Back Gear Problem RKL South Bend Lathe

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Howdy all,

Got a problem, when I put the back gears in on my inherited South Bend, All that happens is the belt slips. How do I tighten the Flat belt?

Thanks,

Sam :D

[Frank46]

Sam, is there a lever that you move the gears to go from normal operation and then shift it to go to backgear??.Sometimes on my 6" lathe I have to jiggle the lever to get the gears to engage.Frank

[garandsrus]

Sam,

On some lathes, there is a pin that you need to push in or pull out when engaging/disengaging the back gears. This is in addition to the lever you flip. The pin is on the gear. If the pin is not in the correct position, the gear head will lock (in back gear) or free spool (not in back gear). The slipping belt may be a sign that the head is locked. Can you rotate the chuck by hand when in back gear? It will go slower but should not take more force than when you rotate the chuck in a higher gear so the belt should not slip.

The slipping belt may be saving you from damaging the lathe!

I can take a picture of the pin in my lathe tomorrow if you need it. I have an Atlas so yours might be different.

John

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Sam,

On some lathes, there is a pin that you need to push in or pull out when engaging/disengaging the back gears. The pin is on the gear. If the pin is not in the correct position, the gear head will lock (in back gear) or free spool (not in back gear). The slipping belt may be a sign that the head is locked. Can you rotate the chuck by hand when in back gear? It will go slower but should not take more force than when you rotate the chuck in a higher gear

I can take a picture of the pin in my lathe tomorrow if you need it. I have an Atlas so yours might be different.

John

John,

I think you nailed it. Have been reading all evening. Wish someone was close enough to get me started. Before I do something stupid and break something.

Thanks,

Sam :D

[Cap'n Morgan]

Should you find the belt is slipping after all, a little dust of resin powder will often cure it.

[W.R.Buchanan]

On your South Bend lathe there is a pin in the big gear right behind the chuck under the belt cover. Open the cover and rotate the spindle and you will see it.

When the lathe is in direct drive this pin is pushed in and locks the spindle pulleys and spindle nose together and the power is transmitted from the belt and the spindle rotates how ever fast the belt drive is turning it depending on which pulley you have it set on..

In Back Gear or Low Range the pin is pulled out which splits the spindle into two pieces, then the back gears, (IE the gears in the back of the machine) are pulled into engagement.

The power is now transmitted into the spindle pulleys by the belt and then thru the back gear shaft to drive the big gear that drives the chuck.

This acts as the low range of this machine which has 3 speeds in direct drive and 3 with the back gear engaged for a total of 6.

If the spindle locks when you engage the back gears then this pin is still engaged.

This is the way that you remove the chuck form the spindle. You engage the back gears in to lock the spindle in place and use the chuck key as a lever inserted in the chuck key square hole and yank on it to unscrew the chuck from the spindle nose.

That's all there is to it.

Randy.

[Bret4207]

Sam, South Bend lathe operators manuals are readily available.

[Elkins45]

I just bought a great looking South Bend 9" lathe from the late 1930's today and I'm looking forward to learning how to use it. You and I may need to share ideas/resources Sam.

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Got the back gears running, but they won't stay engaged, Found a paper on adjusting them, but my heavy 10 doesn't have the adjustment bolts it shows. Any idea's?

Sam :D

[Bret4207]

Sam, you could try the Home machinist site. I think you should get the manual for your lathe though.

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Sam, you could try the Home machinist site. I think you should get the manual for your lathe though.

Bret,

I haven't found anywhere to buy one yet. Would be happy to get one.

Sam :D

[scrapcan]

Sam,

Go to yahoo groups and search for southbend lathes. you should see groups for southbend, southbend 10L, and southbend manuals.

Also look up Steve Wells or South Bend Lathe workshop. or maybe it is SBL workshop. Should be all sorts of info out there for you.

[scrapcan]

here is a link to some of the older versions of How to Run a Lathe or referred to by many as HTARL.
http://wswells.com/data/htral/htral_index.html

You can get an original lathe card form Grizzly to tell you how and when your lathe shipped. I think it was $35.00 when I go mine for my Heavy 10 a couple years ago.

[Bret4207]

Couple links you might find helpful-

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/south-bend-lathes/south-bend-links-sources-parts-info-etc-129769/

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Rebuild-Manual-South-Bend-Lathe-10L-Heavy-10-/160560793801

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l2736&_nkw=south+bend+lathe+manual

http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/showthread.php?t=41291

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuRl1G_t0HU

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Thanks Bret, Ordered the rebuild Manual for the Heavy 10.

Sam :D

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

Have a look at this site:http://www.practicalmachinist.com
Scroll down through forum choices, they have a Southbend lathe forum there with a WEALTH of knowledge on these machines and they are very nice folks, The rest of the forum is mostly for full time machinists and don't cater much to us homers, but the SB forum will bend over backwards to help a guy out.
Here's a pic of my 1941 13" that I rebuilt. Sadly I had to let her go a few years ago
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/James64/SBL13.jpg

the advice above is correct you need to pull the pin from the bull gear under the little flip up cover behind the chuck :)

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Jim,

Looks great, Wish I had all those covers for the gears and Belts. Looks a lot like mine only I have the dual gearbox.

Sam :D

[scrapcan]

Sam,

over time you can add all that bling to yours if it warrants it. There are quite a few guys that part the machines out to help those of us that have machines that need them.

Just as a reference your rkl is a heavy 10 ( also known as 10L) with large spindle. you should have a 2 1/4 x 8 tpi thread for the chuck.

here is some info from southbend on the serial and catalog numbers

http://www.southbendlathe.com/serial_numbers.aspx
http://www.southbendlathe.com/catalognumbers/catalognum-10sncode.aspx

If you need a parts list let me know as I have a copy from when leblond owned them.


Here is another link to more Southbend manuals and publications. HTRAL is here also.

http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=1617&tab=3

http://www.southbendlathe.com/catalog_numbers.aspx

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Manleyjt,

Thanks for the info and offer, I found out after Dad died that his 13" x 8' southbend was borrowed and had to return it. it was in better shape as he almost always used it and the little RKL sat unused and mostly unmaintained. So have some work and adjustments to do.

Sam :D

[izzyjoe]

that's a nice lathe Jim, sorry you had to sell it. i see a 302 ford block sitting there also, sorry i'm a ford nut, i can spot those a mile away.

[Beekeeper]

Sam,
Did you buy your lathe from a dealer or private party?
Have been looking for one for years!
Grew up on one and have always wanted to have my own>
.


beekeeper

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Sam,
Did you buy your lathe from a dealer or private party?
Have been looking for one for years!
Grew up on one and have always wanted to have my own>
.


beekeeper
beekeeper,

I inherited the lathe from my Dad, He had it for well over 20 yrs. I had been through a fire at a factory in Savannah, Ga and he rebuilt it.

Sam :D