Way and spindle oil

[mickri]

I am curious about why people buy gallons and gallons of way oil and spindle oil. What are they using this stuff for that gallons are needed? Is this something that machinists put in their coffee every morning? What's the difference between way and spindle oil? And why does it have to be something special? Why is 3 in 1 oil not recommended? How about Singer sewing machine oil? It keeps my older than dirt Singer sewing machine purring nicely. And then there is bar oil. Another no no. I buy a gallon or so every year for my chainsaw. My copy of the MOLO recommends 10 wt motor oil. Yet I have read this is a no no too. What's a newby to do with all of this conflicting information?

I have been reading scads of posts all over the web and all seem to be written with the underlying assumption that the reader knows all of the why's and wherefore's of this stuff.

Being a newby with absolutely no knowledge about this stuff please educate me.

 

[JimDawson]

For spindle oil, it depends on your spindle and bearings. But unless your spindle is special or high speed any good oil should be fine. I use AW46 hydraulic oil in my lathe headstock. It's maybe about 20 wt oil with anti wear additives.

For way oil, I use 90 wt straight mineral oil, no additives, in all my machines. Available at your local NAPA auto parts. Real way oil has a ''stickifier'' additive, like bar oil.

I normally like a nice 30 wt non-detergent in my coffee.

 

[stupoty]

I am curious about why people buy gallons and gallons of way oil and spindle oil. What are they using this stuff for that gallons are needed? Is this something that machinists put in their coffee every morning? What's the difference between way and spindle oil? And why does it have to be something special? Why is 3 in 1 oil not recommended? How about Singer sewing machine oil? It keeps my older than dirt Singer sewing machine purring nicely. And then there is bar oil. Another no no. I buy a gallon or so every year for my chainsaw. My copy of the MOLO recommends 10 wt motor oil. Yet I have read this is a no no too. What's a newby to do with all of this conflicting information?

I have been reading scads of posts all over the web and all seem to be written with the underlying assumption that the reader knows all of the why's and wherefore's of this stuff.

Being a newby with absolutely no knowledge about this stuff please educate me.

I use more way oil than spindle oil. I think i bought a 1 gallon bottle of each last year, the way oil has tackifiers that keep it stuck onto the ways.

If the ways are dirty i rub of the chips and dirt , clean them and re oil. Being frugle with the way oil is bad for your lath (i'm not saying squirt it everyware and waste it)

The spindle oil I use is sae 20 , very handy to have some random oil about for when you need to oil something. works out quite cheep for the quantity.

I use sowing machine oil on my sowing machine where it is perfectly adapted to the loads and speed involved in the sowing machine mechanism. I belive it would be an expensive way to purchase oil for use on a lathe also the oil is very light and flows easily.

I have used 3 in one oil for gears and bearings in the past when I have had no other oil, I also have used semi synthetic motor oil on the ways and bearings, main issue on the ways was it tended to run off quickly. Any oil is better than no oil (probably some caviets to that statement ).

Stu

 

[stupoty]

I normally like a nice 30 wt non-detergent in my coffee.

Mmmm the taste of oil in the morning.

(jokes don't do it !!)

 

[benmychree]

You do not need spindle oil for anything but PRECISION spindles, I am talking such as grinding machine spindles where clearances are very tight. For such as lathe spindles and gearboxes, a turbine or hydraulic oil is the go to lube. For ways, use an appropriate weight of WAY oil, not 90 weight from the auto parts store, it is way too high in viscosity, especially for small machines. I like the Mobil Vactra oils for ways, they have the tackiness additive and stick to the ways much better than straight oils, I use Vactra #2 oil in my surface grinder and shaper, it is a combination hydraulic and lube oil for circulating lube systems, I also use some Vactra #4 for way lube, but thin it down with turbine oil, as it is too viscous for use on small machinery as it comes from the bucket. Chainsaw bar oil is said by some to be not pure enough for machine tool use, that is there may be solids suspended in it that could injure way surfaces; there may be a reason that it is relatively cheap to buy.

 

[WCraig]

I am curious about why people buy gallons and gallons of way oil and spindle oil. What are they using this stuff for that gallons are needed? Is this something that machinists put in their coffee every morning? What's the difference between way and spindle oil? And why does it have to be something special? Why is 3 in 1 oil not recommended? How about Singer sewing machine oil? It keeps my older than dirt Singer sewing machine purring nicely. And then there is bar oil. Another no no. I buy a gallon or so every year for my chainsaw. My copy of the MOLO recommends 10 wt motor oil. Yet I have read this is a no no too. What's a newby to do with all of this conflicting information?

I have been reading scads of posts all over the web and all seem to be written with the underlying assumption that the reader knows all of the why's and wherefore's of this stuff.

Being a newby with absolutely no knowledge about this stuff please educate me.

I'm a newbie, too. Re MOLO, I think a LOT has changed since it was published. AIUI, modern motor oils contain detergents, etc that didn't exist back in the day and retain dirt and moisture in a lathe where we really want it flushed out. Therefore, a non-detergent oil is now recommended for machine use.

As others have said, way oil is different. In addition to the tackifier agents, it also designed to prevent 'stick and slip'. Your carriage should start move smoothly without jerking. Obviously that's better for getting a consistent cut.

I got some IOS 32 compressor oil for my Atlas 618's spindles, etc. I bought a gallon of way oil from a local supply store. I suspect it will be half full when sold for peanuts at my estate auction sale!!



Craig

 

[mickri]

I can see where used motor oil with or without detergent would be dirty and not the best thing to use. But new oil is clean. There's no dirt or other contaminants in it. Where is all this harmful dirt coming from that everybody seems to mention. Surely not the minuscule amounts of dust that may land on bed. I wipe the bed of my lathe down after every couple of passes just to keep the chips off of it. What am I missing?

 

[Cooter Brown]

I fill my bathtub with way oil and then sit in it for a few hours to relax after work sometimes....

 

[kev74]

I can buy a pint of 10 weight air tool oil for $8, or a gallon of 10 weight spindle oil for $25. I go through about 2 pints a year, so it will take a while for the savings to kick in... but I'm not going anywhere (I hope!).

Most motor oils have detergents that help keep contaminants suspended in the oil until the car's oil filter can trap it. If your lathe spindles don't have oil filters, any suspended gunk has more opportunity to cause wear before its either flushed or leaks out. Non-detergent oils tend to let the gunk settle out more quickly so it can't do as much harm.

I like to follow the manual when I can. I figgure the guys who designed my stuff are (or were) smarter than me. That being said, any oil is usually better than no oil.

 

[WCraig]

I can see where used motor oil with or without detergent would be dirty and not the best thing to use. But new oil is clean. There's no dirt or other contaminants in it. Where is all this harmful dirt coming from that everybody seems to mention. Surely not the minuscule amounts of dust that may land on bed. I wipe the bed of my lathe down after every couple of passes just to keep the chips off of it. What am I missing?

It is the spindle oil that ought to be non-detergent. The trapped dirt and water can hang around in the bearings more than you want.

Way oil is supposed to adhere to the metal while allowing smooth movement.

But as kev74 says, no oil is far worse. Compared to no oil, anything with a bit of lubrication is giant step forward. If you want to use the cheapest motor oil you can find on both the ways and the spindle, the Oil Police are not going to come and arrest you!

Craig
(But the next owner of your machines WILL post "tsk, tsk" messages on some forum!)