P&W b lathe disassembly process?

I have searched the forum, and only found info on pulling the headstock to repair forward clutch. I would like to remove the QC box and apron for a thurough cleaning, as well as the clutch housing. Anyone here done this? I'm not sure of the best way to proceed. Removal of the feed, lead screw and control shafting seems like the place to start? Under 75 years of crud, this lathe is gold. Thanks, I could chronicle my adventure here, with pictures.

I think Carl is current and has worked on his, though to what extent I don't know

Would not hurt to ask in a Private Message

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v.../pratt-whitney-model-b-12x30-ebay-hgr-158897/

Parts book - if you come up with one - just shows assemblies, not how to take it apart

Thanks John,
I was looking at the lathe last night. This may not be that difficult. Knock out the tapered pins for the lead screw and feed shaft, and remove the bearing carrier at the right end. Since the threading dial is constantly engaged I expect having to turn the lead screw out of the apron. Once the left end clutch linkage is removed, the clutch shaft should slide out. I'm going to have a look under the tray to see what is on the left end of the feed clutch shaft. It occurs to me that lining all this up during reassembly may be troublesome. If I get all 4 shafts loose at the QC end, I might set the apron with shafting off as one unit, with the engine hoist, and mount it back the same way.

Well, I've made a little progress on the lathe. I've joined the P&W forum on yahoo, and found a treasure trove of manuals. No parts manual for the b but the c is well covered there. Thank you, Baxter Tools. Good info, and I will be able to put a name to the parts as I attempt to describe my progress here. Too tired to get started on this tonight.

alittlerusty said:

Since the threading dial is constantly engaged I expect having to turn the lead screw out of the apron.

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Uhhh.. most of us would extract or dis-engage the TD before we would go to THAT sort of tedium... Shouldn't be that hard, Niles (P&W) were not masochists....

Just turn the lead screw enough to see set screw in pinion looking from right end of apron. Loosen or remove screw and slip the indicator dial and its shaft out the front.

Catch pinion as it falls off. Keep track of set screw.

Maybe after a bit I'll scan Section TT in the 20" parts book

On Edit...add scan

Thank You. Done. The brass start indicator gear is nearly the same diameter as its gear teeth. There is a groove cut in the circumference at the outer end, that intersects the location of the set screw. A fine wire is wrapped around in the groove, that retains the straight screwdriver slot of the set screw.
Now I just have to turn the threaded gear off the left end of the lead screw. This gear has a set screw and blind spanner holes 180 degrees opposed. Too tight to hold with strap wrenches. I bet there is a brass slug under that set screw, so it don"t bite into those fine lead screw adjustment threads. I'm off on Sunday, may be able to figure this out then. I have the other 3 shafts out, no problem (as the young folk say).

When you come across the SN post it up. A few of us on here might be able to approximate the build date.

morsetaper2 said:

When you come across the SN post it up. A few of us on here might be able to approximate the build date.

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It will be on a bronze plaque on face of bed casting down near tail stock end of bed. It will be similar to thumbnail, which is for a Model C

All the 12 X 30 machines were built in West Hartford in the WW2 years and somewhat after

Here is my Disappearance thread, mostly gutted by Photobucket

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...disappearance-225278/?highlight=Disappearance

The long of it: M-1395-1479. Summer of '42, perhaps?

Thanks again, John. I think I have read most of the P&W posts that are easy to search for. I think some goodies are still hiding in less referenced posts, I turn new stuff up now and then.
After buying a new reversing contactor and overload relay, I find out that reversing this feed bar lathe is a crash in the making. Not to mention the reverse oiling feature. Oh, well, Back to ebay. There is always the prospect of finding something to fit around this reversing contactor. Like a B&S #2 Universal Milling Machine. Everyone wants a Bridgeport, myself included, but when I had a choice, the Bridgeport was mostly used for plotting, drilling, and tapping holes.
My last machine shop job ended in 2001. I was the maintenance shop supervisor for the Dixon Ticonderoga Co. (pencil) plant in Versailles MO for 15 years. Dixon Ticonderoga was a child of the Joseph Dixon Crucible Co. of Jersey City N.J.. They claimed to be the oldest publicly traded company in the U.S.. Now belonging to Fila of Italy, production having slowly migrated to Mexico, and now China. We had a couple of nice Mauser lathes, a Cincinnati horizontal, the B&S #2 with all the attachments, a couple of Bridgeports, a Lagun mill, a couple of small South Bend lathes and a nice radial drill, I think it was a Milwaukee. We also had a well furnished weld shop, and a two man electrical shop. It was a PITA, but I miss those days. Having a machine shop at your disposal is empowering, at least for this old deplorable. I now work as a Low Pay Nurse for the State of Kansas. I could retire in five years, and I am angling for something empowering to piddle with in my climate controlled walkout basement.

alittlerusty said:

The long of it: M-1395-1479. Summer of '42, perhaps?

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Not much listed. Numbers shown are last for the year. So your guess might be pretty close :-)

1942: 1521
1947: 2200

Aging folks in the hospital have kept me from doing anything more than pecking and scraping paint whenever I pass by the lathe. I did remove the left end gearing. When I attempted to turn the bolt securing the gear to the output shaft, the shaft turned in the gear. I turned the bolt out by wedging a bit of #12 solid copper between the gearing and the bolt loosened easily. I had to pull the gear off the shaft with the puller. I think the shaft and gear bore are okay. The key way in the gear and shaft are both "wallered" some. I don't think the key was even present. I will need to address this. I feel justified in tearing into the lathe now.
"A stitch in time saves nine." My thanks to Carl_in_NH for "Model B 12 x 30 headstock removal for feed clutch access", for paving the way forward.

Life just keeps happening around these parts. I sat the quick change box off of the machine this evening. Other than that just cleaning and scraping paint.
I thought I would put this out there, a Pratt & Whitney 12 X 30 c model popped up on Bellevue, Ne c/l about 10 days ago for $6500 asking price. The price dropped by $500 and OBO added to listing just today. Yes, the owner is quite proud of the machine, I realize.
I am very impressed with the brutal robustness and quality workmanship in my 12 X 30 b. I hope someone who appreciates this line of lathe is able to come to an agreement with the owner, although I don't think this one will be headed to the scrapper. Not on my watch!

Got her down to just the head stock, ratio box, and clutch still mounted on the bed. I'm thinking on pulling the rest of it down and lifting the bed to get a good paint job on the chip pan and pedestals. Now, if I could just come up with some of that peroxylyn paint.

Hey John,
Off topic, but a Van Norman S/N 16s-4010-156 has landed next to the P&W b lathe in my basement shop. It is in pretty nice shape. I paid $1250, and hauled it home, about 150 miles.
Does 1955 manufacture date sound about right?
Thank you, Keith.

Good question - the serial book has these jumbled in under Bryant Grinders - without bothering to tell you which is which. There are 6 and 12 machines there, but oldest serial is 1937 with 5XXX serials - and there is no way of knowing if these are VN

On edit - finally snapped to 16S as being machine type - 4010 would have been 1956

alittlerusty said:

Hey John,
Off topic, but a Van Norman S/N 16s-4010-156 has landed next to the P&W b lathe in my basement shop. It is in pretty nice shape. I paid $1250, and hauled it home, about 150 miles.
Does 1955 manufacture date sound about right?
Thank you, Keith.

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