Just bought a Fortis lathe

[GraemeVW]

Headstock is back together. Repaired back gear seems fine. I think its a tiny bit tight on the repaired teeth as you can hear it go over them when turning by hand, but there is no tightness so I'm just going to let it run in.

Layshaft in with newly acquired clutch/brake set up too.

Looks alot better in here now!
Bit of light surface rust on the pulley as I didn't paint it black, probably should have, but never mind.

 

[Seadog]

That looks the business Graeme.

 

[GraemeVW]

That looks the business Graeme.

Thank you. I'm alot happier with the colour now it's coming together.

Gearbox next.

 

[GraemeVW]

Bit more built back up.
The apron was a pain! The new spindle I made for the handwheel ment that the (replacement?) Gear on the ends bad manufacture showed up. Basically it wasn't concentric. I spent ages slowly grinding teeth to get it to not jam up on the next gear. After a few hours of this I noticed that the next hears shaft wad bent! Straightened that and eventually got it running smooth.
Not really.any lubricating points for the internals of the apron though. Might need to get some spray oil.

With the apron and saddle back on I can, for the first time, start to assess some wear. And, amazingly enough, I can't find any wear on the leadscrew or half nuts.
The saddle to bed is not adjustable. I thought you'd be able to adjust any play out, but you can't. It has what inassumed was a carriage lock, but that doesnt seem to be the case either.
However, I can't really detect any play in the saddle at what wpyld be the most worn areas either. If I twerk the clamps up properly tight the saddle just about starts to get a little stiff to move on the last few inches, right up by the tailstock.
There just doesn't seem to be any wear at all really.

I suspect it fell over as everything that sticks out the front has been damaged/replaced.
I suspect this was early on in its life and as it wasnt rebuilt very well, probably had very little use after.

I do now seem to be 2 oil nipples short though, there must have been some missing. How are these sized? Just 1/4" nipples? No difference between oil and grease?

 

[RichardM]

eg

https://adamslube.com/product/threaded-oil-cups/

 

[GraemeVW]

eg

https://adamslube.com/product/threaded-oil-cups/

Oh their much nicer than zerk type nipples!
Might see about using those wherever possible.

 

[mr_luke_too]

That's looking really smart!

I'll have a proper look at mine when I get home, but I think you should have a lubrication point in the area I've circled here, which is supposed to trickle down and fill the little 'well' at the bottom of the apron.

That square-headed bolt is what they described as the carriage lock in the manual. It just tightens the keeper below the bed right up against the saddle. Mine has worn to the point that it doesn't lock the carriage at all, so I run it with a piece of thick paper or thin card inserted between the top of the keeper and the bottom of the bed. Feels like a bit of a bodge but it works well enough!

 

[GraemeVW]

That's looking really smart!

I'll have a proper look at mine when I get home, but I think you should have a lubrication point in the area I've circled here, which is supposed to trickle down and fill the little 'well' at the bottom of the apron.

That square-headed bolt is what they described as the carriage lock in the manual. It just tightens the keeper below the bed right up against the saddle. Mine has worn to the point that it doesn't lock the carriage at all, so I run it with a piece of thick paper or thin card inserted between the top of the keeper and the bottom of the bed. Feels like a bit of a bodge but it works well enough!
View attachment 405411

Yes, that's one of the two oil nipples that's missing. It's threaded so I assume not a ball oiler.
It just fills the very bottom of the apron, but it doesn't look like anything will lift that oil out of the bottom.
The oil cup on the feed stop knob needs filling somehow too.

The carriage bolt doesn't, as you say. But it doesn't on the unborn bed either.
I assume the saddle has worn but it just happens to have worn to the amount where tightening things up feels tight for play.

The gib at the back of the saddle, I assume that should not be fully tight either.

I assume both gibs should be able to just be nipped onto the bed. Just odd that you then can't lock the gib.

I may try and remove some from the gib strip, if the top of the gib should never actually contact the underside of the saddle (bottoming on the bed first) then it shouldn't matter how neatly I do that.

 

[E T]

On the South Bend 9A there is a felt wick that wicks the oil up from the oil sump to the worm gear.

 

[GraemeVW]

On the South Bend 9A there is a felt wick that wicks the oil up from the oil sump to the worm gear.

Oh really!
That's a good idea, I'll look into that.

I'll find the Southend manual and see how they did it, see if I can copy it.

 

[Seadog]

On the South Bend 9A there is a felt wick that wicks the oil up from the oil sump to the worm gear.

I wonder why that wasn't adopted by Boxford?

 

[E T]

Oh really!
That's a good idea, I'll look into that.

I'll find the Southend manual and see how they did it, see if I can copy it.

Here's a picture from the 9A renovating guide.

 

[E T]

I wonder why that wasn't adopted by Boxford?

There's felt wicks all over on the South Bend. Both in apron and gearbox.
I would have thought that the Boxford copy is the same.

 

[GraemeVW]

Here's a picture from the 9A renovating guide.View attachment 405422

That's great, Thank you. I had a quick search but couldn't find a picture.

 

[Seadog]

There's felt wicks all over on the South Bend. Both in apron and gearbox.
I would have thought that the Boxford copy is the same.

Nothing apart from way wipers.

I'm assuming that the long wick is passed through a drilling so that it's in contact with the felt pad by the clutch?

 

[GraemeVW]

This is my apron.
I don't know what they had in mind!
Overall, this is what we have

When oiled from the carriage, oil will fall onto the rough casting to the right of the opening, but before the wet patch

It looks like oil will run down to the right onto the gears.
It doesn't look like any will make its was into the little reservoir on the half nut though.

There is this reservoir cup for the worm gear, but no way to get oil in it unless in just use a can with a flexible pipe and try and pumonit up from underneath/behind

Oil looks like it will eventually gather in the bottom.of the apron, but this is the lower gear, in the lowest setting, and it's 1/4" above the apron reservoir

I can fill the cup, I can probably get oil onto some of the gears, but the rest will be dry.
I can oil the half nuts by putting oil on the leadscrew and I'm looking for a spray oil I can sort of just aim into it in places, but it could be better designed I feel.

 

[Seadog]

Your half-nuts will definitely suffer. The Boxford has a piece of copper tube that allows oil to be directed into the reservoir which presents as a hole in the front of the apron.

 

[GraemeVW]

Your half-nuts will definitely suffer. The Boxford has a piece of copper tube that allows oil to be directed into the reservoir which presents as a hole in the front of the apron.

This is one of my concerns.

At the moment, if I take the carriage to the tailstock end, engage the half nuts and rock the carriage with the handwheel, I can see no play.

Take the carriage back to the main wear area and do the same, and it's no different.

Seems there is very little/no wear in the leadscrew or half nuts! I thought this when I looked at it, but the leadscrew was full of dirt so could be be sure.

I'd quite like to keep it like it is!

I guess a simple mod would be to cut a channel from where the oil lands, to the edge above the half nuts, and try and get some oil landing there, but it will still only have oil for a short amount of time.

 

[God mode restorations]

This is one of my concerns.

At the moment, if I take the carriage to the tailstock end, engage the half nuts and rock the carriage with the handwheel, I can see no play.

Take the carriage back to the main wear area and do the same, and it's no different.

Seems there is very little/no wear in the leadscrew or half nuts! I thought this when I looked at it, but the leadscrew was full of dirt so could be be sure.

I'd quite like to keep it like it is!

I guess a simple mod would be to cut a channel from where the oil lands, to the edge above the half nuts, and try and get some oil landing there, but it will still only have oil for a short amount of time.

Sometimes with machinery a few modifications are needed. They didn't get it right all the time.

 

[E T]

Nothing apart from way wipers.

I'm assuming that the long wick is passed through a drilling so that it's in contact with the felt pad by the clutch?

The wick and the felt pad are 1. To put a new one in tie a bit of string on the top end of the wick and pull it through a bore in the casting.