southbend 13 spindle bearing oil usage

Hello Everyone

I wanted to ask all southbend users how often they fill the oil cups for the headstock spindle bearings? I put a new felt kit in filled up the cups and saturated the wicks. That was a year ago and I haven't had to fill up the cups since... I always feel the bearing holders and they dont get warm.I use the correct type "A" oil too as I bought the oils that came with the rebuild kit.

Thanks

That's about normal usage for my 10L, too. I just keep them topped off (which means putting in almost no oil). I guess that is because the headstock actually has a oil reservoir that it both pulls from and drains back into. All other lub points are basically flow thru.

I'm sure it depends on how much use it gets. I use my 13" SB fairly frequently and like to keep the oil up near the top of the oil cups. If it drops a little I add some. If I were to use mine infrequently, I doubt I would have to add oil more than once a year and that most likely would be to just top it off.

Ted

My 10K is the same. My lathe was new in 1978, used by a gunsmith for years, then acouple of hobbyists. The original paint can of spindle oil is only about 20% gone.A few drops every couple of months. Now my saddle is a whole different story.

Thanks Everyone

That makes me feel better I was starting to get worried that my spindle oiling wicks weren't working..

I have a 13" machine built in 42 or 43 SN 142442.It was probably on a heavy cruiser as the shipyard that bought it was building a lot of those at that time.It came to live with me in February 2008.I purchased a felt kit when they became available.I have done the feed reverse and the tailstock.I did remove the spindle and clean out both reservoirs before I had the felts.Everything in there looked good.I have put small amounts from an oiler in those oil cups,but I would say a tablespoon total to each.I do oil the thrust bearing separately. The oil is still clear and clean.The machine is in a very clean environment.I do most of my cast iron turning on a 13" regal that is out in the garage.That machine can turn 25 RPM.I occasionally run the SBL 13 at full speed for hours (I have a set of the 2A colletts)It has never even warmed up the caps.

MeanMachine1980 said:

Thanks Everyone

That makes me feel better I was starting to get worried that my spindle oiling wicks weren't working..

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Look for oil leaking around the outside of the spindle head. When I see that, I know that oil has to getting to the spindle journal.

Apparently the oiling system is very good at retrieving the oil.My machine may have had the wicks replaced during its Navy career.When I had the spindle out I found the little wires that break the surface tension in the return passages.The wicks looked good.There was goop in the bottom of the reservoirs that I washed out with solvent.You can see your face in the surface of the spindle journals.My machine is a T lathe 13".That's just a heavy 10 on steroids. Many of us are old enough that we cant live long enough to wear out these machines.