So what I initially assumed was a clutch problem in this post
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/14x40-lathe-clutch-issue.56867/#post-469823
..is now pointing to a worn worm gear bracket assembly. After some not-so-taxing 0.015-0.020” DOC power feeding on 1144 steel, the clutch started clicking & complaining as per the post. But now I think it was just coincidence that pushed it into the ‘fix me now’ zone.
With the carriage now disassembled I can see obvious wear on the inside of the cast iron U bracket that contains the worm gear. It seems to me when the lathe is new, the internal sides of the bracket are nice & square. The gear fits the outer bar with just a small gap. Now it appears the worm has worn a ~0.1” depth divot into the cast iron. Amazingly the worm gear is in great shape despite this & damage confined to the bracket from what I can tell. I will polish off some minor jaggy’s on the one gear end with the Dremel stone. Same goes for the brass gear it engages, teeth look fine.
So now I’m going over fix scenario pros & cons in my mind.
1) Buying a new bracket is possible, but it’s a late 1997 Taiwan 14x40 (King brand). There is a possibility to locate one from far away lands or maybe a current cousin in N-Am, could take a while.
2) I could mill a brand new bracket from chunk of steel & incorporate some improvements.
3) Utilize / modify the existing bracket, mill away the offending material kind of like the sketch & make up the gap with a bronze bushing that would take the lateral load of power feeding. This is somewhat equivalent to what same issue Keith Fenner remedied in his Youtube series ‘Lets look under the old girls skirt’. But he dressed the lip & OA torch & silver soldered a bronze ring. I dont have that equipment so do you think I could just insert what would amount to a glorified bronze flat washer of that thickness? I almost prefer that option as its less fuss & replaceable. The downside is I lose some rigidity in the arm from lost cast iron, but its not like I'm hogging on the machine.
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/14x40-lathe-clutch-issue.56867/#post-469823
..is now pointing to a worn worm gear bracket assembly. After some not-so-taxing 0.015-0.020” DOC power feeding on 1144 steel, the clutch started clicking & complaining as per the post. But now I think it was just coincidence that pushed it into the ‘fix me now’ zone.
With the carriage now disassembled I can see obvious wear on the inside of the cast iron U bracket that contains the worm gear. It seems to me when the lathe is new, the internal sides of the bracket are nice & square. The gear fits the outer bar with just a small gap. Now it appears the worm has worn a ~0.1” depth divot into the cast iron. Amazingly the worm gear is in great shape despite this & damage confined to the bracket from what I can tell. I will polish off some minor jaggy’s on the one gear end with the Dremel stone. Same goes for the brass gear it engages, teeth look fine.
So now I’m going over fix scenario pros & cons in my mind.
1) Buying a new bracket is possible, but it’s a late 1997 Taiwan 14x40 (King brand). There is a possibility to locate one from far away lands or maybe a current cousin in N-Am, could take a while.
2) I could mill a brand new bracket from chunk of steel & incorporate some improvements.
3) Utilize / modify the existing bracket, mill away the offending material kind of like the sketch & make up the gap with a bronze bushing that would take the lateral load of power feeding. This is somewhat equivalent to what same issue Keith Fenner remedied in his Youtube series ‘Lets look under the old girls skirt’. But he dressed the lip & OA torch & silver soldered a bronze ring. I dont have that equipment so do you think I could just insert what would amount to a glorified bronze flat washer of that thickness? I almost prefer that option as its less fuss & replaceable. The downside is I lose some rigidity in the arm from lost cast iron, but its not like I'm hogging on the machine.