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EE Feed rod replacement

macona

Diamond
Joined
Jun 20, 2006
Location
Beaverton, OR
Decided to tackle the bent feed rod today. Wobbles pretty good like. My guess some time in the past someone lifted the lathe with a sling and squished the feed rod.

Pulled off the outboard support and knocked out the drive pin in the feed clutch and slid it out. Simpler than I expected.

Question is the keyway down the length is only .154" wide. This machine had been rebuilt at one time by some company called Hademann-Nielsen of LA so maybe a new rod was machined to make up for the key wear in the worm gear?

I was going to use some pre-keyed stock to make a new shaft but thats out of the question now. Do you think I can get away with using some 3/4" drill rod to replace it? The rod is alost exactly 3' long.

Also should the taper pin in the feed clutch be steel or something softer?
 
Without looking, I'm fairly certain that there is a replaceable key in the driver gear in the apron. Buy or make one. The ELSR has a replacable key, $125 from Monarch or 20 minutes on the mill to make one. The tapered pins are steel, I ordered one from Monarch along with other parts, to buy one from MSC you need to buy a box of 50, so in that case much cheaper to buy from Monarch. You could easily make one, 1/4 inch per foot taper.
The problem with drill rod is it is .750 +- it will not fit (most likely) in the driving gear it needs to be .748 or so, thats the size of shafting. Found that out after I bought the drill rod.
 
Without looking, I'm fairly certain that there is a replaceable key in the driver gear in the apron.
The key for the feed is broached into the inside of the feed worm, and can't be easily replaced.

I have heard of folks who cleaned it out, cut a shallow keyway and laid in a key, TIGing on the ends to hold it; I've never tried to do that myself.
 
I tried straightening it but the rod was slightly out of round from wearing so I couldnt tell.

Went down to Pacific Machine and Tool Steel in NW Portland to get a piece of rod. Got a piece of ground 1045 rod. Asked them for 3 feet and he picked up a remnant 5 feet long and said "here, 3 feet" :D He wrote me a ticket. Went up to pay, gave the guy the ticket. He looked at it and folded it up and said "have fun". :D :D

I will definitely spend my money there again!

I turned the shoulder at the end and cut to length. Set the rod in one of the t-slots in the mill and put an indicator on it and found it set within a half thou the entire length!

Clamped it down and programmed the mill to cut a .154 keyway down the length about 1.5". After I cut that I moved the clamp to where I just cut and told it to cut the keyway down the length to the 29" point and away it went. Put pressure on the center of the rod with my hands to keep it from vibrating. 4 flute carbide EM at 8.5ipm at 5000 rpm.

Took it off and knocked off the burs and installed it to find there was a slight bow in this rod as well. Put it on v blocks on the mill with my height gauge holding an indicator and used the quill to straighten it about to .001 down its length.

Now I just need to drill and ream for the taper pin and it should be done.
 
The key for the feed is broached into the inside of the feed worm, and can't be easily replaced.
It has been a while since I had mine apart, but I recall the key being removable. I think the key had a dowel in the center to keep it in place, and the worm was broached to about the same depth as the keyway in the feed rod. The key in my lathe had some wear, so it would be reasonable to not only replace the feed rod, but fit a new key.

-Dave
 
Back when I got my lathe running I had the same problem. I ended up straightening it in place. I think the same thing happened where someone place a strap around and bent it while lifting the machine. I managed to get it within .010 according to the dial. I just pried it out with a bar from the wall. :eek:

Jeff Major
 
"I ended up straightening it in place. I think the same thing happened where someone place a strap around and bent it while lifting the machine."

A common flaw in rigging a 10EE is wrapping the straps around the bed, not through the bed.

Going around the bed surely will place some stress on the leadscrew if not the feed rod.

A piece of 4 x 4 should be fitted under the bed, and the straps should go through the opening in the bed, to the 4 x 4, and return.

The balance point is just forward of the spindle's nose.

3/4" UNC threaded bores are in the 10EE base at the balance point, but these are plugged by 3/4" setscrews and then covered over with Bondo before finish painting.

These holes may be seen ...

Operator_Side_10EE.jpg


Non-Operator_Side_10EE.jpg


... above.
 
This did not happen on my watch. I always hoist it from the rib closest to the spindle area. With the tailstock and carriage all the way to the right, its a pretty good balance to lift up the machine with a heavy strap or chain. My feed rod was bent many moons ago.

Jeff Major
 
Both feed rod worms that I have , one off of a 59' and another
off of a wartime round dial, the internal key was broached and not replaceable. I was lucky to acquire the earlier roundial gear/worm set as it was hardly used, and was able to use S/S prekeyed rod, for the feedrod. On my '59, when I disassembled the worm gear, the remaining internal key had worn down to less than a 1/16 inch thick, looked like a knife edge. I would call that alittle bit o'wear.
 








 
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