"Aaron Kushner" wrote in message
...
Grant Erwin wrote:

If you can remove the spindle (often a good idea, lets you clean out
the headstock and renew the oil wicks, etc.) then you might want to
consider measuring the length you need and buying a timing belt that
length at the auto parts store, then turning it inside out. Those
belts are just great.

Thanks for the info. I went to the auto parts store and the only
belt I could find that was 48" long was a 3/4" flat belts that has
the grooves running the parallel to the edges. Is that the wrong
kind of belt?

That is not a timing belt, I think its what is called a Microgroove belt
here in Aus. I might work though. The timing belts are very strong as they
have either steel wire or Kevlar in the flat part of the belt. I think a
company called Gates makes them in the US.





I removed one of the spindle caps and there was some kind of paper
gasket material. Do I need to replace the gasket now that I've
opened it?

No! I suspect that that material is used to set the clearance between the
bearing halves and the shaft. It is important that the clearance is correct
as if it is too loose the shaft will wobble in the bearings and you will get
a poor accuracy and finish on your work. If its too tight, It will sieze
onto the shaft and melt the bearing material. For general purpose shafts on
industrial machinery, we gererally used a "rule of thumb "of one thou
clearance per inch of shaft diameter. It may be a bit tighter for a machine
tool.You can check it by using "Plastigage" which should be available from
an automotive supply. Put a piece of the material on the shaft and assemble
the bearing and torque it up to specs. Remove the bearing cap (without
turning the shaft) and use the width gauge on the packaging to determine the
bearing clearance





Also, not sure what wicking is, but this lathe has nifty little oil
caps that lift up and reveal a port in which to squirt oil. The
oil then fills a sump which has a revolving loop that seems to
distribute the oil around. Once I have the bearings open, is there
any other maintenance that I need to do.

Once again, thanks for all the help.

-Aaron