Lubrication of a '68 SB Heavy 10

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SandyH

Lubrication of a '68 SB Heavy 10

Post by SandyH »

So far, the suggestions from this group have proven both inspirational and quite helpful with setting up my hobby shop. Thanks for everything!

Just this weekend, I finally got my lathe moved into position and within .005"/ft level front to back and .020"/ft over the length of the machine. I plan on knocking out solid blocks to make up the current shims and finalize the level with brass shim material. But, as I have never seen the machine run, I did bump it over for a couple of seconds to make sure I had updated the wiring correctly (220-110 conversion). All was well, except the gearbox seemed a little more noisy than I would hope for.

Referencing "How to run a lathe" 1942 ed, SB recommends machinery oil or SAE 10 weight oil for most places, including the gearbox. My father, who worked in a toolroom in the 60's said he remembered the gear train being greased instead of oiled. Looking over my machine, the gearbox does not appear to have any remnants of grease, but shows as though oil would have been occasionally put on the train.

I am looking for advice, specifically on whether the grea train should be greased and just the oil cups filled with machine (spindle?) oil? The machine is a heavy 10, roughly 1968, with quick-change gearbox and the related accessories showing that it is a toolroom model.

Any suggestions which will help me ensure the proper operation of this classic machine would greatly be appreciated. Being a young engineer, I am often fascinated by the amazing feats of machine building (both tools and the machines that built them) from eras past. I want to make sure not to operate this machine in a way that would be damaging, especially if it is due to my ignorance.

If anyone has any tips on lubrication/maintenance or a source for detailed information on this vintage machine, I would be grateful.

Hopefully soon, my projects will shy away from putting my shop together to turning out some projects to share with the group.

Best Regards,

Sandy.
Harold
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Re: Lubrication of a '68 SB Heavy 10

Post by Harold »

I have a 1968 SB 10K and I also have the factory lubrication chart. Southbend used to sell the oil themselves. They had a light and a medium oil. The light viscosity oil was used for the spindle bearings and apron clutch. The medium oil is for all other points. The back- gear shaft is lubed with a teflon grease. DO NOT use grease on the change gears of lead screw transmission. Also, it is important to fill the spindle bearing lub cups, which use an internal wick to lube the plain bearings, each time you run the machine! Good Luck.
Measure it with a mic, mark it with chalk, cut it with an axe!
MikeC
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NO GREASE!

Post by MikeC »

NO GREASE ON MACHINE TOOLS UNLESS SPECIFICALLY CALLED FOR BY THE MANUAL! Grease will cause chips to stick and be held, which would result in them passing through your geartrain over, and over, and over, and over.... Bad idea. You don't want grease anywhere on the machine that it might pick up chips and carry them into, or hold them in contact with moving parts (like ways and screws).
18x72 L&S, Fosdick 3ft radial, Van Norman 2G bridgemill, Van Norman #12, K. O. Lee T&C grinder, Steptoe-Western 12X universal HS shaper, 16spd benchtop DP, Grob band filer, South Bend 10L
lathenut
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Re: Lubrication of a '68 SB Heavy 10

Post by lathenut »

I have a 1967 South Bend Heavy Ten Toolroom lathe in very good condition and wanted to keep it that way so called Rose at SB ( she left but came back as I understand) about lubing my lathe and she sent me free a very large ( 17" X 10") 2 sided lube sheet. It has SB and 9 other lub mfg's oil specs. ITS CHART NO. 6314. It has a large ilustrated lathe showing all the lathe lub places. Super nice.
Walt
PollackPete

Re: Lubrication of a '68 SB Heavy 10

Post by PollackPete »

I've bought gallon size containers of oil from McMaster Carr that is comparible to the original South Bend oils,only a lot cheaper.I have a 1946 16" I'm sure your Heavy 10 will take the same oil.Don't be in such a rush to get your equipment up and running.I find that I enjoy repairing and cleaning my machines almost as much as running them.Good luck with your lathe.
Matt_Isserstedt

Re: Lubrication of a '68 SB Heavy 10

Post by Matt_Isserstedt »

Here is my probably controversial .02.

Oil is always superior over grease when it comes to pure lubrication because it will flow down into where it is needed. However, the limiting factor is that sometimes the oil needs to stay put inside a non-sealed housing, and that is where the extra viscosity of grease comes in handy. The advice about grease entraining dirt, grit, chips, and becoming a very effective lapping compound is well-placed, IMHO.

On my old lathe (not a SB) I occasionally oiled the open change gear train in the Quick change box. As you might guess oil ran on the floor but the gears were nice and wet. When I got my present Clausing, I wanted a better solution. Good lube but no mess. I settled on MSC # 0042 5041. This is really Lubriplate Gear Shield Extra Heavy aerosol can. It is quite tacky and doesn't get slung off, but doesn't seem to get pushed aside such as grease might do after awhile. Also, the gears on a Clausing are under a pretty good guard so I don't worry as much about entraining unwanted material.

One caution. Depending on the speed of the gears, it is very tempting to spray this stuff on while things are at speed. This makes a helluva mess. The product has some kind of a solvent base which evaporates, but before that happens it will sling all over including on you! Best to rotate the gearset(s) by hand while applying the lube, wait a half hour and then go to work.

I'm quite happy with the results. Good luck in whatever you choose.
-Matt
MikeG
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Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado

Re: Lubrication of a '68 SB Heavy 10

Post by MikeG »

One caution. Depending on the speed of the gears, it is very tempting to spray this stuff on while things are at speed. This makes a helluva mess. The product has some kind of a solvent base which evaporates, but before that happens it will sling all over including on you! Best to rotate the gearset(s) by hand while applying the lube, wait a half hour and then go to work.

Been there DONE THAT!


MikeG [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/blush.gif"%20alt="[/img]
In the shop; a Jet 8x36 vert mill, Jet 13x40 lathe. Harig 612 SG. Burke #4 HM. Van Norman #76 piston griinder
Al_Messer
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Re: Lubrication of a '68 SB Heavy 10

Post by Al_Messer »

I will echo what the others have advised about NOT using grease. The change gears in my 1943 Logan are also noisy, so sometimes I lube them with a bit of STP. It will quiet them down for awhile, but I guess that noisy gears are just part of it. The quietest machine in my shop is the South Bend 7" Shaper---unless it is cutting, you have to look at the ram to see if it is running. By the way, STP is also a real good lube for a non-ballbearing tailstock center.
Al Messer

"One nation, under God"
SandyH

Thanks to all!

Post by SandyH »

I went home last night an looked over the gear train again. Grease would definitely be a no-no in this situation, as the chips are indeed able to get in there pretty easily. Thanks to all who pointed that out.

I'm going to contact SB to get that lube chart, as it seems a good thing to have around.

Thanks for the tips.

Sandy.
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