Make new bearings?

B

bpimm

Active User
Registered
I have a 100 year old lathe that was given to me and I have been using it for a couple years, I have made some pretty good parts with it. I'm starting to do some repair work on it, but before I go to far it needs the head stock gone through. The bearings and spindle are heavily scored so I was thinking of having a machine shop grind the journals and making undersize bearings to fit and have them line bored for the final fit. Is this a feasible thing to do? What bronze material should I use for the bearings? Would I bore the bearings to the final dimension before or after splitting them? Any other insight is appreciated.

I don't have another lathe so this would be a tedious process of tearing down to measure rebuilding to turn the bearings, tearing down to test fit, repeat as necessary....


Lathe is a 9" Seneca Falls

Thanks
Brian
 
Man thats an old lathe. How is the rest of it? Have you had anyone look at it for the machining you would need to purchase, a machine shop ? Or do you have something to bore it yourself ? And the bearings are brass not babbit ?
As far as splitting the new bushings, i would think after they have been turned and bored to size. But, thats without seeing how they are mounted. . . It does sound like a very interesting project . Can you cut threads with it ? Show us some detail pictures.

B the way, i have done/ am doing a similar thing, but its a crude old buzz saw that had a pitted shaft riding in babbit split bearings. Still not done but summer is coming, then outside work can commence.
( we are getting another foot of snow tonite in n.w. Wisc)
 
Old? just getting broken in... :)) I'll take a few pics tomorrow. The bearings look like brass not white like Babbitt. I haven't talked to a machine shop yet, If this project looks like it may go then I'll talk to the guy that has done my automotive machine work for the last 30 years, I figured he could grind and polish the journals and bore the bearings to fit and it shouldn't cost too much. I can't cut threads, no change gears. That is another project once I get an indexing head or 4th axis for the mill. And I thought my weather sucked, 63* and sunny today.
 
Some pics,

IMG_6228.jpg

IMG_6232.jpg

IMG_6233.jpg

IMG_6236.jpg

It's a slimy mess because of how fast the oil goes through the bearings and dribbles all over everything. I'm using chainsaw bar oil and a half a cup full is gone in less than 2 minutes so I tend to add a little bit every 5-10 minutes or so.

IMG_6228.jpg IMG_6232.jpg IMG_6233.jpg IMG_6236.jpg
 
On the oil useage, maybe you can get a groove cut by the ends on the lowers to install half of a split seal to hold the oil in. Just like on car engines used to use rope seals to seal the crankshaft.
Pierre
 
Just wondering I have seen a lot worse.. I take it you found no shims? My self I would clean all surfaces
and stick some plasti- gauge in there so atleast you will have an idea. I know (not correct) but back in
babbit pounder days we typically would file the caps when all the shims were gone. I got a big lathe
around the age of yours and oil usage and mess I think you have to live with. But once clean and painted
I just wipe it clean. I do good with #90 gear oil, and even with that its thristy cause thats the way its
made. My bearing caps have 4 3/4 bolts on each cap so that how big mine is so thats lots of oil. I see
nice brass oilers comming this summer.
 
Last edited:
I didn't file the caps but I did add shims between the cap and bearing and then file the bearing back down to the cap. then it needed about .01 shims under the cap, I have been running it well oiled and a bit tight and the bearings seemed to run in a bit, it now doesn't need as much shim as when I first shimmed the bearings. On the bearing on the chuck end there is an area of the bearing that doesn't touch at all, probably about 30% of the bearing surface, this shows up as a large pocket of black buildup on the bearing when the cap is removed.

I think at some point I want to make new bearings, but do you guys think I can keep running it as it is without doing more damage than is already there?

Thanks for all the help
Brian

GK1918 said:
Just wondering I have seen a lot worse.. I take it you found no shims? My self I would clean all surfaces
and stick some plasti- gauge in there so atleast you will have an idea. I know (not correct) but back in
babbit pounder days we typically would file the caps when all the shims were gone. I got a big lathe
around the age of yours and oil usage and mess I think you have to live with. But once clean and painted
I just wipe it clean. I do good with #90 gear oil, and even with that its thristy cause thats the way its
made. My bearing caps have 4 3/4 bolts on each cap so that how big mine is so thats lots of oil. I see
nice brass oilers comming this summer.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top