Removing Play from compound rest

Hello to all, I am new on this forum. I have an older 14.5 lathe. I am trying to get it into shape as my son is taking some lessons right now on becoming a machinist. The is some play on the dial of the upper compound rest. I assumed I could remove the dial and insert a spacer to remove the play but cannot seem to get the dial handle off. I understand there is a pin that needs to be removed, Is there a guide or video showing how it is removed anywhere?
Thanks

A photo or website drawing would help. If it is old it is probably a worn screw and nut. Not the thrust bearing. Usually we don't shim bearings. There is a lock nut you tighten up If you can tighten the compound lock and pull the compound crank and it moves from the bracket that's the problem. If you push in on the handle and then push and pull the slide, the nut and feed screw are shot.

Look at Page 16. https://cdn0.grizzly.com/partslists/g0709_pl.pdf They also have a decent manual. I know it's a cheap machine, but a lathe is a lathe and basic design is the same.

BillyDV said:

Hello to all, I am new on this forum. I have an older 14.5 lathe. I am trying to get it into shape as my son is taking some lessons right now on becoming a machinist. The is some play on the dial of the upper compound rest. I assumed I could remove the dial and insert a spacer to remove the play but cannot seem to get the dial handle off. I understand there is a pin that needs to be removed, Is there a guide or video showing how it is removed anywhere?
Thanks

Click to expand...

.
often taper pin can be difficult to get out. backlash can come from the collars holding shaft and can come from nut that is loose on worn screw. often middle of travel is loose and ends of travel is alot tighter (nut on screw). just saying often not going to get it perfect and you just learn to take up the backlash when moving or adjusting dials

BillyDV said:

Hello to all, I am new on this forum. I have an older 14.5 lathe. I am trying to get it into shape as my son is taking some lessons right now on becoming a machinist. The is some play on the dial of the upper compound rest. I assumed I could remove the dial and insert a spacer to remove the play but cannot seem to get the dial handle off. I understand there is a pin that needs to be removed, Is there a guide or video showing how it is removed anywhere?
Thanks

Click to expand...

Remove the little nut in front of the handle. Then pull the crank handle off, being careful not to lose the small pin that keeps it from turning on the shaft. Remove the marked half of the dial by sliding it off. Then use a spanner, pipe wrench, strap wrench, whatever, to unscrew the bushing portion from the body. Then just spin the compound lead screw out of the nut inside the compound body. Remove the nut via the large screw on the bottom.

You can get replacement nuts on ebay for cheap. The whole thing shouldn't take a 1/2 hour to replace, and that's taking time to clean it.

Here is the nut on ebay:

South Bend Lathe 14-1/2" & 16" Compound Rest Feed Nut PT95FH1 | eBay

The bushing (cylindrical part inboard of the graduated dial) can be unscrewed from the upper casting without
dismantling the dial/leadscrew assembly. You just need to make or buy an appropriate pin wrench. Avoid
the temptation to use channel lock pliers or visegrips.

Once it's unscrewed you can dismantle the assembly on the bench, easiest to remove the nut from the end
while the leadscrew is held in bronze vise jaws. Handle may take a bit of persuasion to extract off the end,
and as mentioned to not loose the cylindrical dutchman pin that's in there.

If there is play between the graduated dial and the bushing then you will need to reduce the length of the
unthreaded portion of the leadscrew shank, or make up a thin shim washer.

If the compound nut or leadscrew is badly worn (these do not usually get a lot of use under normal
lathe operation) then replacements are in order.

Worth mentioning that because of the expense associated with new nuts and screws, DRO's become relatively "cheap".

This won't help with the compound, but if the compound is worn it's a pretty safe bet that the cross slide is worse as it's generally used more. DRO on the cross negates the need to replace a worn screw and provides absolute accuracy. I found it difficult to hold a thousandth or two tolerance until I added one; screws are worn unevenly and what you dial, often isn't what the compound actually advances depending on the wear in the area of the screw you're utilizing.

I wish someone could figure out a way to make a "micro" DRO scale for the compound!

I sell replacement screws on ebay, I'd be happy to make you a replacement screw should you need it. Heck, pay for shipping and let me keep the old one and I'll make you one for free. I don't actually have a reference for the 14.5/16 compound so it would work out for the both of us.

I am going to pull compound rest apart and post photos

If your lathe is old enough, it won't have the nut others have mentioned. The handle will instead be pinned onto the screw, and the taper pin will have been filed down and polished to hide it. Some pics will help.

allan

Its great to start out with everything almost slop free. Depending on how much its used it may stay tight for a long time. Some of these old lathes were used for small repairs and each guy walked up and made or repaired something and oil never entered their mind. The next guy walked up and used it doing the same thing and didn't oil. Use, abuse and neglect.
. That guy that oils his machine every time before using it will have the benefit of keeping it nice for a long time. On production machinery you get use to each wheel or adjustment and compensate for its wear.

I tightened up the collars on all the adjustment wheels on a printing press advance and retard adjustment once. The next day the night shift operator complained that I had him running in circles all night. That's an adjustment that you had to walk 30 feet to the front of the press to check registration after an adjustment. I'll admit it changed the feel of the adjustment wheels and took getting use to. I just thought a half turn of the wheel was too much slop.
He said it was fine as it was.
Someone mentioned in a previous post about uneven wear. I agree that's where a digital readout gets that thousandths you want. Do it right and enjoy but learn to work with or around some wear on old machinery or you will spend all your time working on the repairs.​