# Spindle Gear GITS Oiler Modification- and Registering Awkward Surface...



## itsme_Bernie (May 22, 2013)

I don't know if I've missed something like this before, but I've never seen anyone modify their spindle gear cover, to accommodate oiling directly, the spindle gear for powered carriage or crosslide drive.  Oiling requires removal of the cover, or opening the gear door on a South Bend.  My lathe is a 1965 10 L (heavy).  

We were discussing recently making important or things to maintain on machines, and in our shops, EASY to do.  I remember Brad Jacob posted a fantastic thread on PM restoring a 13 inch SB (which is BEAUTIFUL) and added a GITS to the top of the traverse pinion shaft.  This got me thinking.

Heavy Ten's can have some outside gear train noise issues, but I can say that I have eliminated them to a degree that I am now completely happy.  I mean actually very quiet now!!   By cleaning the gears, changing lube to 75W synthetic oil (I had it around for my truck- NO detergents) AND a trace of anti-sling agent- Lucas Oil Stabilizer (also for the truck).  Not a grease, and lets debris flow way, while clinging oil to gears and quieting the gears.


I needed a way to make it easy to get oil down on that top gear without removing the top cover, and also without opening the side- because I kept remembering to lube the gears AFTER I had work started in a collet, and the drawbar handle blocks the door.  >:/
I did not want any debris going in, so I decided on a GITS oil cup I had in my spare machine parts bin.  

The only problem was how to get the oiler standing up straight on this slope-y, round-y part of the lathe- no square, level surface.  NO surface of the cover sat nicely and level on any fixture on the mill, and I would go nuts looking at a crooked oil cup up there.  

So I made a temporary, level, registered surface of my own right there with some plumber's putty!!  Hah hah.  
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First I marked and measured the highest point on the cover, that would spill into the middle of each gear tooth:
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I removed the spindle cover, and prepared the mount on the milling machine table.  YOU WANT TO DO THIS NOW.  I will show this later.

Then re-installed on the lathe, laid the plumber's putty over the mark, and then smushed the 6 inch Starrett level into that until it read dead level:
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NOW re-install the cover in the PREPARED milling machine fixture.  Shim'ed it until the bubbles centered again.
The reason to prepare the mounting first is that you don't want to be fiddling with it while the level is clinging with plumber's putty.  It sticks well, but if you hit with your finger, you have to install on the lathe again and re-level it.
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Now time to plunge mill just enough for a nice flat place to drill.   Looks like a nice landing pad for an oiler 
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These long center drills come in handy when switching to a longer drill next:
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 Nice SLOW drilling with a Letter-size "U" Drill ( .368 inches ) for 1/8-27 NPT Tap (tapers from .375 to .400 inches).  Moderate speed and a slow feed so the bit doesn't "catch" the bottom of the hole as it goes through:
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1/8-27 NPT Tap and a spring loaded tap centering device.  Best thing ever for tapping in place:
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Ahhh nice place to mount an oiler:
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Sits nice and straight, and easy-access-oil without hesitation!  Plenty of clearance above the gear inside to the bottom of the oiler.  I gift that gives back every time I turn on the lathe.
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Bernie


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## richl (May 22, 2013)

Wow, nice write up and pictures  Very clean modification!

peace

rich


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## itsme_Bernie (May 23, 2013)

richl said:


> Wow, nice write up and pictures  Very clean modification!
> 
> peace
> 
> rich



Thanks Rich!  You can see it in person next month if you are up for the drive up here.
It sort of looks like it is meant to be there, now that it's there!

And the heavy gear oil drips through it slowly enough to get to all the gears with getting all over.  So it is actually better than before.


Bernie


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## richl (May 23, 2013)

itsme_Bernie said:


> Thanks Rich!  You can see it in person next month if you are up for the drive up here.
> It sort of looks like it is meant to be there, now that it's there!
> 
> And the heavy gear oil drips through it slowly enough to get to all the gears with getting all over.  So it is actually better than before.
> ...




I'll be there, I would not miss it for the world! I don't have the  equipment yet, so anytime I can manage it, you and Charlie get the joy  of having me ask lots of foolish questions, drool on your equipment and  acting plain ole noobie! 

It does make sense though, I'd like to see it in person.


peace

rich


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## woodtickgreg (May 23, 2013)

Great mod Bernie, by making it easy to lube it will get lubed all the time.


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## itsme_Bernie (May 23, 2013)

woodtickgreg said:


> Great mod Bernie, by making it easy to lube it will get lubed all the time.



Thanks Greg- over time, if we keep knocking off little things like this, to make it easier to maintain our machines, we just get to spend more time making things instead of maintaining them!  Although that is fun too 


Bernie


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## itsme_Bernie (May 23, 2013)

PeterJ on Practical Machinist says he appreciates my enthusiasm, but thinks I may have gone a little overboard 

He says the GITS oiler reservoir for the reverse tumbler gear purposely "leaks" and therefore gets all over the gears and keeps them lubed.  
This makes sense to me, and I don't mind admitting that I may have overcompensated for the noisy geartrain I had when I first got this lathe, and it is my first really nice machine!!  Hah hah!  

Any thoughts here?  I don't want to drown this thing and waste oil for nothing- that would be ridiculous.  I don't mind if I am told I'm being a fruitcake, as long as it is done with a smile.   


Bernie
PS- if my pics are too big, I can upload them to the computer first and then our forum- but these were straight from my phone to Tapatalk.  

Thanks


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## 8ntsane (May 23, 2013)

The job looks great Bernie
Looks like it is a factory job. A little to much oil would never hurt, to little would not be good


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## woodtickgreg (May 23, 2013)

8ntsane said:


> The job looks great Bernie
> Looks like it is a factory job. A little to much oil would never hurt, to little would not be good


Agreed, it's just oil and it will fling off, so extra is good imo. They say you can go 7,000 miles or more on a oil change in your car, I still change mine at 3,000. Oil is cheap, motors aren't. It's easier to overlube than it is to look for parts or make them because you can't find them.


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## itsme_Bernie (May 23, 2013)

Thanks guys!!  That was my short break alone after a tough week.

I don't mind plenty of oil!  But Peter's info was interesting, about that reverse tumbler GITS reservoir oiling the gears themselves.  I'll see if mine starts working now that I changed the wick.

Bernie


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