Member postings for Chris Redrup

Hi Fizzy

My L5a also doesn't have any adjusting screws. The only way I can see to adjust out any play is to measure the gap between the plate and the underside of the bed with feeler guages and then machine/grind an appropriate step along the length of the plate.

Chris

All my references to gearbox are to the Norton gearbox on the front of the machine. My original concern was that the oil nipples on both the gearbox and saddle would direct oil to the bearings but not to the gears, however a number of correspondents have assured me that the oil does make its way to the gears.

My machine has a combined fill, drain and level unit fitted to a boss on the casting at the rear of the headstock. Hopefully the attached photo will help you determine whether your second hand filler can be fitted.

My headstock has the site glass and filler on the back of the machine. I will see if I can give you a measurement to work to to fit one to your machine.

When I talked about drilling holes I was referring to the gearbox housing.

I will be using the modern day equivalent of the recommended grade, which is thicker that the headstock grade but it still doesn't answer the question of how to add lubrication to the gears on a regular basis. I am thinking of drilling a couple of holes in the top of the box to drip oil through, plugged with grub screws.

My headstock has not been leaking but when I removed the cover to look at the gears, there was a cork gasket fitted which was blocking off the channel to direct oil to the main bearing. I removed the gasket when refitting the cover and hey presto, oil leaked out all around the joint! I trimmed the gasket back so the oil channel was not covered and now it is leak free again.

Hi all

I am part way through a refurbishment of my L5A lathe which I rescued when the company I worked for was going to ditch it. It had had a hard life and I only started using it regularly in the last 3 years. This is not going to be a complete rebuild and repaint - I have too many other projects to tackle to do it justice. Maybe something for the future; just now my aim is to get it mechanically sound as much as I can so that it is a useful machine that cuts accurately, albeit it will look a bit tatty.

The bed is ok and I have refurbished the cross slide and top slide, replacing lead nuts and making sure everything is clean, well adjusted and well lubricated. I don't think there is anything wrong with the headstock or the main spindle bearings so I am leaving well alone there. Shortly after I started using it the motor burnt out so I fitted a new 3 phase with twice the rpm plus a VFD inverter so it now runs off 1 phase and has a top speed of 1500 rpm. I have now started dismantling the gearbox and saddle. Both were packed with grease, including in the nipples and oilways, as a result of which, most of the shafts and bearings in the gearbox and some in the saddle will need replacing/ remaking.

For most of the problems I have come across, I have found answers on this forum so my only question at the moment is about lubrication of the gearbox and saddle. I know that all lubrication is oil only on this machine and I can see how it works in the headstock with a closed environment and a sump of oil sloshing around and coating the gears. In the gearbox and saddle, the oil nipples will direct it to the shafts and bearings but how do you keep the gears well lubricated, particularly in the saddle which is completely open underneath? Same question relating to the change gear train.

Am I missing something obvious?

Chris

Thanks for all the welcome messages. The lathe is a Harrison with 11" swing. You are right about the frustration, Howard. I have just spent today stripping the apron and despite having a manual with detailed exploded views, it took a lot of head scratching to work out how each of the shafts were removed, and a fair degree of courage with a mallet!

I will be posting on the Harrison thread on this site.

Chris

Hi all

I have joined this group primarily because I am refurbishing my L5A lathe and I need some help and advice.My workshop is a double garage which has never had a car in it and I spend a lot of time in there!

I have a Henry Milne vertical mill (which I want to sell), the L5A lathe, a Myford ML7 and a Bridgeport mill. My main hobby is competition free flight aeromodelling and the machines are used to make bits and pieces for that; I just love making bits on the machines.

The current project is to mechanically refurbish the L5A. Then I will be doing the same to the Bridgeport.

Chris