S.B. 14 1/2 Bed Reground and back in the shop

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N.R. Davis
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Location: Gods Country, Holyoke, Mn

S.B. 14 1/2 Bed Reground and back in the shop

Post by N.R. Davis »

DSCN1893.JPG
Just an up date on my lathe. Sent the bed off to American Grinding and Machine in Chicago and I am very pleased with what they did. All the grinding was done in one setup so is as true to itself as their grinder is. Had a ridge on the rear way about .04 and that is gone. Have been reading Machine Tool Reconditioning and I feel that by re-grinding the bed I have a good starting point for refitting the rest. They shipped it back with Preservative on the ways, Vapor Barrier Paper on top of that and then a cushion of cardboard. Talk with John Kehoe as he was more than helpful.

Question: As it is a ground finish and I think I need to scrape it, not for truing it but to have a surface for the Way Oil to cling to what advice can you give me?

Thanks, David
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GlennW
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Re: S.B. 14 1/2 Bed Reground and back in the shop

Post by GlennW »

The ways do not need to be scraped.

The scraping on the carriage mating surfaces will hold the oil.
Glenn

Operating machines is perfectly safe......until you forget how dangerous it really is!
Carm
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Re: S.B. 14 1/2 Bed Reground and back in the shop

Post by Carm »

Ditto what Glenn said.
The unseen mating surfaces get the break up after you scrape in.
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wlw-19958
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Re: S.B. 14 1/2 Bed Reground and back in the shop

Post by wlw-19958 »

Hi There,

Looks good! If you don't mind me asking, how much did it cost to
get your bed re-ground? I have a lathe I would like to have its bed
re-ground and I am curious to the costs. Also, did they grind the
underside of the outer ways? The underside of the rear way can
wear because the gib on the saddle rides along it.

Were you planning to use Turcite® to build-up the underside of the
saddle? This stuff is a super slippery plastic used in the machinery
rebuilding trade and could restore the correct height of the saddle.
There are a couple of different types of this stuff. I haven't done
enough research on it yet but I have been intrigued by it. You might
want to check it out.

Good Luck!
-Blue Chips-
Webb
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GlennW
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Re: S.B. 14 1/2 Bed Reground and back in the shop

Post by GlennW »

N.R. Davis wrote: Had a ridge on the rear way about .04 and that is gone.
Wow!

What shape is the rest of the lathe in?
Glenn

Operating machines is perfectly safe......until you forget how dangerous it really is!
spro
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Re: S.B. 14 1/2 Bed Reground and back in the shop

Post by spro »

That grinding looks really good. I expanded the pic to inspect the flat between the front Vee ways. I saw gouges and burrs But they were all Below the surface. That means they were dressed to present the original register for how these lathes were ground. Well, milled anyway.
N.R. Davis
Posts: 21
Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2016 8:01 am
Location: Gods Country, Holyoke, Mn

Re: S.B. 14 1/2 Bed Reground and back in the shop

Post by N.R. Davis »

To answer a few questions:
Shipping to and fro $260 Made a reusable crate and took the bed to the Truck Terminal so avoided Lift Gate charges and such. Picked it up there also.
Grinding $600 (quote was 6 to 8 hundred)
Invoice says they took off .042
They grind the bottom for a reference and then the top ways etc. Grinding the underside flat way would have entailed a second set up and additional charge. I figured it would be a good place for me to start on learning to scrape so I did not have it ground. May regret that.
I like metal and so will not go with Turcite or such.
It is a old Manufacturing Lathe so the Cross Feed screws and nuts are shot. Half Nuts may be gone also. The Rack is worn but the Gears for the Quick Change look about new. Can't figure that and it came with a 127 Tooth Gear. So I am thinking may be able to cut Metric with it.
When I compare what it will take to get it back in shape to a new import I think I will break even and I like the quiet running of a Belt Driven Lathe.

Will Post Pictures of my Tool Post Grinder once I get it off the Pick Up.....
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wlw-19958
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Re: S.B. 14 1/2 Bed Reground and back in the shop

Post by wlw-19958 »

Hi There,
Grinding $600 (quote was 6 to 8 hundred)


That is a good price (from what my investigations have turned up).
Who did the work and do you have any contact info for them? I
think I would like to get this done to one of my lathes.

Good Luck!
-Blue Chips-
Webb
Glenn Brooks
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Re: S.B. 14 1/2 Bed Reground and back in the shop

Post by Glenn Brooks »

dave mentions the company is: American Grinding and Machine in Chicago. Phone: 777.889.4343

I called them also and had a good conversation with Duane. He is the go to guy apparently for quotes on machine grinding. He quoted a similar amount as David's post, but I also asked about grinding my tailstock and saddle. So Total is around $1200 for grinding ways, tailstock and saddle.

The big cost is adding turcite to build the saddle and tailstock back up to factory height, and at least flaking the ways to hold oil. Otherwise it will just wear out all over again. Also a shop that does the turcite work advised sometimes you have to build up the gibs , as they get worn down on some machines and just fall out once original tolerances are reestablished. So this is an additional $3000 on top of the grinding for my Standard Modern 12 x48" lathe.

Would love to get the grinding done on mine, but the added cost makes it really marginal from a cost perspective. You can buy a lot of lathe for $5-$6 k. Maybe it's time to start practice scraping...

Glenn
Moderator - Grand Scale Forum

Motive power : 1902 A.S.Campbell 4-4-0 American - 12 5/8" gauge, 1955 Ottaway 4-4-0 American 12" gauge

Ahaha, Retirement: the good life - drifting endlessly on a Sea of projects....
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wlw-19958
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Location: Lewes, DE

Re: S.B. 14 1/2 Bed Reground and back in the shop

Post by wlw-19958 »

Hi There,
dave mentions the company is: American Grinding and Machine in Chicago. Phone: 777.889.4343


I did miss that. I appreciate the addition of the phone number
and contact person. I will have to get in touch with him sometime
early next year (when I hope to have the time).

Thanks and Good Luck!
-Blue Chips-
Webb
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