When did W&S implement full pressure lube in the turret lathes?

deerefanatic · Jan 9, 2020

I have a W&S 2A that I bought and am nursing back to health. Im looking in the headstock and it doesn't appear that this machine is pressure lubed, but rather splash lubed. Wondered when W&S went to pressure lube in their headstocks? I'm guessing this is an early 20's machine, as it appears to be plain bearing and doesn't have way covers or the speed preselector deal on top of the headstock.

johnoder · Jan 9, 2020

Scan from 1934. In this 40 odd page Brochure, the only lube mentioned is way oil via plunger pump you push down on top carriage saddle. !!You take the plunger out to put in the oil first!!

I see no oil sight anywhere on head stock - but I suppose there is some in there somewhere

ON EDIT: Found it - not much in there - second thumbnail

deerefanatic · Jan 10, 2020

That looks to be a slightly newer machine than mine, so I'm gonna guess mine is for sure splash lubed. No sight glasses that i could find. Any guess how much oil should be in the headstock? I drained about 2.5 gallons of nasty junk out of there.

johnoder · Jan 10, 2020

I'd get a five gallon of maybe DTE Medium ISO 46 and put that much back in - after a solvent flush or two

TOO MUCH will just run out the front spindle bearing since there are no rubbing seals

Thumbnails interesting 5A stuff from September 1929. See flow sight on head stock and lube description - this on a machine
with a top spindle speed of 150 RPM

Such "pump up / flow down" systems were the norm right up to when my 1951 Ohio shaper was made

We get to wonder if such nice lube arrangements also applied to the smaller A series

1926 #4 (not A series) Brochure shows older 6 and 12 speed gear heads - plainly showing off their plain spindle bearings with bolt on caps - these caps having dedicated drip oilers

deerefanatic · Jan 11, 2020

I've got a 5 gallon pail of Chevron Regal R&O 68 sitting here. It's a iso 68 weight turbine oil.

very interesting stuff. I'll report back with what I find when I get the gearbox refilled.

johnoder · Jan 11, 2020

Good info just posted in SB section on uploading photos if you get around to showing us your head stock

john.k · Jan 13, 2020

I use a R&O 68 in everything,its simply the highest grade of machine oil you can buy.Probably over costly for a lathe,but in my case it was used where I worked in the compressors.In heavy ,hot use ,it doesnt turn into "shellac",the term for the brown/ black flakes that block filters and strainers quite quickly .

deerefanatic · Jan 14, 2020

Headstock pictures as requested...

johnoder · Jan 14, 2020

Earliest I have seen. Serial says 1926. M-492, and I'll suppose the 114th example. (by the 1934 2A brochure, the M number was 510)

I'll also suppose the lift off covers are to see how things are going -- like oiling.

Be interested in how the plain bearings are getting lubed - drip oilers present on the ram type #4 in the 1926 brochure which states the bearing material is "special Babbitt metal"

Here is the 12 speed page from the 1926 #4 Ram Type brochure

ph

deerefanatic · May 19, 2020

I got the machine running... Turret is still off, but have the carriage is back on and I used it to make a part yesterday. Only issue I've run into is that the forward clutch slipped so much, the chuck wouldn't turn. Reverse was fine. I tightened up the collar on the clutch shaft, but now it appears to drag in reverse... I.e: Machine labors hard in forward and neutral, but not in reverse. I'm wondering if I need to loosen the reverse collar an equal amount?

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