# PM1340GT Lubrication Manifold for Quick Change Gearbox



## szenieh (Feb 6, 2021)

Greetings,

I have finished the lubrication manifold for my PM1340 Lathe. Below are some photos for those that might be interested.













I drilled and tapped 8-32 holes into the brass manifold. The polyurethane tubing (4mm-5/32") self-screws into these holes. I used a heat gun to shape the tubes into the bends I needed for each station.






I am using a KBC tools one-shot oiler. I wanted to go to 1/8"-NPT PTC fittings. When I drilled the fitting that I removed from the oiler for 1/8"-NPT the wall became too thin and the fitting broke as I tightened it back into the body of the oiler. So, I made 2 new fittings from brass. Note that these fittings had a one-way valve (a steel ball with a spring) that came out during the drilling. I had already planned on a one-way valve in-line anyways, so that did not matter.






Here's a short clip of the manifold squirting oil on top of the gearbox.





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The oiler had two outputs. I used one to feed two lines to oil the gears in the back of the lathe. The other output is dedicated to the manifold. See photo below.






Here you see the tubes going to the gear train in the back of the lathe. There are two flow control valves for each line as well as two one-way valves.









Here's a photo with the cover on.






Hope this helps someone.

Salah


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## Shootymacshootface (Feb 6, 2021)

Yea it did!  I just ordered a pump! 
Thanks!


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## 7milesup (Feb 6, 2021)

Very nice work Salah!


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## .LMS. (Feb 6, 2021)

very very nice!


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## Silverbullet (Feb 8, 2021)

Nice job should keep things oiled up.


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## Larry$ (Feb 8, 2021)

Will the belt need protection from oil spatter?


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## szenieh (Feb 8, 2021)

Larry$ said:


> Will the belt need protection from oil spatter?


So far, the splatter is little and directed away from the belt when running the lathe in forward. If one runs it in reverse, I think there will be some splatter hitting the outside of the belt. The system only squirts few drops- I open the flow control valve 1/8th turn and that's enough for both lines. The upper line takes a bit longer to get oil feed as it is further away which calls for a "metering" solution. I'm planning a brass orifice for the lower line which should slow the flow down for that line until oil reaches the upper feed. This is experimental as I did not like grease- it was more messy.


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## b24gun (Feb 8, 2021)

Nice job and well thought out! But, the manufacturer recommends NLGI #2 grease for the external change gears. I think you are going to get a lot of sling off oil. I do like your approach to the manifold oiling.


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## szenieh (Feb 8, 2021)

b24gun said:


> Nice job and well thought out! But, the manufacturer recommends NLGI #2 grease for the external change gears. I think you are going to get a lot of sling off oil. I do like your approach to the manifold oiling.


I am watching the splatter and will go back to grease if it gets excessive. So far, it's not messier than the grease. It does quiet the gear noise down a lot. I was considering a delrin gear for the 40-teeth input to the gearbox- someone had made a gear like that.; but it was expensive. I may eventually make my own.


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## szenieh (Feb 8, 2021)

Here's a photo and a short video on the 1/4" through hole drilled through the 3/4" 360 brass. The hole is 8 1/2" long. I drilled it from both ends meeting in the middle. 










Your browser is not able to display this video.


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## Larry$ (Feb 8, 2021)

szenieh said:


> This is experimental as I did not like grease- it was more messy.


I use grease on my change gears and really don't like to change gears because of it. Total mess. My quick change gears run in an oil bath and it leaks a little bit.


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## szenieh (Feb 8, 2021)

Larry$ said:


> I use grease on my change gears and really don't like to change gears because of it. Total mess. My quick change gears run in an oil bath and it leaks a little bit.


I totally agree on the mess with the grease. My quick change gearbox is an oil-drip system. I see no difference between that and the gears in the back of the lathe. I ran the lathe with the back cover removed and squirted some gear oil on these gears and I like how quiet they immediately became. It won't be hard to make a guard for the belt should the splatter become excessive, but I will take oil over grease any day.


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## NCjeeper (Feb 8, 2021)

Looks great. I need to do something like that to my 13x40.


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## Shootymacshootface (Feb 13, 2021)

I just received this today! Not sure when I'll get to it, but it is on the list.


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## szenieh (Feb 13, 2021)

Shootymacshootface said:


> I just received this today! Not sure when I'll get to it, but it is on the list.
> View attachment 355345


Look great- seems they've changed the fittings on the output. Mine broke when I tightened it and they are made of steel. These are made of brass, it seems. I made the replacements out of brass. Good luck- I really like this addition to my lathe.


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## Shootymacshootface (Feb 13, 2021)

szenieh said:


> Look great- seems they've changed the fittings on the output. Mine broke when I tightened and they are made of steel. These are made of brass, it seems. I made the replacements out of brass. Good luck- I really like this addition to my lathe.


I'm sure that it is so much more convenient. When I get this done, I will only have to lube the carriage and the ways. 
Thanks for the great thread!


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## Shootymacshootface (Feb 13, 2021)

Also, less time oiling and more time turning is an obvious benefit, but one thing that I didn't think about until now, is that everytime that you lift an oil cap, you risk a chip or other debris getting in there. This would no longer be a concern with a closed system.


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## szenieh (Feb 13, 2021)

Shootymacshootface said:


> Also, less time oiling and more time turning is an obvious benefit, but one thing that I didn't think about until now, is that everytime that you lift an oil cap, you risk a chip or other debris getting in there. This would no longer be a concern with a closed system.


When you're ready to put this together, let me know. I can post a list of components I used. I purchased all that I needed from McMASTER-CARR. I may even get around to making a sketch as to what goes where with thread sizes. You may find that the thread size on the fitting out of the one-shot oiler is 1/8"-NPT (should check), but the rest of the fittings are metric (that came with the oiler and I did not use). Here's a list of some dimensions of the fittings that came with my oiler- so that you can cross check with yours:

1. M8-1.0 compression fittings
2. Compression Sleeves: ID=4.0 mm
3. Needs copper tubing of 4.0 approximately 5/32" or polyurethane tubing.
4. Tapered NPT threads into the one-shot oiler body is: 1/8"-27(TPI) thread.

The 1/8"-NPT length on the output port was too short on mine. This is the reason I wanted to take it out and drill-tap to have a longer thread. It broke as it was made out cheap alloy and there was a weak point where it necked down. It became weaker when I drilled it and it broke. I have modified the design on the replacement brass fitting so that it extends away from the oiler body allowing the installation of the flow control valve. I do have a SolidWorks model for the replacement fitting if you need it.

Salah


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## szenieh (Feb 13, 2021)

While I am at it, here is a list of the hardware that went into this build (I hope I am not missing anything):

1. High-Pressure Precision Flow-Adjustment Valve Metal-to-Metal Seat, Brass Body, 1/8 NPT Male x Female. McMaster # 7833K73
2. Brass Threaded Check Valve for Oil and Fuel, 1/8 NPT Male x NPT Female. McMaster # 7768K65
3. High-Pressure Brass Pipe Fitting 90 Degree Elbow Adapter, 1/8 NPT Female x Male. McMaster # 50785K41
4. High-Pressure Brass Pipe Fitting Right-Angle Tee Adapter, 1/8 NPT Female x Male. McMaster # 50785K219
5. Universal-Thread Push-to-Connect Tube Fittings Nickel-Plated Brass, Straight, 5/32" OD x 1/8 Pipe Size. McMaster # 7397N15
6. Universal-Thread Push-to-Connect Tube Fittings Nickel-Plated Brass, Short 90 Degree, 5/32" OD x 1/8 Pipe Size. McMaster # 7397N45
7. Universal-Thread Push-to-Connect Tube Fittings Nickel-Plated Brass, Short 90 Degree, 3/8" OD x 1/8 Pipe Size. McMaster # 7397N55
8. Universal-Thread Push-to-Connect Tube Fittings Nickel-Plated Brass, Straight, 3/8" OD x 1/8 Pipe Size. McMaster # 7397N25
9. 3/8" OD - 1/4" ID Polyurethane flexible tubing from HomeDepot.
10. Threaded Brass Pipe Fitting for Drinking Water High-Pressure, Plug with Hex Drive, 1/8 NPTF Male. McMaster # 1491N186 (I bought mine from Princess Auto in Canada, but this will work).
11. Search on Amazon for the tubing- use this for the search ... uxcell Pneumatic Air Tubing, 4mm OD x 2.5mm ID.

I did have to buy a 1/8" NPT tap (needs size Q drill) as I did not own one as well as 1/4" drill - 8" length to drill the 3/4" brass 1/4" through hole. I drilled from both sides. I did not really need the aircraft drill of 12" that I've shown in one the clips above.

Hope this gets you going. I do have drawings and SolidWorks models for the critical components used in this build.

Salah


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## szenieh (Feb 13, 2021)

szenieh said:


> When you're ready to put this together, let me know. I can post a list of components I used. I purchased all that I needed from McMASTER-CARR. I may even get around to making a sketch as to what goes where with thread sizes. You may find that the thread size on the fitting out of the one-shot oiler is 1/8"-NPT (should check), but the rest of the fittings are metric (that came with the oiler and I did not use). Here's a list of some dimensions of the fittings that came with my oiler- so that you can cross check with yours:
> 
> 1. M8-1.0 compression fittings
> 2. Compression Sleeves: ID=4.0 mm
> ...


I am replying to my own post to clarify that a standard manual one-shot oiler thread output is 5/16"-24 UNF. The oiler I'm using from KBC tools happens to have 1/8"-27 NPT thread on its output. This is why you should check as there maybe changes between models that I am not aware of. If so, you will have to get an adapter from 5/16"-24 to 1/8"-27 NPT if you want to go with the components I am listing- just a quick "heads-up". I found this at McMaster-CARR- Item # 51205K546

Extreme-Pressure 316 Stainless Steel Pipe Fitting
Adapter, 1/8 NPTF Female x 5/16"-24 UN/UNF Male

but it is very expensive. You could make your own ...

Salah


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## Shootymacshootface (Feb 13, 2021)

szenieh said:


> While I am at it, here is a list of the hardware that went into this build (I hope I am not missing anything):
> 
> 1. High-Pressure Precision Flow-Adjustment Valve Metal-to-Metal Seat, Brass Body, 1/8 NPT Male x Female. McMaster # 7833K73
> 2. Brass Threaded Check Valve for Oil and Fuel, 1/8 NPT Male x NPT Female. McMaster # 7768K65
> ...


Thank you so much for all of this information! 
This will make a snap to complete my oiler.
 I'm sure that I will have a question or two when I get into my installation. 
Thanks!


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## szenieh (Feb 13, 2021)

Shootymacshootface said:


> Thank you so much for all of this information!
> This will make a snap to complete my oiler.
> I'm sure that I will have a question or two when I get into my installation.
> Thanks!


You're very welcome. Let me know if you need anything when you start working on it. 

All the best.


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