On 21 May 2005 22:46:18 -0400, (DoN. Nichols)
wrote:


green scotch-brite pad. It has a crummy second-hand paint job.

Very crummy. That paint job would have to go -- and I've lived
with the original remaining paint on quite a few tools. :-)



I am usuall not too picky about paint either, but this looks like
some one was in a real hurry and did it with a hardened brush. Painted
right over all of the little snap-ball oil things, too.

[ ... ]

The motor is obviously not original. The fwd/rev drum switch was not
hooked up, and the motor is only 1/2 HP. It is installed with a
slightly mickey moused bracket. that will have to go.

It looks as though there is either some cardboard or warped
plywood there to keep chips from falling into the openings in the motor.

I suspect that the machine originally had a three-phase motor,
and the previous owner did not know how to wire up the reversing switch
to work with the motor which he used -- even assuming that it was
designed to be reversible. :=)


That thing that looks like cardboard is actually a rusty metal plate
that was added to adapt the motor to the original mount. And I suspect
you are correct about the drum switch. The old cord on the motor went
directly out to a plug, and the outer jacket had been cut back about
half way down in a manner that suggested that there was once one if
those in-line rocker switch things on the cord!


[ ... ]

Any idea what would be an appropriate sized motor for this lathe? My
old Taiwan Jet 10" has a 1.5HP, but those are chinese horsepower.

My 12x24" Clausing has a 1-1/2 HP motor. What is the swing of
your Sheldon? If 12", I would aim for a real 1-1/2 HP, but with a 10",
I might go with a single full HP.

Any
other advice with respect to getting this back to full operation? Does
one "flush out" bearings (I'm not exactly sure what I mean by that)
before running an old machine like this? Any other thoughts?

For most belt-drive machines (and this one should match), the
bearings are total loss lubrication. Is it ball bearings, roller
bearings, or babbit sleeve bearings? If the latter, I would suggest
taking it far enough apart to replace the felt used to carry the lube
from the cups to the bearings. Often those are caked up solid with
gummed oil.



I am not sure yet what type the bearings are. They look too narrow to
be babbit, and there is no "cap" , i.e. you cannot remove the top half
of the bearing. There is a round plate that rings either end of the
spindle the I assume retains the bearings, so I am guessing ball or
roller, but I have not gone as far as reomving them at this point. i
did put some spindle oil into the 2 cups that feed the spindle
bearings, and they did allow me to pump in a fair amount before they
remained full. So the stuff is flowing, at least. though at this point
it could be flowing out onto the floor for all I know. We shall see...




While you have the spindle out, you should plan on replacing the
pair of belts going from the countershaft to the spindle. There is
probably a long screw and a nut which you can use to lift the
motor/countershaft assembly to take the tension off the belts while you
remove the spindle for cleaning. (At least, I had to do that with a
Logan which I was helping restore a while back, and the under shots look
similar enough so you will probably need to do the same.)

Be sure to order a matched length set of belts, or one will be
too lose and not transmit much power, putting all the load on the other
belt.

It also looks as though you need to find a new belt for the
motor-to-countershaft run, as I don't see one at all in the photo.

Good Luck,
DoN.

Thanks for all the advice. I will certainly change the belts when I
get to that point. There is a screw/lever thing to unload those two
belts. And I was missing the motor belt. I already replaced that one.

Thanks again, Don.

-AL