Seneca Falls Motor Spindle Bearing Reconditioning

[bigbeninlondon]

Hey All,
I'm pretty new to machining in general (in semester 4 at my community college for manual machining) and recently acquired an old Seneca Falls lathe.
The lathe was shown to be fully functioning when I purchased it, and everything moves smoothly and the ways don't have any damage so hopefully everything is still tight as far as tolerances.
I'm starting out by just trying to clean all of the gunk off of the machine and I've broken down the cone pulley to clean all of the old sawdust and grease. However, I've run into these bearings that I'd like to clean and possibly repack and was wondering the best way to do it - I don't want to ruin something while I'm trying to rejuvenate it.
Does anyone have any advice on the best way to deal with these bearings? Do they need to be pressed out? Is it too much to bother with? They have grease fittings so should I just pump new grease into them until the old grease is forced out?

Also, any other information you may be able to provide about this old lathe that you think might be useful would also be welcome.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[projectnut]

Most newer bearing cartridges can be removed from the housing and replaced. I'm not sure the ones you have are new enough do do this, but here's a link to a short video showing how it's done if it's possible. The slots may not be just as pictured in this demonstration, but they will be 180* apart.

removing a bearing cartridge from a pilow block bearing - Google Search

If they're in good shape you may be able to just disassemble them, clean out the old grease with solvent, reinstall them and regrease. As a FYI these are far from the original bearings on the jackshaft. The originals were plain bushings in an oil bath. Here's a picture of my 1916 Seneca Falls Star #20 lathe. Note the jackshaft and bearings above the headstock.

 

[Uglydog]

bigbeninlondon,
Welcome to HM!!
Am glad you are taking those tech school classes and are interested in preserving this old girl.

One of the things I will suggest you do is break the project up into things you need to do, things you want to do, and things that are ok as is (at least for now).

This list may change as you learn more about her, and as you better identify the type of work you want to do with her. If you are on a budget it will also help you to manage funding for this and other machining accessories and adventures.

Daryl

 

[bigbeninlondon]

If they're in good shape you may be able to just disassemble them, clean out the old grease with solvent, reinstall them and regrease.

So after reading your reply, I went back and took a look and sure enough, under the old grease and dirt was a retainer clip. Popping out the retainer clip allowed me to tap out the bearings inside and I was able to clean them up. Once I pick up some bearing grease at the auto parts store I'll have them re-assembled and installed as new. Thanks for your help!

One of the things I will suggest you do is break the project up into things you need to do, things you want to do, and things that are ok as is (at least for now).

How would you go about making a list of this nature? My plan at this point (without having really MADE a plan) was to clean everything I could disassemble (one at a time), reassemble and re-lubricate all the parts, coating everything that is exposed with 3-in-1 (as suggested by my teacher). I've taken apart both chucks and the live center (since they were not attached to the lathe at purchase), and now the cone pulley. My next task would probably be the tail stock and the cross slide (each their own little cleaning project), and then maybe the head stock.

Do you have any additional pointers on aspects of this cleaning project? Anything that you'd suggest I steer clear of until it's absolutely necessary?

 

[Uglydog]

Welcome to the rabbit hole. I live in that hole, with endless tunnels to wander, I say wander as I don't profess any expertise. Your Instructor is a great resource as you can look him in the eye and say "what?". Also, does your school have an in-house repair person? These can be a great resource if appropriate to ask them questions.
I'm including some links in this response. I'm not pretending they are the best or the only. However, I did try to find some succinct data.

Not all greases are interchangeable. You might try to identify the appropriate grease for this application. Do you have a manual?
As a primer check out: https://www.skf.com/group/products/...cants/Understanding-technical-data-of-greases

Cleaning is another thing:

http://media.noria.com/sites/WhitePapers/WPFILES/Kluber.pdf

Before you disassemble anything consider taking pics, as those pics can be invaluable later on.
Get lots of small containers, food trays, milk cartons, empty tin cans, whatever group and label things as you disassemble. It will help eliminate guesswork.

Has you instructor ever talked about "fit for use"? This may seem obvious, but making new axles for a push mower is a different from making mechanical cardiac bypass pumps. These are different tolerances. Even if there is wear in the spindle bearings you may choose to use them as-is for a while depending on how you intend to use her.

Daryl
MN