Question re rebushing Atlas 618 countershaft Hanger spindle

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Woodsman 22

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Hello to everyone;

New forum member here and this is my first post (and I am a novice at machining). I was given an old Atlas 618 lathe by a friend who passed away and I have taken it down into parts for rebuilding/refinishing. The old countershaft hanger bushings (or bearings, if that is the correct term) were so worn and the countershaft spindle so scored and worn in spots that I ordered a new spindle and bought two bushings from a local bearing supply house.
I pressed in the bushings and rigged up a setup on the lathe using an angle plate and bolts (Chinese 9 X 20) to hold the spindle holes/bushings in line with the lathe axis but the countershaft hanger slipped while boring through the first bushing (which I did by turning the lathe spindle -three jaw chuck attached- with a spindle crank in the lathe).
I stopped there and checked the new spindle in the bushing and it was a tight fit, and "looked" straight, but it is off by about 1/16" when pushed over to the other bushing. In other words- the two bushings will not line up.
So my question is; can anyone suggest a rigid setup for holding this oddly shaped piece (the countershaft assembly) on the lathe cross slide to bore new bushings for the countershaft spindle? I am wondering what kind of fixture they used at the factory for this job. And by the way, I used the hand crank rather than boring under power because I was afraid the reamer would do damage to the part if the part slipped while being bored under power. Thanks for putting up with my long post!
 
Woodman,

Atlas built and sold at least three different T-slot cross-slides that replace the standard cross slide. Plus a round boring table that replaces the compound too rest. But unfortunately AFAIK only for the 9", 10" and 12" machines. But that's what you need to begin with if you are going to do boring on a lathe. Vertical position is adjusted by shims.

However, if you buy replacement bushings from Clausing, so long as the countershaft hanger is not bent, I don't believe that any boring will be required. I imagine that at least in the day, these bushings were also stock items from Oilite. But what you definitely do not want to do is try to use solid brass or bronze bushings, even with an oil hole drilled in them. They will run hot and soon wear out the countershaft spindle. You should also avoid trying to ream Oilite bushings as the reamer will tend to smear and close up the pores in the sintered bronze.
 
wa5cab said:
However, if you buy replacement bushings from Clausing, so long as the countershaft hanger is not bent, I don't believe that any boring will be required. I
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for that info! I went to a local bearing supply house for mine (they are oilite) and pressed them in. Spindle would not fit without boring those bushings. So I will try Clausing to see if they have them in stock. If so, I will press out the old/new ones and put in the Clausing bushings. By the way, my Chinese 9 X 20 does have a T-slot cross slide. It was my setup that was weak and slipped which probably caused the reamer to ream at an angle. Thus, the bores do not line up.
 
OK. Stuff happens.:D

Not having a 618, I don't know for certain that the OEM bushings don't require reaming. But I would be a little surprised if Atlas didn't design it that way. Designs only have to be done once. Whereas having to line bore every hanger would add an unnecessary step to the manufacturing process.
 
wa5cab said:
Designs only have to be done once. Whereas having to line bore every hanger would add an unnecessary step to the manufacturing process.
Click to expand...

"Designs only have to be done once. Whereas having to line bore every hanger would add an unnecessary step to the manufacturing process."
- An excellent point! Yes, I am going to call Clausing tomorrow and see if they still have them in stock. If so, yay! If not, well I will either have to try to rebore the bushings straight or buy new ones locally again and retry reaming with either a .501" reamer or one of those adjustable reamers on ebay. Thanks again for your input, all info is very much appreciated.
 
Woodsman 22 said:
"Designs only have to be done once. Whereas having to line bore every hanger would add an unnecessary step to the manufacturing process."
- An excellent point! Yes, I am going to call Clausing tomorrow and see if they still have them in stock. If so, yay! If not, well I will either have to try to rebore the bushings straight or buy new ones locally again and retry reaming with either a .501" reamer or one of those adjustable reamers on ebay. Thanks again for your input, all info is very much appreciated.
Click to expand...

wa5cab;

You were right! I called Clausing and talked to one of their tech guys and he confirmed what you told me. Once I press in the bushings that they sell (stock # 10-264, and they still have them) then I should be able to just slide the spindle right in. He cautioned me to take measurements first, but it should work. So the new bushings are on the way.
 
Another trick for this situation should you not be able to get OEM parts for some other job in the future is to first buy one extra JIC. Carefully measure the actual bore diameter. Install one and re-measure the bore. That gives you the shrinkage. Pull that one and use an oversize (by the amount of shrinkage) reamer on the bushings before installing them.
 
wa5cab said:
Another trick for this situation should you not be able to get OEM parts for some other job in the future is to first buy one extra JIC. Carefully measure the actual bore diameter. Install one and re-measure the bore. That gives you the shrinkage. Pull that one and use an oversize (by the amount of shrinkage) reamer on the bushings before installing them.
Click to expand...

"first buy one extra JIC" ; hmm... wow, I am feeling really obtuse right now. I sat here and looked at that acronym and tried to figure it out, but it isn't happening. So I have to ask; what is a "JIC"? When I find out, I am going to copy and paste that paragraph into my permanent notes because I just know this is going to be very useful in the future :D
 
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