Lot 5 Dalton rebuild

[Glenn Brooks]

here are a few pics of my Dalton rebuild. The machine is a lot 5, SN:340. Made around 1920. I think it has been in light duty service here in the Pacific Northwest, probably in a backyard machinist shop out in the Skagit valley, since new. So not very worn. Actually very tight, with very little wear on the ways.

I stripped it down, repainted everything, and scrapped and shimmed the bearings in the headstock when reassembling. Got the required > .002" of movement in the headstock bearing, which was nice. (Oil fills the clearance and lubes the split bearings, hence the desired .002" of clearance).

The gears were in good shape- look new actually, with no discernible wear.

The lathe also came with a nice steady rest and a decent 3 jaw chuck.

The major upgrades I added included a small quick change tool post, shimmed to place the QCTP holder at the correct height above the compound slide; new headstock and tailstock MT 2 live center, and drill chuck, and a 4" four jaw chuck. So far don't have a backing plate for the chuck or dog plate to drive work on centers. I did pick up several old Atlas 1" x10 backing plates which I intend to bore out to 1 1/4" x12 so as to fit the Dalton spindle. Then should be pretty well tooled up.


I did purchase a SB 9" countershaft assembly to mount up a motor. Pictures show the tensioning anchor I made up in lieu of the SB bolt to bed method.

So far, real happy with the result. I intend to use the lathe to make smallish parts that would be difficult to handle on my 14" south bend.

Glenn

 

[mikey]

Nice job, Glenn. Any plans to cover the gearing up?

 

[Bob Korves]

Glenn, until (and perhaps after) you find or make a dog driver plate to drive work on centers, you can use a center made of ordinary steel and turned in place in a three or four jaw chuck. Accuracy of the chuck is of no matter, you turn the 60 degree center point in place, and it is by definition concentric. It does not wear on the work because it is turning with the work, and is more accurate than a hardened center mounted directly in the spindle. Each time the center is remounted in the chuck, it needs to be skim cut to be concentric. Then drive the dog with any chuck jaw, the same jaw for threading or other indexed jobs if you remove and reinstall the work. This is a well respected method, widely used back when lots more turning was done between centers than now. It also avoids removing the chuck...

 

[Glenn Brooks]

Thanks Bob, great idea! I will give it a try. Actually, I think I heard about this method long ago, and forgot . However your description is perfect. I need to turn some wheels with shafts for a 12" gauge locomotive turntable iam building. And this would be a perfect method to set up the job- albeit on a 12" lathe. Should be easy enuf to do!

Regards
Glenn

 

[Glenn Brooks]

Nice job, Glenn. Any plans to cover the gearing up?

Mike, yes I have the covers. But still testing the assembly and looking at the lube cycle, so wanted to leave everything exposed until iam sure all is well with lube cycle and physical operation.

BTW, have you ever been out to the Hawaii Railway Society in Eva? They have a small machine shop, actually a big shop for restoring narrow gauge equipment, with a SB lathe and mill, etc. They are looking for volunteers to help out and are looking for someone to help organize their machine shop.

Glenn

 

[mikey]

Mike, yes I have the covers. But still testing the assembly and looking at the lube cycle, so wanted to leave everything exposed until iam sure all is well with lube cycle and physical operation.

BTW, have you ever been out to the Hawaii Railway Society in Eva? They have a small machine shop, actually a big shop for restoring narrow gauge equipment, with a SB lathe and mill, etc. They are looking for volunteers to help out and are looking for someone to help organize their machine shop.

Glenn

I have not heard of the Hawaii Railway Society, Glenn. My life is full of caregiving activities right now but maybe one day, when things slow down, I might be able to dedicate some time to volunteering. I'll keep it in mind - it sounds like something I would enjoy doing.

 

[Glenn Brooks]

I have not heard of the Hawaii Railway Society, Glenn. My life is full of caregiving activities right now but maybe one day, when things slow down, I might be able to dedicate some time to volunteering. I'll keep it in mind - it sounds like something I would enjoy doing.

Mike, They operate what's left of the Oahu Railway - a weekend schedule over a 6 mile stretch of 36" ga track from just outside Eva Beach to the Heco power plant at Makaha. the Sunday run stops for ice cream at Ko Olina.Actually have a very interesting collection of old steam locomotives and rolling stock from the turn of the century set up as an out door museum at their depot just outside Eva. Makes a nice outing...

Glenn

 

[mikey]

I will remember it, Glenn. Thank you!

 

[Glenn Brooks]

Bob, your suggestion to turn a dead center held in the chuck works great! Iam just finishing final cuts on four axle inserts for some ancient cast iron double flange turntable wheels for my 12" ga Railway. Here are the axle/wheel assemblies - one of them anyway, mounted up in the Dalton.


BTW, I bought the drive dog off eBay and found it stamped 'USAAF'. So it served in WWII with the US Army
Air Force!


Glenn

 

[Glenn Brooks]

Couple more photos of the Dalton set up for turning on centers. This uses an expandable 3/4" arbor to grip the work piece. I found one needs to seat the expandable sleeve onto the arbor with a sharp rap on a brass drift with a large hammer. Cut into the taper of the arbor and all goes very well.



Here are a couple pics of the final workpiece - a contoured disk to hold a grinding wheel on the spindle of a baldor grinder I acquired recently.