Countershaft upgrade suggestions / help

I recently scored a 1928 9" lathe. The countershaft connections were something I had never seen before (although I am quite green) After transferring the lathe and countershaft to a steel table I started to notice a lot of play around these connection points. As well as just metal on metal contact. There is openings for oil but this just seemed not quite right to me.

Original shots of the countershaft.





After taking it apart I notice some definite wear by the connection closest to the motor belt pulley.
There is enough bar there that I could slide it all over and try to snug up the connections, but I was also thinking of coming up with a more secure or reliable configuration to avoid more issues down the road.

With the stop collar and gimbal joint(??) slid out of the way, you can see the wear.



Id be interested in knowing what the actual name of those connections are, for future reference as well as any suggestions people may have on effective upgrades to the countershaft configuration. As I type this out now I am realizing that a whole new setup is probably best. Its all pretty "quick and dirty" in my opinion, including the wood mounting brackets.

Thanks in advance!

The wide nines I had all were a single driven pulley setup. Different looking pulley and bearing setup than yours. The newer nines have a 2 step driven pulley setup. A few more speeds to use. If the shafts/bearings are worn they are a simple replacement. Usually 7/8" shaft with bores in cast iron. Can be bushed to brass if needed rather easily. Look at the South Bend forum here. Pictures galore of what people drive theirs with. I have a few parts for that lathe if you need them. PM me with your needs. I do not have a drive setup.

See if PM member Latheman has the parts that you need. If not there is always ebay...

South Bend 9" Lathe Countershaft Motor Mount Drive Assembly USED | eBay

ORIGINAL SOUTH BEND 9 LATHE COUNTERSHAFT ASSEMBLY | eBay

-Ron

Thank you both. I feel like Im on the right path to making a better countershaft.

Looks like cast iron hanger bearings. Metal on metal is normal for these, they develop an oil film in use. If I were you, I'd probably bore and bush the bearing housings with oil-lite bronze sleeves (don't forget to drill the oiling holes afterwards) and replace the shaft with a bit of off the shelf TGP.

allan

kitno455 said:

Looks like cast iron hanger bearings. Metal on metal is normal for these, they develop an oil film in use. If I were you, I'd probably bore and bush the bearing housings with oil-lite bronze sleeves (don't forget to drill the oiling holes afterwards) and replace the shaft with a bit of off the shelf TGP.

allan

Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion. Im following your idea here. Makes sense for the time being.