Unusual noise or...

Andy221 · Feb 3, 2017

I wanted to ask here too incase it was missed in the heavy iron board.

Does the high pitch noise sound normal or is there some sort of issue? Here's a link, listen when he turns on the motor and the lathe is still in neutral. He turns it on at about the 2:35 mark.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/redirect-to/?redirect=https://youtu.be/b2F8yealYtw

Andy221 · Feb 3, 2017

Mine sounds the same, it just doesn't seem right. I replaced the bearings on the input/ clutch shaft and in the pully housing to no avail.

Richard King · Feb 3, 2017

This is a guess, but it sounds as if it has some sort of hydraulic assist in shifting gears. The noise changes pitch when the change gears. The guy says "it's so easy to shift" and moves the handle a little. I would check to see if there is a hydraulic pump in the back next to the drive motor. If there is a reservoir look at the oil and if it is white the seal on the pump is sucking air into the system or the filter is plugged up and it has cavitation. I also was thinking the fan on the motor was hitting the cowling. Look for the shifting first....

Andy221 · Feb 5, 2017

Richard King said:
This is a guess, but it sounds as if it has some sort of hydraulic assist in shifting gears. The noise changes pitch when the change gears. The guy says "it's so easy to shift" and moves the handle a little. I would check to see if there is a hydraulic pump in the back next to the drive motor. If there is a reservoir look at the oil and if it is white the seal on the pump is sucking air into the system or the filter is plugged up and it has cavitation. I also was thinking the fan on the motor was hitting the cowling. Look for the shifting first....

No hydraulic assist on my lathe. I did take the belts off and run the motor and the motor is completely quiet.

Another question, should two gears (one driving the other) make a whining noise that loud at roughly 1100 rpm?

Forrest Addy · Feb 5, 2017

I got lots of time of that vintage L&S lathe and the later model L&S Turnmaster (maybe 40 L&S lathes in the section) . Both models sounded much the same as the one in the video. I think the noise is from the lube oil pump drive. They are a little noisy for the caliber of machine. You'd think one of the best production engine lathes in the world of its day would be quieter.

Hell of a lathe. The ones I ran had 15 HP motors and if you had a good grip on your work you could use all of it. Be sure to get the steadies if available. The follow rest is a dandy because it had three point support on the saddle. I remember roughing 3 1/2: forged bars 7 ft long to 3" in one cut using that follow rest.

If you get the lathe in the video and it's good as the sales guy brags, you wont be sorry.

Andy221 · Feb 5, 2017

I actually have the 14" version of the one in the video(read post #2). I really like it and and its in decent shape. There's just a few issues I'd like to fix. The noise is one of possible.

Forrest, had the lodges you used had a lot of time on them?

I've ran my lathe with the headstock cover raised a little bit so I could listen and it didn't sound like the noise was coming from the pump. At first I thought it was the clutch shaft so I replaced all the bearings on it. That didn't cure the problem so I replaced the bearings in the pully housing which is where it sounds like it is coming from more so than anywhere else.

I hope you all don't think I'm disagreeing with you. The noise just doesn't seem right to me and I want to be thorough about figuring it out before I decide to be content.

I forgot to add that there is gear attached to the driven pully shaft that drives the clutch shaft. I've looked at the gears and they look good...

Forrest Addy · Feb 5, 2017

Andy221 said:
I actually have the 14" version of the one in the video(read post #2). I really like it and and its in decent shape. There's just a few issues I'd like to fix. The noise is one of possible.

Forrest, had the lodges you used had a lot of time on them?

I've ran my lathe with the headstock cover raised a little bit so I could listen and it didn't sound like the noise was coming from the pump. At first I thought it was the clutch shaft so I replaced all the bearings on it. That didn't cure the problem so I replaced the bearings in the pully housing which is where it sounds like it is coming from more so than anywhere else.

I hope you all don't think I'm disagreeing with you. The noise just doesn't seem right to me and I want to be thorough about figuring it out before I decide to be content.

I forgot to add that there is gear attached to the driven pully shaft that drives the clutch shaft. I've looked at the gears and they look good...

'

No sweat. I said I THINK it was the lube il pump drive. Lots of gears and bearings No teling where the noise is coming from w2hout a real search.

Most of the L&S lathes in my career shop were Korean War and earlier. Most had 20,000+ clock hours on them but they still turned true. They were babied for maintenance (it was a clean shop and careless use of air drew bitter rebuke from your neighbors) and the oil king came by once a week. OTH we ran the snot out of them 8/5 with a couple guys on OT every week end.

Andy221 · Feb 5, 2017

Forrest Addy said:
'

No sweat. I said I THINK it was the lube il pump drive. Lots of gears and bearings No teling where the noise is coming from w2hout a real search.

Most of the L&S lathes in my career shop were Korean War and earlier. Most had 20,000+ clock hours on them but they still turned true. They were babied for maintenance (it was a clean shop and careless use of air drew bitter rebuke from your neighbors) and the oil king came by once a week. OTH we ran the snot out of them 8/5 with a couple guys on OT every week end.

If the ones you have used sound the same plus the four I know of it makes a guy think that's just the way it is. But, on the other hand you have to ask what would it take to make such a loud hight pitch whining noise? Bearings? Gears? Clutch plates? Keep in mind it does this in neutral, no other gears in the headstock spinning,

Is there a common wear point on lodge and shipley's?

How loud are gears when spinning at 1100 rpm? And do they make such a whining noise?

Is it an assembly issue? Who knows who's been in these old work horses and what they've done. 10's of 1000's of hours somethings had to wear maybe replaced.

I think you're right Addy forest, more investigation is in needed.

Mine still turns pretty damn true too! These old beast are pretty amazing I think.

Ziggy2 · Feb 6, 2017

The whine is normal. Forrest is correct, it does seem to be the oil lube pump or at least the gear train that drives the pump.

I think some of the whine is due to the fact that L&S used straight cut gears on all of the head stock gears. Mine actually quiets down when under load.

To get rid of the whine would probably require going to helical cut gears. Very expensive to do and would have made the lathe more inefficient.

Search

Largest Manufacturing Technology Community on the Web

Search

Unusual noise or...

Andy221

Cast Iron

Andy221

Cast Iron

Richard King

Diamond

Andy221

Cast Iron

Forrest Addy

Diamond

Andy221

Cast Iron

Forrest Addy

Diamond

Andy221

Cast Iron

Ziggy2

Stainless

Similar threads