10" Sheldon rehab - (after the gloat!)

[1200rpm]

now that i`ve basted in the glory of the gloat, it`s time to get on with it!

gotta start somewhere and this seems as good as anyplace. the headstock/end gears. the original fiber gears apparently did their job and are toast. all other gears look near new.

here`s a shot of the end of the headstock - i`m missing the bearing retainer, but i think it is just a dust cover really. can anyone confirm(or deny) this?
the spindle rotates smoothly with no runout or end to end shake.
according to the Army manual i found online, the reverser idler gears are 30T (reverse) and 28T (forward) this army manual is for a slightly different model but seems to be basically the same.
does anyone else have a 10" Sheldon that can verify tooth count?
i apologize for the hugeness of the pic- photobucket has apparently "upgraded"

[JCHannum]

My Sheldon is a 13", but the 10" & 13" machines shared the same drive and headstock details. The 28 & 30 tooth count is correct with the 30 tooth being phenolic. The 28 tooth can be any material, I made a brass replacement for mine. I see no reason not to make it of phenolic.

The bearing cap does locate the rear bearing. If you look closely at the parts drawing or at the cross section drawing for belt changing, you will see a raised spigot on the inner face that retains the outer bearing race.

[1200rpm]

The bearing cap does locate the rear bearing. If you look closely at the parts drawing or at the cross section drawing for belt changing, you will see a raised spigot on the inner face that retains the outer bearing race.

thanks!,
am i correct in assuming that the retainer just keeps the bearing in it`s socket? so as long as i make a replacement that bears evenly on the outer race it will be fine?

[DR]

This is going back many years, but memory tells me there's a bearing adjustment nut on the back of the spindle. It's missing isn't it?

[toolmaker76]

Your lathe is a bit different from mine, so I don't think I would be much help gear wise, your layout is different.

Just thought I would contribute that Sheldon lathes are amazing. Mine is almost 70 years old, and I get an amazing amount of close tolerance work with it. You will be happy with it.

[JCHannum]

The bearing adjusting nut is present, it is the collar looking part outboard of the spindle gear.

The spigot on the bearing retainer just locates the outer race and prevents it from turning. You can measure the depth of the outer race to determine the height of the spigot above the face of the retainer. There are no seals or O-rings in the retainer, but it does have a couple of grooves and maybe a drain hole at the bottom to return oil to the headstock. You can remove the front retainer to get a general idea of the construction. It is a duplicate, just a bit smaller.

[1200rpm]

that`s good news! thank you Jim!

toolmaker76- i have to agree, these are well designed machines. ball oilers in the right places, tapered gibs,dowel pins locating everything, and lots of mass for a 10" machine! the apron is really nice. double walled, oilers everywhere!
the fiber gears and shear pins really did their job, all iron and steel parts are virtually like new.



why did photobucket have to "upgrade"?? i can`t get it to do anything now! uhhggg!!!

[Clevelander]

Is there any chance you may be spending a little while cleaning parts?

I've heard the fastest way is to save the connnection wire and attach a new lathe to it.

[1200rpm]

Is there any chance you may be spending a little while cleaning parts?

I've heard the fastest way is to save the connnection wire and attach a new lathe to it.

sounds like a plan!

as i get into it more i`m amazed at the condition - the crash that caused the stripped gears must have happened early on in it`s life, and no one ever properly fixed it. it looks like someone started to but gave up.

here`s the worm and the highest use area of the leadscrew - not yet cleaned but showing almost zero wear!

[1200rpm]

this thing was made to be worked on. lots of nice design touches throughout.
on some underdrive lathes i`ve seen removing the headstock or replacing belts can be a real pain but this one is easy!
all you have to do is use the belt tension nuts to adjust to zero tension so you can scoot the belts of the pulley, and then use the same nuts to lower the assembly to where the countershaft lines up with a hole in the cabinet.
then just loosen the set-screws and slide the countershaft out. nice design!