set my old machine with paper, and did it that way many times. Some machines need carefull setup, other not so much. My old import machine Im speaking of needed very careful setup. The quadrant that held the gearing was not a precise piece at all. All gears must be double checked for clearance. If you turn by hand after adjustment, and it feels good then you should be ready for a low rpm test under power. The paper setup, could still be on the tight side, really depends on the gears. If you find them noisier than they originally where, You might want to fold the paper to increase the clearance.

Once you figure out what works for you, you could allways use a indicator against the tooth, and get a back lash number. I have also seen others use gear marking compound. This stuff is used in automotive rear end setups. Its a paste that is usually yellow, or white and applied with a brush. It does give you a better idea of the tooth contact gear to gear. You will need to find the sweet spot for your own gear train. To tight, or loose would cause excess wear. Setting your gear train up as you mentioned is fine in most cases.

 

[Bill C.]

All
In my post about aligning the head stock with the ways, I mention that I needed to re-install the rear gear train. Somewhere along the line, I heard or read that when you adjust the clearance for these gears, you should use a piece of paper and that the gears meshing should show complete impressions without cutting the paper.

What other methods are used to provide clearance without undue wear.

All the best.

Olin

In high school the lathes they had we had to change gears sometimes. We would pull the gears together then created a little slack until there was a slight movement. Paper spacing is easier to do. I used newspaper spacers for other machining operations. I would suggest using two stipes or .004-.005 thickness. Some might want a bigger gap.

I would suggest if the gears are plastic use sewing machine grease. My mother had a Singer that had plastic gears and that is what she used. Those little gears run at a high RPM. Good Luck