Seneca Falls 9" Lathe

[projectnut]

You might want to make a post in the”Antique Machinery and History” forum on the Practical Machinists board. There are several people over there that have Seneca Falls machines. I was missing a change gear for my 9” machine and was able to purchase a spare from a member there.

From time to time I also see listings for change gears on eBay. You might consider doing a search there and save it. If something comes up within your search parameters you’ll get a notification.

If all else fails you might be able to find the gears or blanks from an industrial supplier like Boston Gear. They have a comprehensive online catalog at bostongear.com

 

[animal12]

Glad to hear that yer makin chips Fred . There's a guy that post often in several of the forums that I'm in & he talks about his first lathe being a piece of junk & under engineered . He goes on to say that all the short falls & limitations of that lathe helped to make him a better lathe operator when he moved up to a better lathe . Sounds like yer on the right track . yes parting can be a real pain & expense when it comes to parting blades . Sometimes when I part everything goes perfect & then the next time I do everything exactly the same , or at least I think its exactly the same & I break my parting tool . Don't know why , its just the way it is .
good luck .
animal12

 

[Fred1000]

Th

You might want to make a post in the”Antique Machinery and History” forum on the Practical Machinists board. There are several people over there that have Seneca Falls machines. I was missing a change gear for my 9” machine and was able to purchase a spare from a member there.

From time to time I also see listings for change gears on eBay. You might consider doing a search there and save it. If something comes up within your search parameters you’ll get a notification.

If all else fails you might be able to find the gears or blanks from an industrial supplier like Boston Gear. They have a comprehensive online catalog at bostongear.com

You might want to make a post in the”Antique Machinery and History” forum on the Practical Machinists board. There are several people over there that have Seneca Falls machines. I was missing a change gear for my 9” machine and was able to purchase a spare from a member there.

From time to time I also see listings for change gears on eBay. You might consider doing a search there and save it. If something comes up within your search parameters you’ll get a notification.

If all else fails you might be able to find the gears or blanks from an industrial supplier like Boston Gear. They have a comprehensive online catalog at bostongear.com

Thanks heaps I’ll check them out. Hopefully I’m able to get some gears as I want to experiment with threading

 

[Fred1000]

Glad to hear that yer makin chips Fred . There's a guy that post often in several of the forums that I'm in & he talks about his first lathe being a piece of junk & under engineered . He goes on to say that all the short falls & limitations of that lathe helped to make him a better lathe operator when he moved up to a better lathe . Sounds like yer on the right track . yes parting can be a real pain & expense when it comes to parting blades . Sometimes when I part everything goes perfect & then the next time I do everything exactly the same , or at least I think its exactly the same & I break my parting tool . Don't know why , its just the way it is .
good luck .
animal12

Exactly, even though it’s not as precise as it is when it was first manufactured. I love the fact it’s a piece of American history and still works considering it’s been around since 1910. They dont. Make them like they used to haha.

I might invest in some decent parting tips. I think it could also be that I’m using th cheating branded eBay ones. Worth a shot getting decent quality ones I guess.

 

[matthewsx]

Exactly, even though it’s not as precise as it is when it was first manufactured. I love the fact it’s a piece of American history and still works considering it’s been around since 1910. They dont. Make them like they used to haha.

I might invest in some decent parting tips. I think it could also be that I’m using th cheating branded eBay ones. Worth a shot getting decent quality ones I guess.

Parting can be a challenge on any lathe. Blade exactly on center and square, different SFM as you move inward, etc.

When I was working with my Star lathe I realized that if the goal was to cut through the part I was working on I could do it with a saw. Leave a little material, turn the part around and face the end.

Just because it says one way to do something in a book doesn’t mean that’s the only way. Yes, you want to be able to part stuff on the lathe. Doesn’t make the finished product any better though.

John

 

[projectnut]

It's a bit old school, but when these lathes were built parting was considered a "quarter speed operation". By that I mean parting was generally done at 1/4 of the speed normally used for turning the material. In addition, the work piece was generously slathered with cutting oil. Getting the cutting tip of the parting tool on center and square to the work piece is paramount. If the tip is below center the tool will dive and in all probability break. If it's above center it will just rub, not cut. If the tool is not square to the work piece the side will rub as you go deeper.

I use a machinists rule to find the center top to bottom. A rigid rule works better than a flexible one. Here's a link to a previous thread about centering a cutting tool. There's a short video in post #9 explaining the centering method.

Back rake question

i am a novice to sharpening tool bits.(been using HSS inserts). so after a previous thread; the question that i have is. after getting the back rake; what happens after i re-sharpen the bit. i will loose the "center point" on the bit. what do i do. shim the tool bit to the proper height??

www.hobby-machinist.com

 

[Fred1000]

Parting can be a challenge on any lathe. Blade exactly on center and square, different SFM as you move inward, etc.

When I was working with my Star lathe I realized that if the goal was to cut through the part I was working on I could do it with a saw. Leave a little material, turn the part around and face the end.

Just because it says one way to do something in a book doesn’t mean that’s the only way. Yes, you want to be able to part stuff on the lathe. Doesn’t make the finished product any better though.

John

Pretty much what I have been doing for larger diameter cuts when needed. I use the grinder to cut then face the remaining bit. Works well for now

 

[Fred1000]

It's a bit old school, but when these lathes were built parting was considered a "quarter speed operation". By that I mean parting was generally done at 1/4 of the speed normally used for turning the material. In addition, the work piece was generously slathered with cutting oil. Getting the cutting tip of the parting tool on center and square to the work piece is paramount. If the tip is below center the tool will dive and in all probability break. If it's above center it will just rub, not cut. If the tool is not square to the work piece the side will rub as you go deeper.

I use a machinists rule to find the center top to bottom. A rigid rule works better than a flexible one. Here's a link to a previous thread about centering a cutting tool. There's a short video in post #9 explaining the centering method.

Back rake question

i am a novice to sharpening tool bits.(been using HSS inserts). so after a previous thread; the question that i have is. after getting the back rake; what happens after i re-sharpen the bit. i will loose the "center point" on the bit. what do i do. shim the tool bit to the proper height??

www.hobby-machinist.com

Hmm I have been using minimal cutting oil just here and there. I’ll start drenching the tip with cutting oil from now on when parting. Thanks for info

 

[JeffH]

I am new to this site and just came across the post about the Seneca Falls lathe. I have attached a picture of my lathe when I got it and now how it looks after working on it. It is very encouraging to see other people still use them. They do require a lot of patience.

 

[Fred1000]

I am new to this site and just came across the post about the Seneca Falls lathe. I have attached a picture of my lathe when I got it and now how it looks after working on it. It is very encouraging to see other people still use them. They do require a lot of patience.

Amazing rebuild. Looks great. How do you deal with the swarf. I’m contemplating making a tray to collect all the swarf and chips.