Sheldon Spindle Bearing Adjustment?

Rex · Sep 9, 2018

I have a new to me Sheldon TS 56P that I'm getting ready for it's first run at my shop. I've got the spindle isolated from the drive system and find that it's a bit hard to turn compared to other lathes I've used. The motion is smooth and uniform, no noise, just a bit stiff. I have a Sheldon manual titled "The Care and Operation of a Lathe" that describes adjusting spindle bearing tension, but it doesn't seem to apply to the model I have. Any Ideas?

browniesharp · Sep 9, 2018

There was a Sheldon group on yahoo but it has now moved to another hosting system something like IO. If you can find that group, there is a fellow - John Knox who worked at Sheldon for many years and is a wealth of knowledge on their line.

4GSR · Sep 9, 2018

if the belt drive is engaged it will be slightly hard to turn. Pull the pin to disengage the drive, which is also for disengaging to engage the back back gear. Doing this should make it a little easier to turn. I have the larger 15" Sheldon and that how I turn the spindle by hand. Safer this way, too!

Ken

4GSR · Sep 9, 2018

browniesharp said:
There was a Sheldon group on yahoo but it has now moved to another hosting system something like IO. If you can find that group, there is a fellow - John Knox who worked at Sheldon for many years and is a wealth of knowledge on their line.

As far as I know, the group is still under Yahoo. If they moved it, they didn't tell me. I was a member over there.

Ken

Paolo_MD · Sep 10, 2018

I confirm: the group ([email protected]) is still on Yahoo and active, with John Knox, who worked as engineer for Sheldon for many years, posting frequently and being extremely helpful with his knowledge..

t looks like your lathe is equipped with Timken roller bearings. I would suggest to add some relatively light oil in the cups (under John's suggestion I use Mobil 1 motor oil and never had problems-the detergent vs. non-detergent oil is mostly a red herring on partial/total loss systems for two reasons: 1. the detergent helps with lightweight carboneous residues, not metallic fragments, and 2.in a lubrication system where the oil drips off, a detergent would be even useful to carry away stuff that would otherwise deposit) and run as it is, monitoring the temperature of the bearings: especially at high speeds, they should get warm at the touch, but never so hot that you cannot touche them.

Paolo

Rex · Sep 11, 2018

Thanks for the responses and sorry for the delayed reply. Thread subscription to my email didn't work and I wasn't aware of your answers.
Yes I did have the spindle isolated from the back gear and had the bull gear pin pulled and bearings flooded with 20 weight oil as indicated in the manual. After reading several descriptions of tension adjusting in various places I gave it the "sharp snap/turn" and it went @ 3/4 revolution & stopped. In 1st picture there is a collar with 2 setscrews 180 apart, which I loosened and backed off @ 10-15 degrees. This made a huge difference, now coming to rest just at 1 complete revolution or a little more. According to the descriptions of this method that should be the case after the bearings are completely warmed up, which I'll do after I get the QC gearbox and underdrive system cleaned up & lubed. Mobil 1 oil idea is interesting.

Paolo_MD · Sep 11, 2018

Rex,
Unless you have just reassembled the spindle, after cleaning the decades of gummed-up oil on the bearing surface between spindle and sheaves, you will get significant drag by sheaves held still by the belts, especially if the belts are in tension.
I would suggest that, now, you check again the end and side play of the pulley.

Paolo

Rex · Sep 11, 2018

Will loosen belts & see what happens.

Don't know why my email thread subscription isn't working. Sent myself an email from my private message page, didn't arrive either. Email in my profile is correct.

Rex · Sep 24, 2018

The hubs in the gears to the left of the headstock have oil buttons, but the bronze bushings don't have oil holes. Should they be removed & drilled?

Paolo_MD · Sep 25, 2018

Rex,
As mentioned by John Knox on the Yahoo Group, those bushings are made of Olite. No need of holes for oil to flow.
Personally, every time I lubricate the geartrain, I drip a drop of oil also between the gear and the washer.

Paolo

thermite · Sep 28, 2018

Paolo_MD said:
Rex,
As mentioned by John Knox on the Yahoo Group, those bushings are made of Olite. No need of holes for oil to flow.
Personally, every time I lubricate the geartrain, I drip a drop of oil also between the gear and the washer.

Paolo

I've been "working up to" experimenting with Oilite II for wear strips. The Oilites in general have about 35% "void" where their initial - and subsequent - charge of oil lives.

In theory, it recirculates, out to the warmer friction area, back into the voids, repeat until wear or "smear" of the Bronze and/or the accumulation of the smut of particulates from fretting corrosion AKA "friction" gradually fill those voids and reduce the recirculation effectiveness. Wear rate then accelerates.

Oilite "one" is basically sacrificial, long-term, IOW. Well-regarded for not harming its mating shaft or shoulder, common sizes sold in boxes of fifty and a hundred for printing presses, office machines and such.

Adding oil is a wise extender of life, partly for the flushing-away value.

Useful goods, the Oilite family. More to it than just the "soft stuff", too:

http://www.bearing.co.il/OILITE.pdf

Oilite(R) Products | Plain Bearing | Thrust Bearing | Flange Bearing

Rex · Oct 1, 2018

Personally, every time I lubricate the geartrain, I drip a drop of oil also between the gear and the washer.

Sounds like a good plan. Due to probable extensive smearing I might replace these eventually. I have the gears & QC box cleaned, adjusted, lubed and spinning freely. The previous owner packed the QC box with heavy grease and it was so jammed up with chips it took great effort to turn by hand. Just need to get the underdrive section done before test run.

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