South Bend 9 C Lathe Restoration

Pretty sure Blk & Red is one direction and Blk and Yel the other direction. I'm going to gut the switch assembly can and put a double pole double throw toggle switch in it's place.
A switch for a lathe electric motor is not like a switch for a light bulb, or hair drier.
There is a reason the original switch (picture 20191220_160737) is built like it is.
The square-rod cam switch with robust terminals is what it takes to survive the attempts to switch on AND, off, with the switch off action being the more difficult for the switch.

I did not really want to get so expansive, but I think we need to say this stuff. You cannot be casual about the switching!

What really happens
When the motor is running, it is also generating it's own voltage in opposition to the mains supply connected to it, and the house power supply is the winner! The motor rolls forward, and the real volts that drives it is the difference between the supply volts, and the motor-generated volts, which is also known as "back-emf". When you switch off, the back emf arc that happens as the switch contacts part can splat them into a pitted mess!

When you switch on, the motor is momentarily stalled, with no back emf being generated. The forward current surge is several times the normal current. The only thing limiting it is the (low) resistance of the copper coils, and briefly, their inductance. The inductance limits the transient current, but works against you when you switch off, as the stored (magnetic) energy comes out. In some motors, the switch-on surge can be 10x or 15x the rated current, which is why industrial-use trip-switches have grades which allow a surge for a limited number of milliseconds.

If you just switch off, you have to wait for the lathe to roll to a halt by friction, or use some kind of brake. Some switching arrangements change over from supply to resistive load, which takes a pulse of heat as it (electrically) brakes the motion. These can come to a speedy stop. Don't be tempted to switch away from power into a short-circuit load.The sudden stop can break things! Choosing the right dump resistor can let you have the motor roll to a sweet stop.

Some motors have more centrifugal switching built into them, which takes care of the run-up, and run-down. They switch out of the way when the motor gets to a threshold speed. These can sometimes mess up attempts to use a VFD unless you knew everything about your motor from the beginning.

A traditional way, (other than using mighty contacts), is to use a small relay contactor, which is built to take it, and to go further, using a two push-button scheme for a latching relay stop-start, with the stop pushbutton in series with a big red emergency stop knob. Ready-wired versions of these are easy to find on eBay, Amazon, etc..

Solid State Switching
Given the very low cost, and the effectiveness, I like to use solid-state semiconductor switching. You can get a 280Volt 40A relay for less than 10 bucks. This banishes all sparking, arcing, and they cannot wear out. With one of these, you can use a light-duty switch like the one you posted the picture of. That switch would be used to operate the control input terminals of the SSR, (usually numbered 3, and 4) The main motor current goes through the output terminals (usually numbered 1, and 2). The neutral is not switched, except at the main isolator switch upstream, which you should have.
These isolators also do not cost the Earth, and a favourite style is a "rotate through 90°" type, but you can use what you like

Here --> LINK

Select with care. AC throughput uses TRIAC semiconductors, which can be controlled by either low voltage (3V to 36V DC) OR low voltage (4V to 36C AC, often 24V AC) OR by full mains voltage (like 97VAC through 280VAC). To take 1/2HP energy out of a house supply, a norm in USA is two 110V or 120V live lines with a common neutral, intended for higher energy stuff like cookers, etc.

If the motor is a 240V version, then you need to switch BOTH the lives, and be very careful, and fully knowledgeable about exactly how the motor is to be wired up. Again, I could not know sufficient details from the pictures, so I just guess. With a single phase motor, it should be easy enough.
Conveniently, you could get a SSR for a 3-phase, and just use two of the switches, ignoring the third. Don't be shy about using a 40A or 60A SSR relay for a motor that might take only 2A or 3A when running. If you do use a relay contactor, you would choose one with the right kW rating for AC motor use. Likely, even the lowest rated would be more than your lathe motor needs.

If you want to, you can use a small, low power latching relay, with "stop" and "start" buttons, so long as there is the SSR on the end if it all, doing the main current switching. You can also get kit where everything is solid state, including the latching and stop functions.

From UK - but I am sure you can find others.

Here is an isolation switch --> LINK#2
OR --> LINK#3
You don't use it to stop and start the lathe! You can find others, but the types with the ready-made enclosure box cost a few bucks more.

Getting fancy
These days you can find semiconductor controlled "soft-start" switches. My woodworking chop-saw comes with that feature built in, but you can get separate kit that does this. It gets over the violent jerk start, and the high surge current.

For a small lathe, with (say) a 1/2HP motor, you do not need mighty industrial type contactors, but I think you perhaps do need a little more than the small duty switch you proposed to use, especially compared to the one that was there originally.

Get a picture of the motor rating label. It can help. Remember that a 1400W hair drier does not need a heavy duty switch, because the heaters are resistive, They do not store magnetic energy. A 700W squirrel-cage induction motor is a different situation altogether.
 
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The motor is a GE model 5KH47DR440, 8.6 Amp, 1/2 hp, 115v, Class B motor. My new switch is 20 amp rated. Power should be about 989 watt.. Being it has a long shaft I'm thinking it was probably for a home air/heating air handler fan.
 
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The motor is a GE model 5KH47DR440, 8.6 Amp, 1/2 hp, 115v, Class B motor. My new switch is 20 amp rated. Power should be about 989 watt.. Being it has a long shaft I'm thinking it was probably for a home air/heating air handler fan.
OK - the 989 was 115 x 8.6. There should be a power factor value, also known as cos(φ), which might have a value around 0.8 or 0.85.
Mechanical motor power is Vx I x cos(φ).
A robust 20A switch should be OK, if rated for use with an AC motor, or "inductive loads" then it will have the symbols on it. Nominally 370W to 400W is what it has to deliver without the contacts overheating, but do check. Stuff that connects to motors is not the same as stuff that connects resistive loads. The motor is switched repeatedly, and often.

I could not discover the full detail on the motor, and I have to quit now anyway. Good luck with the lathe. I have to admire the color scheme design, with black accents. Looking real smart!
 
So nobody knows for sure where these brass parts go?? Maybe the smaller one goes under the set screw on the compound?
 

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Used a 3/4" x 24"x 48" plywood to put under the lathe as well as a drip pan to go under the lathe as well. The cut-outs are to fit handle of my roll-around cart. Used primer stain blocker and painted it semi-gloss grey.
 

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So nobody knows for sure where these brass parts go?? Maybe the smaller one goes under the set screw on the compound?
I was watching YouBoob of restoration of a 9A model and the larger brass plug goes on the bottom left, as facing from rear, of the back gear. There is also supposed to be a spring but I didn't find one when I took it apart.
I think I know where you mean. There is a special tapered set screw in there now that engages into the handle so it doesn't throw too far. I'll take a pic of it tomorrow. How about that other tiny brass piece? Could it be it fits under the set screw of the compound degree retaining set screw?
Thanks! You were correct about the larger brass one going in the back gear tension adjuster. Supposed to be a spring also but was missing.
 
Finished gutting the switch box and installing a toggle switch. The motor runs @ 1775 rpm. Where can I buy new threading data plates? My change gear set came in the mail yesterday. I don't know what that 30 tooth top gear fits but it came with the gear set.
 

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Rainey days are slowing me down! I have to work outside in mostly open space. Pretty soon I'm going to have to decide to either sell my Grizzly G9729 or sell the South Bend 9C. I don't have space for both. The Grizzly is large 31" with a mill/drill that I never even use because I have a Grizzly milling machine. It really works well. It takes up a lot of room, especially overhead, in my small 10x15 shop.
 

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Question about the back gear. Are the tapered pins designed to shear off if bull gear is left engaged? Reason I ask is because I put steel roll pins instead of the too long 2" tapered pins that someone had used.
 
Question about the back gear. Are the tapered pins designed to shear off if bull gear is left engaged? Reason I ask is because I put steel roll pins instead of the too long 2" tapered pins that someone had used.

No. If the tapered pins are too long, you could always trim them off. Roll pins would require that the hole be drilled the same size the entire length.
 
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