Bearing replacement on old lathe

E

Edwardshandmadeknives

Well-Known Member
I have an old Flather lathe from I believe 1906. It’s a pretty good lathe, but the bearings are really bad. I’m guessing that they are babbit bearings. I haven’t ever done babbit bearing replacement before. Is it ok to start taking it apart, or is there stuff I should do before hand? Any good videos on something like that? I’ve looked at some on YouTube but some are quite different from others, so I don’t know how great my information is. I would actually like to replace them with bearing bronze if they are babbit.
 
Edwardshandmadeknives said:
I have an old Flather lathe from I believe 1906. It’s a pretty good lathe, but the bearings are really bad. I’m guessing that they are babbit bearings. I haven’t ever done babbit bearing replacement before. Is it ok to start taking it apart, or is there stuff I should do before hand? Any good videos on something like that? I’ve looked at some on YouTube but some are quite different from others, so I don’t know how great my information is. I would actually like to replace them with bearing bronze if they are babbit.
Click to expand...
Have you tried any vintage restoration forums. I found quit a lot of info when I was going to restore an old drill press.
 
409715F4-1045-4E4A-85E5-5E1CB7EB841D.jpeg
The bearings I’m looking at are the ones in the two bolted pillow blocks here. The rear drive gear is resting on the small gear under it, rather than engaging it with a bit of clearance, so I think that bearing is definitely shot. The whole thing seems like it is shifted “rearward” to the left just a hair too. It runout and concentricity are just horrible, about .030”
 
KenH said:
This is a very interesting thread - and I'll be following.

Would it be possible to have bronze bearings made to replace the babbit bearings?
Click to expand...
That’s what I’m hoping to do. I did take one cap off, and they do have babbit bearings. I’m considering figuring out how thick the original bearing was, and making new ones using bronze sheet, and then carving grease channels into it. I know there has to be a way. I think it would be a tremendous improvement.
 
The thing about Babbitt bearings, since they are poured into place, then are scraped to provide clearance is that they can allow for misalignments, concentricity, etc.,to some degree. The old car engines and machinery weren't as accurately produced to today's exacting tolerances. Hopefully you will find some split bearings that can work. Maybe some automotive engine shell bearings (Crankshaft/connecting rod?).
Does the shaft have thrust surfaces?
 
SS369 said:
The thing about Babbitt bearings, since they are poured into place, then are scraped to provide clearance is that they can allow for misalignments, concentricity, etc.,to some degree. The old car engines and machinery weren't as accurately produced to today's exacting tolerances. Hopefully you will find some split bearings that can work. Maybe some automotive engine shell bearings (Crankshaft/connecting rod?).
Does the shaft have thrust surfaces?
Click to expand...
It does appear to have thrust surfaces, but I can’t tell yet if they are “in addition to” the bearing, or just the thickness of the bearing wearing on the shaft face. I don’t want to touch it till I get some rubber gloves. I’m sure the silver colored lead paste all over it isn’t something I want on my skin.
 
i worked at simonds cuttint tools file plant for a number of years before they closed . Many of the machines there used poured bearings.
we always used shims to make the poured bearings a little bigger than we needed and later after scraping to adjust clearance. just make sure shaft and bearing saddle are clean before pouring and build your dams to give you waht you want. hope this helps
 
Keep in mind that in one or both of the bearings there is likely a built in thrust bearing face to take the axial loading. If you rebuild or re-pour the babbit you will need to consider that the alignment of the spindle needs to be in exact alignment with the ways of the lathe (the portion of the lathe that the carriage rides on). Depending on your intended use of the lathe this may be a big issue.
There are some "old iron" websites / forums that may offer a trick or two to give you some ideas.
In any case let us know how you progress with the rebuild.
 
Oh, one other thing, until you pull the bears caps, you won't know whether the shaft has been damage and possibly needing to be rebuilt. You may need to repair both the bearing and shaft.
 
MTBob said:
Oh, one other thing, until you pull the bears caps, you won't know whether the shaft has been damage and possibly needing to be rebuilt. You may need to repair both the bearing and shaft.
Click to expand...
I’ve pulled one bearing cap. The shaft looks “not good” for lack of better term. It does look like there were actually 4 bearing faces, but they are terribly worn on the bearing, I can’t tell if there was intended to be 4 or 2, and as it got sloppy it just started to wear the other side. I see what you say about keeping it straight with the ways. I’m going to have to figure out some things with a dial indicator, and a way to keep it “centered”. I don’t know what these old lathes were good to, but in thinking if I can get .005” over an inch taper and such, I would be doing good. Maybe that’s a bit much to hope for.
 
E940F51F-2ECD-40D4-9017-856935A4A288.jpegHad some time to mess with this today. Cleaned up the shaft, and it looks a lot better than I initially thought. It wasn’t galling I saw, it was just babbit goo. There is one groove in the shaft, very faint, but it is a continuous spiral, which makes me think it wasn’t worn in, but machined on purpose. This was oiled by an oiler, rather than pressurized grease, so perhaps it was to ensure even distribution of oil. I think it’s actually pretty good.
 
E2153F16-9D27-4B95-A088-BBA27F338100.jpegHere is the bearing and top cap. I did try to get the bearing loose with a small hammer and a scrap aluminum chisel. That thing will not budge! I thought it would just pop out, like a crank bearing on an engine, but that suckers pretty tight. I’ll read some internet stuff on it tonight. Might try a brass chisel tomorrow. Maybe nothing noteworthy for most folks, but I figured I’d post what I find and do, in case someone else ever runs into the same thing. Gives you all something to read once in a while, at the very least, lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top