Lathe Open Feed Gear Lubrication

[skeeljc]

I finally cleaned the open feed gears on my lathe. Now how do I lubricate them?

I machine lots of aluminum. I had to remove aluminum from the gear teeth with a dental pick. I flushed everything with Gun Scrubber. Do I leave the gear teeth dry so they do not attract swarf? I have no idea what they were originally lubed with. There are oil ports on the right side of the housing but It is not obvious where they lead to.

 

[ebb]

When cutting aluminum with saws the procedure is to wax the blade to keep the aluminum from sticking. I am unsure if that will lube the gears enough to prevent wear. Maybe Jackie would be best to ask? LC wax was the go to for us.

 

[xr650rRider]

I finally cleaned the open feed gears on my lathe. Now how do I lubricate them?

I machine lots of aluminum. I had to remove aluminum from the gear teeth with a dental pick. I flushed everything with Gun Scrubber. Do I leave the gear teeth dry so they do not attract swarf? I have no idea what they were originally lubed with. There are oil ports on the right side of the housing but It is not obvious where they lead to.

Behind that plate above the gear box, there should be a plate with holes drilled in it. Some holes are bigger than others. On the right side the bigger holes go to the bushings for the shafts. There is supposed to be a piece of gauze over the holes. The bigger holes are usually not covered by the gauze and they get more oil. When you squirt oil in the hole, it spreads out over the gauze and drips thru the holes. I have a PM-1340GT that has the same Norton gearbox. I added a 1-shot pump and a distribution bar but in all honestly, squirting oil in the hole is just as effective and a lot less work. I have covered mine with Lucas Red N' Tacky grease but it's a bigger mess. Vactra #2 way oil is what most call for.

https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/pm1340gt-gearbox-pump-oiler-system.37284/

 

[skeeljc]

There are open ball bearings on each end of the lower keyed shaft. I flushed the bearings with Gun Scrubber and blew them out as best I could and then oiled them with 30 weight motor oil. I coated the shaft with Lubriplate grease. I ordered some high tac motorcycle chain lube for the gears.

I put the front plate back on and ran it some. The clean gears are noisier than before. I hope the chain lube will quiet it down some.

 

[Sniperhandle]

There are open ball bearings on each end of the lower keyed shaft. I flushed the bearings with Gun Scrubber and blew them out as best I could and then oiled them with 30 weight motor oil. I coated the shaft with Lubriplate grease. I ordered some high tac motorcycle chain lube for the gears.

I put the front plate back on and ran it some. The clean gears are noisier than before. I hope the chain lube will quiet it down some.

That lathe has some holes that are drilled on weird angles just to the right of the gearbox right above where the feed rod comes out of. You squirt ISO 32 circulating oil into those holes each time you use the lathe, The oil will travel onto the gauze. Xr650 is right, Norton style gearboxes have a compartment above the gears with a series of holes drilled in the floor of it that is lined up with the gear below it, There is a piece of gauze covering the holes so as to soak up the oil and distribute it evenly.

Some manuals call for you to take that plate off and lube for every use.

I have one of these lathes along with several others, That's how I know about the oiler holes, It's the only lathe I have seen with the angled holes.

That's an Enco lathe isn't it?

 

[Sniperhandle]

I took a picture of mine. Actually only one is angled, But you oil 3 all holes, The upper hole feeds the drip for the gears, The lower holes oil the feed shaft bearings.

You should also remove the rear cover and oil the end gears from time to time also.

You need to get yourself a manual, Motor oil is better than nothing, But these asian lathes require 2 types of Mineral oil, One is ISO 68 Circulating oil, The other is ISO 32 Circulating oil, the 68 is 20wt oil, the 32 is 10 wt oil. These oils have EP additives. (Extreme Pressure) don't cheap out and use hyd oil. They specify the right oils for a reason.

Mobil DTE Circulating oil is what I use.

 

[hoz53]

Behind that plate above the gear box, there should be a plate with holes drilled in it. Some holes are bigger than others. On the right side the bigger holes go to the bushings for the shafts. There is supposed to be a piece of gauze over the holes. The bigger holes are usually not covered by the gauze and they get more oil. When you squirt oil in the hole, it spreads out over the gauze and drips thru the holes. I have a PM-1340GT that has the same Norton gearbox. I added a 1-shot pump and a distribution bar but in all honestly, squirting oil in the hole is just as effective and a lot less work. I have covered mine with Lucas Red N' Tacky grease but it's a bigger mess. Vactra #2 way oil is what most call for.

https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/pm1340gt-gearbox-pump-oiler-system.37284/

i have the 1340gt also and the little hole to squirt oil in was at a strange angle and i couldnt get oil in there so i took out that plate with the holes and gauze on it. now i have a slot on each side to squirt oil directly on the gears which i do often. i do wonder if im doing all that is necessary to keep the gears/bearings in good condition. seems like those gears should have some type of grease on them. i like the lathe but this is a rinky dink setup. that gauze wouldnt last a long time before its clogged or deteriorates. i will keep an eye on things. My SB with the gits can teach me a thing or two about this. i prob need to add the distribution bar like you did. OP i wouldnt run that without some kind of lube on those gears. like sniperH says use the oil the manual says.

 

[Sniperhandle]

i have the 1340gt also and the little hole to squirt oil in was at a strange angle and i couldnt get oil in there so i took out that plate with the holes and gauze on it. now i have a slot on each side to squirt oil directly on the gears which i do often. i do wonder if im doing all that is necessary to keep the gears/bearings in good condition. seems like those gears should have some type of grease on them. i like the lathe but this is a rinky dink setup. that gauze wouldnt last a long time before its clogged or deteriorates. i will keep an eye on things. My SB with the gits can teach me a thing or two about this. i prob need to add the distribution bar like you did. OP i wouldnt run that without some kind of lube on those gears. like sniperH says use the oil the manual says.

I like the Norton Gearbox system the best, Yes it requires diligent care to maintain it but you get a very large combination of threading pitches and feed rates from this system. Much more than my lathes with enclosed gearboxes.

 

[skeeljc]

You should also remove the rear cover and oil the end gears from time to time also.

I assume you mean the left side cover. My lathe has two steel gears connected by a plastic gear. I have never lubricated these gears. I have used this lathe almost daily for 25 years with no noticeable wear on the three gears that drive the change gears.

 

[Sniperhandle]

Yes that's what I meant. Do you have a manual?

 

[hoz53]

I like the Norton Gearbox system the best, Yes it requires diligent care to maintain it but you get a very large combination of threading pitches and feed rates from this system. Much more than my lathes with enclosed gearboxes.

well that is true and i like that i dont have to change the change gears so much as my Grizzly. also like the gear change levers compared to the knobs on that lathe. really dont have any negatives to say about that gearbox except they should have designed the lube system better. it was hard for me to believe first time i took it apart.

 

[hoz53]

I assume you mean the left side cover. My lathe has two steel gears connected by a plastic gear. I have never lubricated these gears. I have used this lathe almost daily for 25 years with no noticeable wear on the three gears that drive the change gears.

View attachment 1674876

its amazing that plastic gear has held up that long. mine are all steel and i grease them every now and then.

 

[xr650rRider]

i have the 1340gt also and the little hole to squirt oil in was at a strange angle and i couldnt get oil in there so i took out that plate with the holes and gauze on it. now i have a slot on each side to squirt oil directly on the gears which i do often. i do wonder if im doing all that is necessary to keep the gears/bearings in good condition. seems like those gears should have some type of grease on them. i like the lathe but this is a rinky dink setup. that gauze wouldnt last a long time before its clogged or deteriorates. i will keep an eye on things. My SB with the gits can teach me a thing or two about this. i prob need to add the distribution bar like you did. OP i wouldnt run that without some kind of lube on those gears. like sniperH says use the oil the manual says.

That plate and hole on right side was designed to route the oil correctly. If you look in the manual, you'll see the distribution plate and up in the upper right hand corner, 2 of the oil holes are NOT covered by the gauze. Those 2 holes, get the majority of the oil squirted in hole and provide oil to 2 different bushings via 4mm brass tubing. Those bushings will eventually seize without oil. Mine were on the verge of it when new and I had to disassemble the gear box and clean paint out of the tubing. The gears themselves need very little lubrication.

 

[mike mccormick]

I just spray a little lubriplate gear shield extra heavy on the gears. Any bushings get a couple drops of way oil in them

 

[skeeljc]

Behind that plate above the gear box, there should be a plate with holes drilled in it. Some holes are bigger than others. On the right side the bigger holes go to the bushings for the shafts. There is supposed to be a piece of gauze over the holes. The bigger holes are usually not covered by the gauze and they get more oil. When you squirt oil in the hole, it spreads out over the gauze and drips thru the holes. I have a PM-1340GT that has the same Norton gearbox. I added a 1-shot pump and a distribution bar but in all honestly, squirting oil in the hole is just as effective and a lot less work. I have covered mine with Lucas Red N' Tacky grease but it's a bigger mess. Vactra #2 way oil is what most call for.

https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/pm1340gt-gearbox-pump-oiler-system.37284/

My Enco lathe is a little different. The only items above the change gearbox are the electrical items.

 

[hoz53]

That plate and hole on right side was designed to route the oil correctly. If you look in the manual, you'll see the distribution plate and up in the upper right hand corner, 2 of the oil holes are NOT covered by the gauze. Those 2 holes, get the majority of the oil squirted in hole and provide oil to 2 different bushings via 4mm brass tubing. Those bushings will eventually seize without oil. Mine were on the verge of it when new and I had to disassemble the gear box and clean paint out of the tubing. The gears themselves need very little lubrication.

View attachment 1674903

ill find the plate and look it over again. its good to know about the bushings. i have to check my grizzly to. thanks

 

[Edd]

Open Gear Lubricants - Lubrication Engineers

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lelubricants.com

 

[SKWERLZ]

I just spray a little lubricate gear shield extra heavy on the gears. Any bushings get a couple drops of way oil in them

This is what I use on the open gears on the Hardinge hlv

 

[Sniperhandle]

Just saw this when looking at used lathes, It's actually pretty brilliant, Very simple and looks like it would work excellent to oil the Norton gearbox. Somebody was thinking outside the box.

 

[LVLAaron]

Easy button:

CRC Extreme Duty Open Gear & Chain Lube 03058​