South Bend 9 lathe Clutch issue

[lordbeezer]

Did you check the key in worm gear?

 

[Talber8]

Yeah it operated smoothly... the key itself looked in good shape, nothing suspect.

 

[Glenn Brooks]

Iam now starting to troubleshoot a similar problem on my earlier, 1925 version of a SB 9. The center knob does not engage either the lateral or horizontal feed. But, occasionally shows tentative signs of wanting to partially engage- just enuf to bump the lateral cross feed a bit. And the star knob turns down tight, but doesn’t lock anything. So the clutch also isn’t functional. This lathe sat in storage for 65+ years and has no noticeable wear. Iam just getting it running and have no prior experience with it.

A 10 year old thread on another lathe forum suggested the shaft and clutch mechanism often get stuck and do not function when the oil dries up inside the apron. So Iam thinking simply disassembling, cleaning, and fresh oil in the apron might be in order.

Wondering if anyone has a photo of the clutch mechanism, or knows what clutch wear is supposed to look like.

Also, Wondering if any SB Guru’s can add any additional recommendations?

Thanks much for any assistance anyone could add.
Glenn P.

 

[lordbeezer]

Post 5 has picture of clutch assy. Cleaning parts would be my first step. Brake Kleen does a good job.

 

[Manual Mac]

Would a 1925 SB9 not be a junior (or heavy) and different than the 1948 in post#5?
Just asking, i could be wrong.

 

[mattthemuppet2]

my '29 SB9 had a stuck clutch - needed taking apart to clean out the old oil/ gunk and now it locks and unlocks just fine. It's pretty simple, just a male and female cone and some other bits'n'pieces (I did mine a few months ago or I'd be more precise!). The apron is still off so if you need further pointers give me a shout, it'll be easy to take to pieces for pictures.

 

[martik777]

Also check the wear on your worm gear inside the apron, this was the cause of my 9A was intermittently engaging.

 

[Tim9]

I’ve had a few of these apart and the half plates all looked just like that. And I had an issue similar to what you described. I’m pretty sure I just cleaned and put back together... added fresh oil, and it worked fine. Do not use way oil in the clutch. It’s too slippery.
I think that on one of mine where it was slipping.... a piece of swarf was messing up the works.

 

[Glenn Brooks]

Thanks, the pic in post 5 looks just like mine. So afar as I can tell. Don’t have the apron off the lead screw yet- just got it loose and ajar tonight, and cleaned it up a bit, in situ. Lot of gunk came out just using brake cleaner. The original owner mostly did wood turning with this. But that was between 1925 and 1938, when he passed away and the machine was palaces into storage by the family - from whom I purchased it a few years ago. So has been in storage ever since- so far, lots of dried sawdust, dried machine oil and dust clogging up everything I’ve looked at.

I suspect the clutch is probably cracked with this dried residue. Fortunately old oil and saw dust is a superb preservative.

One big question- looks like the only way to get the apron off the lead screw is to run it out the end of the ways, past the tail stock?? Is this correct?

A second smaller question, the tailstoxk locking level is missing. I ran a 5/16” threaded bolt into the insert, but it did not tighten down the tailstock spindle. So Iam thinking, the spindle locking nut is likely frozen in the tailstock casting. Can this be pulled out with a bearing puller? Or is there some kind of locking spline or cam inside the housing, that has gotten twisted somehow, preventing movement?? Don’t want to break the casting trying to pull against some physical obstruction inside the trailstock.

In answer to Manual MAC, I do not believe this lathe is a Junior. I think it is a standard 1925 9” model 61-A. Don’t have a copy of that specific catalog description in my file, but couple of years ago I found the 61-A catalog on line and it matched the description of the machine. But I do have the original sales receipt, from 1925, and it identifies the lathe as a “9” lathe”.

I am no expert on these early day SB’s, nor their sequence of lathe development, but did see they have had a standard 9” lathe in their line up for nearly all of their early production history, from the early 1920’s maybe even 19 teens through their post war 9” A, B, and C series production. From what I’ve read, the junior was a separate machine design from their early 9” lathes.

Thanks for your assistance so far!
Glenn

 

[lordbeezer]

Yours might be the workshop model. Later called a,b,c depending on features. Would recommend to replace all wicks. South bend stuck them everywhere. Which is good. Sounds like you have a nice lathe. I have a 37 9” waiting on me to pick up in mountains of Virginia.