# Lubrication And Back Gear Question



## Joe Pitz (Jun 27, 2015)

Hi All
The manual indicates that I should fill the elbow cups with oil, then one drop a day should be added.

How much oil is fill,  When I add oil it slowly drains down inside the cups.  How much should I add?

Also the manual indicates that to engage the back gear I should move the spindle clutch wheel away from the head then move the back gear lever to the engaged position.

On my lathe I cannot move the spindle clutch wheel at all, I have the brass 5C collet lever installed on the lathe.  
I can move the back gear lever to the engaged position, but them the chuck is solid as a rock and cannot be turned.

Thanks

Joe


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## Ulma Doctor (Jun 27, 2015)

you'll fill the cups until they slightly overflow, then every time you use the lathe, lift the oiler cover and place a drop or 2 of oil in the cup until it starts to overflow. the oil will be drawn down by gravity.

you'll need to disconnect the bull gear pin to make the back gears work.
sometimes you'll need to slowly rotate the chuck by hand while operating the back gear engagement lever to get the gears to mesh properly.


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## wa5cab (Jun 27, 2015)

Joe,

You didn't say what model of lathe you have and even if you had, I might not know exactly how one switches from direct drive to back gear drive on it.  But on all of the manual lathes that I do know anything about, switching to or from back gear drive is a 2-step process.  First you disconnect direct drive.  To do this on most of the ones I know, this is done by pulling out a pin physically located on the bull gear.  But some have a lever that moves a gear or clutch dog on the spindle sideways.  One that I know of has a ring or sleeve that pulls out of the left end of the spindle.  Yours apparently has some sort of wheel to do the direct drive disengagement.  Then you engage the back gears.  Doing step 2 without doing step 1 is like some old worn out truck gearboxes that you could get in both 1st and 2nd gear at the same time.  Everything is locked up and won't rotate.

Anyway, if the manual says to move that wheel, you will have to figure out why it won't move, and fix it.


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## hvontres (Jun 27, 2015)

Joe Pitz said:


> Hi All
> The manual indicates that I should fill the elbow cups with oil, then one drop a day should be added.
> 
> How much oil is fill,  When I add oil it slowly drains down inside the cups.  How much should I add?
> ...



When I refilled the apron and the gearbox on mine, I added oil until it was just below the elbow cup. If you accidentally overfill it, the extra oil will just drain out of elbow.

If you need to use backger, you will need to figure out a way to get clutch moved out far enough behind the 5C closer. If you just move the lever, it will act as a spindle lock. Also, I you are planning on using the back gear a bunch, there is a oil cup in the uppper pulley that lubricates the bushing in the pulley. Here is a picture from mine with the cover removed:


When the lathe is in direct drive, the hand wheel locks the pulley to the spindle shaft . When you put the lathe into back gear, the lever move the Input 
Pinion so that it engages the gears on the pulley. When you pull the handwheel back, the pulley can now spin on the spindle. I hope this helps make some sense of how things work up there.


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## Joe Pitz (Jun 27, 2015)

Thanks Ulma Doctor for the tips.  I will try the oil routine you mentioned.

Joe


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## Joe Pitz (Jun 27, 2015)

Thanks wa5cab,  I have a Clausing 6300.  I will more than likely pull the cover on the gear train and take a peek.

Joe


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## Joe Pitz (Jun 27, 2015)

Henry,  I do not have the variable speed drive, I have the under drive.  I wonder if the weight of the motor and under drive, that is keeping the belt tight, is also preventing me from pulling out the Spindle Clutch wheel.  I will take the weight off the pulley and try to pull the clutch wheel out.

Thanks

Joe


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## hvontres (Jun 27, 2015)

Joe Pitz said:


> Henry,  I do not have the variable speed drive, I have the under drive.  I wonder if the weight of the motor and under drive, that is keeping the belt tight, is also preventing me from pulling out the Spindle Clutch wheel.  I will take the weight off the pulley and try to pull the clutch wheel out.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Joe


Actually, mine is an under drive as well. The Belt tension should not cause the hand wheel to lock up. There is a ball plunger arrangement on the hand wheel. Look for a slotted setscrew. I don't have the orginal spring and ball setup on mine, so I need to loosen the setscrew when I need to move the hand wheel. Your lathe might have a similar issue. You don't need to remove it, just back it off a turn or two and the handwheel should slide back easily.


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## Joe Pitz (Jun 27, 2015)

Henry,  I looked at the hand wheel,  There are two set screws, 180 degrees apart,  Enclosed is a pic.  Not sure if these are what you are indicating or if they are part of the collet system.

If you look, there is a snap ring to the right of that hub.

Thanks

Joe


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## hvontres (Jun 27, 2015)

Joe Pitz said:


> Henry,  I looked at the hand wheel,  There are two set screws, 180 degrees apart,  Enclosed is a pic.  Not sure if these are what you are indicating or if they are part of the collet system.
> 
> If you look, there is a snap ring to the right of that hub.
> 
> ...


The snap ring will keep the hand wheel from coming all the way off of the spindle when it is disengaged. there should be a slotted set screw on the other side of the hand wheel. When the clutch is disengaged, the hand wheel should be touching the snap ring. Hope that makes sense.


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