Lathe gear ... spacer?

[praveen]

So, I'm a total newb with a lathe and recently acquired an old 1940s Sheldon lathe. Its a 11x36 model KS 1451.
I've been setting it all up for the last few days and while assembling the gears on the banjo, I ran into a little issue.

Basically, there's a shaft that has 2 gears on it one behind the other and they both sit on individual woodruff keys.
If I tighten the nut on the shaft, it pushes the front gear backwards so that it starts rubbing on another bolt.
So, I'm thinking there should be a spacer between the two gears although. I didn't find it when I picked up the lathe but it could have fallen somewhere because these two gears were disassembled during the move.

I've attached some pictures here.

The first picture shows when the nut on the shaft is screwed tight and the gear is touching a bolt.
The second picture show when the nut is loose and the gear is not touching anything.
The third picture is of the two gears on the shaft.

If what I'm thinking is right, then what kind of spacer would I need... stainless/brass? And I'm assuming that spacer will sit between the two woodruff keys? Would I need any clearance in this whole mechanism or could everything be pretty tight on the shaft?

Thanks !

-Praveen

 

[JSH]

Let me look at mine. Think mine is an SWQE, will look and report back

 

[JSH]

It’s a bit different, will send a pm

 

[ronsatspokane]

Bronze?

 

[Dusty Stevens]

@Walt Krafft has one

 

[jackieschmidt]

If the gear seats against the spacer and the spacer is sandwiched between the gears, , any material will do.
I agree, the spacer probably got lost. But how would the spacer get past the woodruff key?

The previous owner might have been running it without the spacer.

 

[tobnpr]

I also have an 11 x 36, but different model/banjo.

Suggest you try the forums- Practical Machinist, and Hobby-Machinist.
There's also a great Sheldon owners group forum: https://groups.io/g/sheldonlathe

 

[WSnyder]

#15 in the picture. A simple spacer. Looks like maybe the original was slotted to slip over the key but that wouldn't be necessary.

 

[STS]

There may be more than 1 thing missing. It looks like the gear that would be moved out by a spacer meshes in line with its partner gear. If you add the spacer as shown in the diagram it would no longer be inline. Maybe the owner lost another spacer as well. Possibly #4 in the diagram?

 

[praveen]

#15 in the picture. A simple spacer. Looks like maybe the original was slotted to slip over the key but that wouldn't be necessary.
View attachment 1410124

This looks like it. I’ll figure out a stainless spacer, I think.

 

[praveen]

Thanks a lot guys for your help. I think I’ll just make/get a spacer out of stainless and tighten the bol.
I’ll upload some pics of the lathe soon just for fun.

 

[Walt Krafft]

I finally remembered to look at my lathe and it is completely different. Only 1 gear per shaft.

 

[tobnpr]

And I looked at mine- it is the same...

Simple spacer as said.

 

[shortgrass]

This looks like it. I’ll figure out a stainless spacer, I think.

I'd skip the stainless, unless that's all I had laying around, and use common 1018/1020. There's no stress on that spacer, it's just a shim. Heck, a washer from the hardware of the proper OD, bored to the shaft diameter would work. No need to complicate a simple mod/repair.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Any spacer you use should be truly flat. If you tighten the two gears with the bolt, and the spacer is not truly flat, it will induce runnout in the gears,

 

[praveen]

Okay noted. No stainless and flat.

 

[praveen]

Update: I ordered some keyed 5/8 ID x 0.125" thick spacers from Zoro tools and 2 of them just about work perfectly.