How to remove a chuck from a Boxford model A

I think we have got to the point of wanting a live video stream of the action!
I expect the power twist belt may be thinner than my old metal stud Brammer belt.

Don't worry I wont keep you hanging, but sorry I have no video capability. One problem is I can only get to the lathe on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, but no one is in a rush.

If the worst comes, I can turn the back plate off the spindle nose, a new back plate is easy enough to make, can do most of that at home, leaving facing, and final dia of the spiggot to do on the lathe it's self.

Ian S C

Edited By Ian S C on 05/05/2018 12:23:16

HI Ian, I had a thought today but saw Niels post showing the clamp -- good idea, asa matter of interest I was thinking in terms of an expanding mandrel inserted into the spindle with a hex or square on the ned for a spanner but maybe the clamp style is easier to make and probably more effective ?

Good luck John

PS was close to you a few years back at a family wedding near Lake Coleridge

JohnF, I think the external clamp would have greater gripping power than an internal mandrel. I was speaking to a friend today at Church, he is the owner of a local engineering firm, and specializes in engineering machinery, he's going to come and have a look at our lathe, he also hinted that we might need something bigger(when he took over the firm from his father he got rid of a lot of machines, a number of capstan lathes etc.).

If they need a lathe urgently I can take my Super Adept along, at least it works.

Ian S C

Still slowly plodding along with the Boxford. I only get a few hours each Tuesday and Thursday, the chuch is still stuck at the moment, so I'v been sorting the rest out. At some time the motor has been changed, and the way it was mounted the jack shaft was fitted back to front, with large pulley to large pulley, and small to small, concequently the belt only fitted in the middle, so turned that around. this meant the motor had to be turned around too. As it was the motor was bolted solid to the plate behind the jack shaft, so I made up a hinged plate to mount it on, the two primary ratios can now be used just by pivoting the motor.

Ian S C

My Boxford came with quite a few broken backgear teeth, I guess from chuck removal. To keep it from happening again I made a spindle stop. I guess my lathe is now a mark 1,5.

Edited By Yngvar F on 30/05/2018 11:21:28

Yngvar F, that;s interesting, I'v seen that described in relation to the Boxford TUC (?D) training lathe (it has no back gear), Is that thestop mounted to the left of the back gear leaver in your photo?

Ian S C

Yes, to the left of the back gear lever. In the middle of moving to a new workshop so have not used it much after It was installed. But it seems very effective.

Edited By Yngvar F on 03/06/2018 20:02:20

One person here has suggested that I make up a plate with a hex nut on it, and bolt that to the back plate in place of the chuck (good so far), but then use the small rattle gun that we have at the Menzshed, is that sceme OK, or will it stuff the bearings? Nut plate made, just needs the bolt holes drilled.

Ian S C

As the rattle gun's motion is rotary, it's hard to see it doing any harm to the bearings. Probably less stress than taking an interrupted heavy cut etc. But not sure how much it will loosen the thread as the backplate and hex attachment are probably heavier and therefore have more inertia than the spindle. Usually a rattle gun is used on a light nut attached to a heavy wheel etc, so the other way round. The big heavy bit stays still while the light nut is jarred loose. But all you can do is try it.

Have you tried the traditional method of starting the lathe in reverse in back gear and having a piece of wood between the bed and chuck jaw?

Worth trying the impact wrench as suggested. Way back in the fifties or sixties there was a regular column Jeynes Corner in ME. In one he mentioned how the millwrights when encountering a stuck nut (large maybe 3-4 inch) would leave an apprentice with a spanner and small hammer to tap it for days on end if necessary. Their version of an impact wrench. I have used the equivalent on some occasions with success.

Given that you are not in a rush it might be easier to take the spindle out so you can just grip it in a suitable way, also then apply longitudinal tapping to break the rust bond.

Had a go with a rattle gun today, it didn't work. Well the first gun just hissed air, and did nothing, so we got another one, that one worked, but was ineffective. Next Tuesday I'll put a bit of heat on the back plate, and have another go with the rattle gun. If it comes to a worst case situation I can turn the back plate off and make a new one, a slice off a bit of 4"/100 mm bar would do nicely.

Ian S C

DONE IT, today I took the LPG torch along, heated the backplate to a bit more than what I could put my hand on, bolted an 18" bit of 40 x 40 x 5 square tube on the backplate, and got to work with a 2lb hammer, then I started all over another twice, then went and had a cupper. Heated up again, and got a bigger hammer (about 4lb), and as well as squeezing up the belt, got someone to wedge a length of wood under the pulleys on the spindle, 2 good whacks, and off it came. Thanks lads for your support and ideas.

There was no rust, but a bit of dirt.

Ian S C

Edited By Ian S C on 26/06/2018 11:40:07

Probably melted the ‘dried oil’ glue? Possibly lubed with 3 in 1 oil the last times it was removed/replaced?

Looking at the spindle, the size of the shoulder that the chuck screws back to is small, the thread 1.5", and the shaft maybe 1.75", I seem to remember someone suggesting some form of washer behind the chuck. I think that this small area is what caused the jamb up. Compairing that to the size of my own lathe with a 2 1/8 X 8tpi thread, and tightened against a face about 4" diametre, and a heavy 8" chuck, I can see how it could be tightened too tight

I'v cleaned up a rather rusty 4" Bernard 3 jaw, and it look quite good. If I can find someone who could weld new sides onto the jaw screws on the 4 jaw, I learned how to disassemle it on another thread the other day.

NDIY, that's what I was hoping to do.

Ian S C

Hi there Ian, what a struggle, but I do not think adding a washer would help. I have owned a Boxford / Southbend for more than 50 years, never had a chuck stuck on and I do swap them about quite a lot. Fortunately not had a chuck drop off when turning in 'reverse', but I try to be careful !.

I'v got the three jaw on now, at first it would only go to about 1/8" from the shoulder, I cleaned the thread in the chuck using an internal thread chaser, there was quite a bit of impacted swarf , its now OK, I suspect this is what happened with the four jaw. I'm going to inquire about getting new jaws, and screws for the four jaw chuck, after I check the thread.

Ian S C

Had a wee puzzle the other day, took the chuck jaws out when I cleaned up the 3 jaw chuck, all ok so far, now reassemble, all done in correct order, that's wrong??, do it again, same thing. Have a look at the thread side with the jaws side by side, there's the answer, on jaw 1, the first thread piece is broken off, so the correct order is 2,3,1 and they all line up. There is no worry, we have a brand new 4" Bernard chuck, still in it's box, just needs a back plate, there's a job for me at some time.

The lathe runs very nicely, I'll just have to get used to it's size compared to my own lathe. I weighed the six inch 4 jaw chuck, and it came to 5Kg, I weighed the six inch chuck that I got as an extra, and smaller chuck for my lathe, 10Kg.

Ian S C

Double entry

Edited By Ian S C on 05/07/2018 10:53:24

Not directly on topic, but today went to the drill press to get a drill from the nice wooden block that one of the guys had drilled to take the larger drills, mainly HSS blacksmith's drills / 1/2" shank. The first one had to be pryed out with a screw driver, and a hammer, the shank was thick with rust, I'll make a drill stand from a bit of 1/8" steel plate. Not sure what wood was used, but it is a sizable lump, about 12" x 6' x 3".

Ian S C