geared head clausing colchester operation

i am going to go look at a 8000 series "square head" clausing colchester lathe. I have never ran a lathe like this and was wondering if somebody could explain how to change spindle speeds? can you change speeds while the machine is running? it is probably very simple but i would like to have an idea before i show up. also i would like to know of any common problem of these lathes
thanks bubba

Bubba,

Line up the colors on the dial with two handles. You'll see right away what I mean when you look at the controls. Also, these are clutched machines. You pull out the big red plunger-looking switch to energize the machine then push the start button to fire up the spindle motor. Then lift the clutch lever to the right of the apron to make the spindle go forward. Push the clutch lever to the right and down to make it go in reverse.

Pay attention to the "H" and "L" ranges of the carraige feed gear box. In other words, don't have the carraige feed gear box set on "high" when running the spindle at the higher RPM's.

I own an 8031 which is the 15X50, non-gap bed. It's a good machine.

Good luck.

Dave M.

Dave's right. They are good machines. One thing he didn't mention is that you can't shift them on the fly. IMO, thats a positive rather than a negative though, because a servo-shifting mechanism is something that can cause plenty of problems once in a while, and it really only saves you a few seconds now and then when running a lathe in this size range.

dave so you are saying that h=high and L=low so if you want to run the spindle at high speeds make sure the lever is turned to the L position?

metlmunchr so to shift speeds i asume you can shift the clutch into neutral and change the speed selector all while the motor is still running?

The carriage feed lever needs to be in the L position when you're running the spindle in the higher ranges. Otherwise, you can end up driving the carriage feed rod way faster than it was meant to operate, since its driven via the spindle.

Re gear changes...thats right. On a lathe with a clutch the first thing you do is turn on the motor, and the last thing you do when you're finished is turn it off. Between those times the motor can run continuously.

Bubba,

What metlmunchr said about "H" and "L" is correct. Think of it as avoiding high feeds or (coarse threads) at high spindle speeds.

Depending on the age of the machine, when the clutch is returned to the "neutral" or disengaged, center position the spindle may come to a quick stop due to an automatic braking feature. Older machines will have a foot brake under the chip pan. In any case the spindle should be stopped before changing speeds.

Mine has a the auto brake feature and therefore also has a brake release button. This is handy for rocking the chuck/spindle by hand for speed/feed changes or rotating by hand to dial in work.

Please feel free to pose any other questions that come to mind.

Dave M.

Bubba

They're great lathes IMHO. Run each and every spindle speed because different gears are in mesh at different times. Replacement gears are expensive.

The good news is that the headstock has pressure-fed bearings and the clutch packs are also oil-cooled. Gears are splash lube but there's plenty of oil going around in there.

Here's a sampling of what's inside.



-Matt

i plan to go look at the lathe next week and i would sure appreciate any other suggestions on things to check. the company i am dealing with has agreed to hook it up to power so i will definitly check all the spindle speeds for excesive noise. the lathe has a foot brake so it must be an older one i will have to get the serial # and call clausing and find out the date of manufacture. does anybody know where i could find a steady rest and a follower rest it is a model 8130 15" swing? thanks for all the help
bubba

Bubba

One more suggestion. Copy down the serial number stamped in the front face of the bedway at the tailstock end. Call up Jolene Olds at the Clausing Service Center and she can tell you the date (year) of manufacture.

-Matt

The spindle gearing in a C/C heastock is all jaw clutches or side shifted gears. Don't shift the headstock gears until the spindle is stopped dead. If a shift is balky because the clutch jaws or the gear teeth are lined up, roll the spindle by hand a little.

There's no double clutching or speed shifting a machne tool's geared transmission without risking real expensive noises.

could someone explain the operation of the two levers on the front of the apron i assume that they engage the cariage and cross slide feed
thanks bubba

The "levers" as opposed to the "plungers", operate the threading half-nut and the carriage/cross-slide feed. The shorter, upper-right lever is for the threading half-nut. The longer, lower-left lever is to engage the carraige/cross-slide feed.

The two plungers are to select the direction of feed and have nothing to do with the threading.

The plungers, just under the cross-slide handwheel, have their functions marked on their faces. One is to select between longitudnal (left & right) and cross (in & out) feed. The other is to select the direction of feed - in or out, left or right, depending on whether cross or longitudnal feed is selected.

The non-threading feeds are "clutched" and there is a knurled knob to the left and around the corner from the carriage handwheel that adjusts the tension on the clutch. This feature allows the operator to set a carriage stop on the way so that when the carriage, under power feed, runs into it, the clutch disengages and the powered carriage feed stops. This function has no effect on the threading lead screw and cannot be used to automatically stop the carraige when the threading half-nut is engaged.

Dave M.

bubba:
Have had several of ther foot brake 15x50 Clausing Colchesters over the years. Very nice machines. One of the best designed for operator use...everything falls easily to hand and works easily. Not the heaviest machine, it is no Monarch, but you can get a lot of work done in a hurry with one of these machines. The forward /reverse spindle clutch for the spindle makes metric threading to a sholder (can't open the half nut for meteric threads once engaged), a snap. Good range of speeds from 25-2000 and will thread metric adn inch pitches as well as dimetral and module pitchess all from the feed box. These lathes have the ability to have the headstoick trammed to the bed without scraping for right to left alignment...good for do -it -yourself lathe rebuilders.
They have good spindle bearings: Timken "Gamet" tapered rollers, that use an ingenious spring perload setup that eliminates problems of spindle growth from heat while running.
The spindle gear selection lever arrangement is the best on any lathe and has been copied by a number of import clones. The shift is easy to see the next gear you want to select and itis easy to make the change. The full speed range is done with 2 levers turning in a rotary motion. Beats the 4 small levers on the headstock of a Monarch with the required chart of all the various combinations...lets see lever 1 in the second position, lever 2 in position 4, no position 3, lever 3........
The major trouble i have noticed with these lathes is several: First the cross slides have no way wipers, so they are prone to getting small chips jammed into the dovetail and could suffer if not kept clean from grooves and scars on the slide.
Second: The headstocks tend to get noisy. I have never seen this to be a problem with the work or function of the lathe but in some ranges they can make a good racket. Check all the spindle speeds, but don't be too worried if the machine has some gear noise. These machines have a rather large "dry sump" for the spindle oil with a pump and all.The sumps being large don't get changed as often as they should.(a good move for a new owner) The pump can be prone to leakage so a seal replacement when changing the oil would be a good investment.
Take the rear cover off the headstock (single knurled knob) and have a look at the quadrant gears that run the feed box. The hpper gear is fiber for quiet running. They can be easily damaged by poor adjustment or abuse.
Check to see if there is oil (way oil) in th sight glass on the apron. This oil provides lubea to the bed ways. Some machines that get production use can hace the apron filled with coolant and gunk, not the best lube.
Take a good 0-1" mic along and measure the thickness of the flat way at the rear of the bed. This can be done with a simple mic. and wil;l give an indication as to the wear on the bed. Expect the thickness to be smaller up close to the headstock. Try the carrage over the full length of the bed. If it gets tight toward the tailstock that will indicate wear. The beds are flame hardened so wear will be lesas than on a machine with soft iron ways but it will still happen. Some wear will be fine and not hurt the accuracy of the lathe very much but high wear will require bed grinding and re-fitting of the carrage.
The cross feed screw nut is adjustable for wear. Most sloop on these machines seems to come from poorly adjusted thrust bearings for the screw easily fixed with a 9/16" box wrench on th adjusting nut at the back of the screw (the end of the cross slide).
Good luck on your inspection
Cheers Ross

thanks for all the help i sure am glad i found this place!
thanks again
bubba