Need advice for repairing damaged SB 14-1/2” lathe

Rick a new or clean fine-cut file used as a draw file will easily get you to your tolerances. It is much faster than scraping, and the equipment is in the 10$ range, not the 200$ range.

[edit] it is much easier than scraping.

[2nd edit] If you are keen to learn scraping you can get to within .005 of your goal using a mill or file and scrape from there.
 
Today I converted the shoulder bolt in which I broke a tap into the proper replacement for the broken cross feed but retainer bolt. I had drilled a hole through the center of the bolt for oiling, and was tapping it for the 1/4-20 grub screw that covers the oil hole. The crappy tap broke, and I figured that expensive bolt was headed for the scrap pile. Right before the tap broke:

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But tonight I decided to try to save it. I needed to cut the head off anyway—the 3/4” shoulder already did head duty.

Hey, I have a lathe! I cobbled together the lantern post and a high-speed steel turning cutter and machined the screw head off. I turned it down, stopping just short of running the tool into the broken tap. That foil-thin sleeve broke right off when I grabbed it with the pliers to grip the now-exposed remains of the tap. After I got the tap out, I faced the bolt, chamfered it, countersunk the screw hole, and then tapped it with a better tap. I salvaged the oil screw from the old bolt and cut screwdriver slots in the new screw for installation.

I was surprised at how smoothly the lathe cut that tough stainless steel bolt head. Chips were decent. I gotta dig out my letter punches to mark “OIL” on it as on the original.

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Rick “on to general overhaul duties” Denney
 
I'm reviving the old thread here, because I've finally sourced the one remaining piece that was damaged. I've been doing without it just fine, but I like the idea of the lathe being properly complete. Today, I purchased an entire taper attachment from Ebay, including the damaged connecting bar and the previously replaced (with a shop-made fabrication) bar clamp.

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The parts I needed are the two on the left. The remaining parts will be inspected and I'll either keep them as spares or offer them for sale to offset the cost of buying the whole kit when I just needed two parts.

This is the only time I have seen a connecting bar for this lathe for sale in the year since the crash. I was able to make plenty of chips without it, but this will mean I can remove the piece of cardboard I was using to try and keep chips off the cross slide screw. :)

The only part for the lathe that I'm still searching for is the adapter that goes into the spindle to mount a morse-taper center. That part would have come with the tool-room version that this lathe is, but it was not with the lathe when I bought it. That part looks like a collet closer (which I have) but has a MT3 opening rather than the 4c collet opening. South Bend's taper is the same as an MT3 but is much larger in diameter so the adapter will have sufficient meat. I figured I'd make one, and I probably will have to do that. That will give me some practice with that taper attachment :)

Rick "for posterity" Denney
 
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