Bearing questions - SB Light 10

I posted this on another forum as well, in an effort to get as quick an answer as possible Im posting here as well.

Hey all. I have a light 10 that I got a few months ago. Ive been using it plenty, works wonderfully, but the last couple times Ive noticed the bearings are warming up. Its a (I was told) 1958 CL670Z with bronze bearings. Measured play on the spindle is .003 on the rear bearing (yes I know I need to tighten that up) and .001 on the front bearing. Everything Ive been able to find says that with the bronze bearings that .001 is good. Is that correct or am I doing something wrong?

First question - Have any of you measured the temp of your headstock bearings with a temp gun? If so, what are your typical temperatures? I didnt check until they started feeling warm and Im coming up with generally about 112 or so, a few degrees less on the rear bearing. Today however, the whole lathe started slowing down (almost bogging down) but the belt wasnt slipping and when I measured the temp it was 124F. I shut it off at that point. I should probably mention that I was running the highest speed with the lower jackshaft belt setting (not sure of the exact rpm).

Second - Ive done plenty of searching but it seems that everyone that asks about spindle removal gets the same answer "Its been discussed before, search". No offense meant but unless its on page 500 of Google, I cant find one. I have been able to piece together what I think is the proper procedure. If Im understanding correctly, I tighten the 2 screws in the bearing cap to loosen the expander. After that, and removing the rear nut, I should be able to lightly tap the spindle out? Correct?

I also just thought of something. When I measured the play in the spindle, I pushed down on it to zero the indicator and the needle didnt move at all. When I lifted on it the needle came up .001, maybe a hair over but not quite to .0015. Am I missing something here?

I have a kit coming with new wicks and wipers so I want to pull the spindle anyways so I can replace them. Any advice here or pointing me towards a good writeup is much appreciated. All the removal pdfs Ive found deal with the cast iron integral bearings, but mine looks different from every picture Ive found. THanks much.

Edit - I cant find any of the headstock drain holes Ive seen mention of. Im guessing with mine just pull the cups out and let it drain that way? Thanks.

first of all if you have not done so, go to The SBL Workshop. In the how to section there are two documents that you may need the first is how to adjust the spindle. The second is how to remove and replace the spindle.

Note: on the 10K the back of the spindle is pretty thin and they have been known to crack . I do not recommend using a hammer to force the spindle out. I recommend using the screw press method for removing the spindle. use a thick flat washer and a threaded rod through the spindle. You also need a threat protector and a cup that will go over it. A piece of PVC pipe works well for this purpose. a heavy flat washer on that end and a couple of nuts to complete the assembly. now as you tighten up the nuts this spindle will be pressed out safely.

Your heating problem can be caused by several problems, most likely in proper oiling.

using the wrong oil, a broken oil wick spring or just bad old felt wicks can cause the problem. even running the belt extremely tight to prevent slippage can cause heating problems.

What kind of oil are you using.

Note: on the above-mentioned site, there are several good oil charts that you can use. The 10K in the 9N use the same charts. take your pick, and refer to them when buying oil and when you oil your South Bend lathe.

stay safe and have fun.
Joe.

Also Note: while you are at it you should also do the needle bearing upgrade. replace the fiber washer on the back of the spindle with a needle bearing. it will make a big difference in the performance of your machine. And if yours is not an under drive unit do the serpentine belt modification now. That is if you have not already done so. it is also an excellent way to improve the performance of your machine.

I just tore down my headstock today. I have a Heavy 10, I'm not sure how much of it translates to the K model. Check that someone didn't paint over the drain plugs. Mine were partially painted over. They are also within a 1/4" of the oil cups.

With mine, the procedure was remove expander screws. This lets the bearing contract around the spindle. I have been told this is an important step, don't skip it or do it out of order, or bad things will happen. After that, loosen and remove the 2 cap screws on the bearing cap, and remove cap. Caps have to be taken off to get spindle out.

Look on E-bay for the rebuild manual. There is a guy selling what seems to be books and rebuild kits to cover almost all these machines. Steve something is his E-bay name.

Also, go to Grizzly.com. If you give them $25 and your serial #, they will send you a copy of the original factory build sheet, including dates and a lot of other cool info.

the heavy 10 and the 10K are totally different machines. although the bearings for the heavy 10 and the 10K are similar, there is no similarity to their disassembly. The heavy 10 is a split bearing cap design, the 10K is not. when you remove the shaft from a heavy 10 you remove bearings, bull gear, cone pulley etc. as one assembly. You cannot do that with the 10K. and to my knowledge there are no oil drain plugs on the 9N or10K .

he said he had a light 10, "10K". please do not confuse him by quoting procedures from totally different machines. the disassembly procedures for the 9N and 10K are basically the same.

stay safe and have fun.
Joe.

promacjoe said:

the heavy 10 and the 10K are totally different machines. although the bearings for the heavy 10 and the 10K are similar, there is no similarity to their disassembly. The heavy 10 is a split bearing cap design, the 10K is not. when you remove the shaft from a heavy 10 you remove bearings, bull gear, cone pulley etc. as one assembly. You cannot do that with the 10K. and to my knowledge there are no oil drain plugs on the 9N or10K .

he said he had a light 10, "10K". please do not confuse him by quoting procedures from totally different machines. the disassembly procedures for the 9N and 10K are basically the same.

stay safe and have fun.
Joe.

Click to expand...

LOL! Thats the problem Ive been having trying to find info. Everything has either been incomplete, wrong model, or wrong style of bearing. I did manage to piece it all together though and just got it out. It was hell to get out though. Not sure if I did something wrong or what but the spindle did NOT want to come out. Got it though, no scoring on the spindle or the bearings, no bell mouthing of the left side of the spindle. Im happy. Now hopefully the kit shows up in the next day or two and I can her back together.

Thanks much for the replies.

Here's how I took out my spindle off my 1961 10 k the manual is very helpful on how to ake them out. Also it tells you about the shims what you should have for clearance . I rebuilt my whole with the manual worth the money just take your time and have fun doing it . My spindle did come out hard the first little bit but did not hammer on but it a lot of lube .Went back in with no problem