Early metal shaper oilers

rj1939 · Dec 7, 2017

Were wicks used under oilers on most/all early shapers? I've got an ATW with square "dovetails" on the ram (ball oilers) and a Milwaukee (Lutter and Geis) that has the more modern dovetail ram, it just has some short tubes that stick up on both sides of the ram. Both are 16 inch

Reeltor · Dec 7, 2017

I have a G&E 16" shaper, it sounds like we have the same type of lubrication for the ram. When I got mine the site glass was stuffed with old blue jean material. When run without any wicking the ram is flooded with oil. Add just enough wicking material to keep the ram oiled without making a mess.

How about some photos?

Mike

rj1939 · Dec 7, 2017

After all these years, it is hard to tell if it old wicking material or sludge in the passage. Got a good look at a passage in the Milwaukee this morning with the tube out, it looks to be felt and still in pretty decent shape. Whether it is permeable or not will have to be determined.

Reeltor · Dec 8, 2017

rj1939 said:
After all these years, it is hard to tell if it old wicking material or sludge in the passage. Got a good look at a passage in the Milwaukee this morning with the tube out, it looks to be felt and still in pretty decent shape. Whether it is permeable or not will have to be determined.

On my shaper the material in the oilers are not wicks in the traditional sense but are dams to slow down the flow to the ram. Oil comes up the tube, fills the outside ring that is connected to the ram. The wicking slows the flow to the ram and allows excess oil to fall into the center going back into the machine.

partsproduction · Dec 8, 2017

Funny too because I noticed on a big lathe of mine someone recently picked out the felt in the oil pots to the main ways, must have thought hey were some kind of gunk.

Yep, the oil runs right out of there!

rj1939 · Dec 8, 2017

There is virtually no "reservoir" above the felts, only what was once likely to have been a ball oiler...........ball is gone from all of them and just the housing that contained it. The oilers are right on top of the felt with no space in between. So, the felt acting as a metering device, seems pretty limited. The thread on the oiler is 5/16 x 32. I'm considering fabricating some larger reservoirs to feed the ram.

partsproduction · Dec 8, 2017

Of course you are right, but without the wicks any oil above the top of the tube will run out, while also without the wicks no more oil ever gets down the tube either, bad any way one looks at it.

rj1939 · Dec 8, 2017

I'm going to take the adjustable gib side off, to see the business end of the oiling system

Reeltor · Dec 9, 2017

rj1939 said:
There is virtually no "reservoir" above the felts, only what was once likely to have been a ball oiler...........ball is gone from all of them and just the housing that contained it. The oilers are right on top of the felt with no space in between. So, the felt acting as a metering device, seems pretty limited. The thread on the oiler is 5/16 x 32. I'm considering fabricating some larger reservoirs to feed the ram.

If I understand you correctly, this machine does not have a central oil system for the various parts of the shaper. Is this correct? If so, just manually oil up the ram at the beginning of the job and the ball oilers and run it. It may dress up the look by replacing the ball oilers with some brass and glass sight feed oilers.

rj1939 · Dec 9, 2017

Found the pictures of when we salvaged it out of the grove of trees............couldn't remember what I had them on.

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