# Caddywhompus Clausing Lathe



## echesak (Dec 14, 2014)

About 6 years ago, I picked up a Clausing 4914 for $150.  The motor alone (a brand new 1 HP 3Ph. Baldor Brake motor) was worth far more than the lathe.  It needed/needs some TLC.  The previous owner had been using it for some production of some Phenolic & G11 parts.  I spent the better part of a week cleaning it and getting everything back to running shape.  It was fairly complete and runs well.  I converted it with a VFD for my home shop.  I work from home and use it a lot to mostly for parts for work.  It's got a couple things that are beginning to nag on me and my parts, and I was looking for a little advice:

1.  The 3 Jaw chuck is not so good. About the best I can do on re-centering is about 7-10 thou.  This is not really a problem with machining a part in one set-up.  But needing to re-chuck parts becomes problematic.  I've been looking for a chuck and adapter, but it's a fairly rare size (1-3/4-8TPI).  So It's probably going to take a little work to get a new chuck on this.  I've also been looking at a collet chuck for it, as I thought it might be better at re-recentering parts and since many of the parts I make are fairly small.  Any comments or ideas would be appreciated.

2.  When using back-bear, there is an inconsistent sort of popping sound that seems like gears not meshing properly.  I've been through the gear train twice and everything looks fine.  This sound seems to be more frequent when drilling or boring heavy cuts, while in back gear.  This sound does not occur when drilling out of back-gear.  It sounds like the noise is coming from the area on the outside of the machine (on the belt-pulley-end).  But again, I've looked and can't find anything wrong.  Any thoughts here would be appreciated.

3.  Most troublesome is the misalignment of the tailstock.  I have aligned it in/out (front to back) so my cuts are fairly good with minimal taper.  However, I can't really use it for any precision drilling, as it doesn't align from top to bottom.  Also, it seems that when I align it in/out, for minimal taper, it doesn't align with the center of the part in the in-out direction.  I've leveled the machine, but thought this might be an additional leveling problem, or maybe a headstock problem.  Before I dig into this, I wanted to see if there were any thoughts on this.

It's a very nice piece of machinery.  I just think I'm not up on how to get it running at it's top shape.  I've used it for these 6 years without too much of an issue.  But since my parts are needing more precision, I need to address some of these shortfalls.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Eric


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## Andre (Dec 14, 2014)

What is G11? Do you mean G10? G10 is an abrasive material for sure.....

Your 3 jaw chuck needs regrinding, Keith Fenner, MrPete222, etc have videos on chuck jaw grinding and can explain it better than I can. Grinding the jaws should get it in working order again.

Check to make sure there are no chipped or cracked gears in your backgear system, a chipped tooth on a gear will create a "knock" in when heavy machining.

If your tailstock is worn, it will be a little low. Take your tailstock apart, into top and bottom pieces then slip some shims under the base of your tailstock. The base is in the gap where it adjusts, not on the way surfaces. 

Part of getting a new machine is fixing it up for it's new owner, getting it adjusted and in trim again. It's a pain, but will be well worth it.

Have fun and be safe!


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## echesak (Dec 14, 2014)

Ha ha ha...  Yes I meant G10.  I've been helping some friends with some astronomy equipment and the Losmandy G11 has been one piece I've been recommending.  Sorry for that.  

Thanks for the heads-up on these items.  Funny that I found when I tighten a particular screw on the 3-jaw, that closes it with more accuracy than the others.  I figured that the scroll was worn and nothing much I could do about it.  But I'll definitely take a look at grinding the chuck jaws.

Funny thing about the tail stock is that it's too high, I assumed that either the headstock was pointed down or the tailstock was pointed up.  I'll split the tailstock and look at shimming it back into alignment.  I hadn't considered that.

I love the old-iron.  But sometimes its a lot more work than just buying a lesser machine new.  My Series1 BP has just undergone a total top-end rebuild, with excellent results.  I just need to get a DRO on it, as the screws are very worn.

Thanks for the input.

Eric


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## Andre (Dec 14, 2014)

echesak said:


> Ha ha ha...  Yes I meant G10.  I've been helping some friends with some astronomy equipment and the Losmandy G11 has been one piece I've been recommending.  Sorry for that.
> 
> Thanks for the heads-up on these items.  Funny that I found when I tighten a particular screw on the 3-jaw, that closes it with more accuracy than the others.  I figured that the scroll was worn and nothing much I could do about it.  But I'll definitely take a look at grinding the chuck jaws.
> 
> ...



My BP also has worn screws, and will be getting an Igaging DRO soon. (Bolt circles, yay!)

I wonder if somebody else shimmed it high for a reason, or didn't have any thinner shims. Hmm.....


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