# Gear ringing noise help



## Ranger (Jul 29, 2014)

I recently broke the idler gear on my asian 13x40 gearhead gapbed lathe, I turned a mild steel blank and had a new gear cut ( the old gear was cast running on a steel driver gear and a steel driven gear that leads to the quick change box)
I may have made a mistake using mild steel as now when I run the run the gears sing a ringing song very loudly, I set clearance at .004" between each gear in the set. I lubed with grease. Is it not correct to run steel on steel gears?
Transmissions do all the time don't they? Is there some way to stop the ringing, drill holes in the gear body ? glue rubber to it ? Any help here guys has anyone had similar issues ?

TIA


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## bvd1940 (Jul 29, 2014)

Ranger said:


> I recently broke the idler gear on my asian 13x40 gearhead gapbed lathe, I turned a mild steel blank and had a new gear cut ( the old gear was cast running on a steel driver gear and a steel driven gear that leads to the quick change box)
> I may have made a mistake using mild steel as now when I run the run the gears sing a ringing song very loudly, I set clearance at .004" between each gear in the set. I lubed with grease. Is it not correct to run steel on steel gears?
> Transmissions do all the time don't they? Is there some way to stop the ringing, drill holes in the gear body ? glue rubber to it ? Any help here guys has anyone had similar issues ?
> 
> TIA



Holes will help and ifin ya have to pour the sides with liquid rubber but clean real good first.
I have used surgical tubing wrapped around a a steel tubing to knock off the ringing.
If you can get to the gear while running press a piece of wood (file or hammer handle) against the side of the gear and see if it gets quieter.
God bless & good luck
PS lead works also.
Bill
update; you could always run a plastic Actel (spelling ? Dirlin?) & make a new gear and then I know it will be quite.:thinking:


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## JimDawson (Jul 29, 2014)

Drilling holes in the gears might work, it should change the resonant frequency.  Normally you would run a steel spur gear against a cast gear, but steel will work if you keep it well lubed.  Maybe you could lap the gears in.   Maybe you could set the gears tight and run for a while then set them back to the proper clearance, and see if that helps.  That's what I did on the gear train on my mill, a couple of hours later the gears were quiet with almost no backlash.


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## darkzero (Jul 30, 2014)

My gears ring when they are too loose. Probably not the case with yours but just a thought. I set lash with paper. Very rough surface finish on the teeth come to mind also.


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## GK1918 (Jul 30, 2014)

I would say rubber just like using rubber like bungee chord while turning brake drums  (think harmonic balancer)


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