9" Headstock reassembly

Hi guys,

After sorting out an issue with the taper pins, i thought i was all set to finish my headstock reassembly but i've hit a new snag with the felts and main shaft.

The shaft has two rectangular felts and two capillary felts (felts on springs) which contact the bottom of the shaft. When installing the shaft, how do you hold all the felts in place without them either sliding out or getting caught on the shaft as it changes diameter?

I've now damaged one of the felts and have to replace it as it got caught so i'd like to know any tip or tricks if anyone has done it before...and also what felt to buy to fix the now damaged one.

Allegedly there is a hole for you to put a pin in, to hold the felt spring down. it might be covered with paint.

johansen said:

Allegedly there is a hole for you to put a pin in, to hold the felt spring down. it might be covered with paint.

Click to expand...

is this hole different to the hole for the oiler?

No it's the same hole.

Yep, same hole. Get a piece of wire no bigger than 1/16" about 6" long, two of them, and put a tapered point
on one end, smooth like a needle. The deal is that you stick the wire in thru the oiler hole and, while holding
the spring wick down in its hole, skewer the wick with the wire to hold it there. You will have to bend the wire
around a bit to do this. Make sure it holds all of the wick below the spindle bore. Put in the spindle then pull
the wires.

That's the 'official' SB instruction for doing this. I did it on my 10K and it worked perfectly. Took a bit of
fiddling around but not too bad. I used music wire 'cause that's what I had that worked. Soft wire didn't work
well so I went with the stiffer music wire.

Pete

Oh, and the felt is pure wool commercial felt, clean with no grit or dirt. There are two types in those wicks as I
remember. A black felt on the bottom and a white felt on top. The white is pretty dense while the black is less
dense. Just sorta match what you have. And make darn sure the spring is firmly captured on the wick so it
can't slip up and rub the spindle. You probably know that but I hate to assume when giving instructions!

Great advice, thanks for that. Is there a pdf copy of the instruction manual available somewhere?

Yours is different than the 1960s one i have but the 1940s one i have is similar to yours and also has a hole. Its not the oiler hole as stated above its a separate small hole above it. See photo
The second photo is a 1940`s one im currently working on which is slightly different than the first but both have the little holes.

I've found the rectangular felts work better if they're oily first. Then I use a well-sanded popsicle stick (I buy packs at the Pat Cattan store to use for epoxy mixing) to sort of press the felt in, kind of like you do for replacing window screens. Then I do trials with fitting the shaft, no matter which one we're talking about. I keep pressing and packing until I can get the shaft in and out without catching the felt. Then I turn the shaft several times to make sure the felt is smooth before going on with any other assembly. The rectangular felts work better if you leave a half inch or so outside the groove and trim it when you're done.

Sounds a little OCD, I know, but I've pulled out enough scored South Bend shafts to learn they meant for those felts to be there and properly oiled. And, you only have to do this about every ten years or so for a home shop lathe.

Interesting headstock - both top and side oilers, it appears. Where is the slot for the rectangular felts? Is it along the split for the bearings? Generally, the South Bend headstocks had either side or top oilers, not both - this one may have been modified. As Bob posted, there should be a small hole right above the hole for the side oiler. I believe it was originally meant as a vent hole, but it can be used to insert a sharp object to hold the round wicks in place during spindle installation. Did you say previously that this is a Hercus? They may have eliminated that hole. Either way, as suggested, you can probably use the side oiler hole itself - I used a large paper clip with the end sharpened to a point on a grinder. To retain the rectangular felts, you might just leave the felt long and grab the end as you install the spindle, so it doesn't pull through. You might need another pair of hands. Did the headstock come with oilers on both top and sides? Even though the top oilers were a total loss system, I've always thought that they're inherently more reliable, as you know that the spindle is getting lubricated (as long as you keep adding oil). By the way, I like the color - nice to see something a little different.

Paul

I did some more checking - the Hercus headstock does appear to have been manufactured with both top and side oilers, here's a link: Hercus Lathes

Also, here's a forum that I found regarding Hercus lathes, which may be able to shed some light on the headstock: THE HERCUS AREA

Paul

Ahhh the woodworking forums!! I knew I'd seen a hercus board before. (Yes it is a hercus, but since they're clones I thought this forum would work.)
I've got to go and buy more felt before trying again, but yes there are side and bottom oilers, and there is no small hole above the oiler port. I had it back to bare metal so I'm sure on this. Will post back with results once my patience ha built up enough to try again