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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Location
    Australia
    Age
    66
    Posts
    2

    Default Sheraton Lathe Type A

    Hi All.

    New member. I just joined today after buying a Sheraton Type A Lathe.

    Seems to work great... Very smooth and all the gears and cogs look in great condition.

    Have posted a picture.

    I do know it was sold under a few different names.

    I know it needs a good clean up and will do this over the coming days.

    Interested if any members can help me with a couple of questions.

    1. Is there a manual available here from members ?

    2. How do you put into reverse ? Motor only seams to go the 1 way. Sure the manual would help, as it would for all the gear settings and other stuff.

    Look forward to some responses.

    Regards


    Mike
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Revesby - Sydney Australia
    Age
    56
    Posts
    1,183

    Default

    Hi Mike. Welcome to the club!


    I have a Hercus 9" lathe which is similar to this. The Boxford and Myford lathes are also similar – they are all copies of the American Southbend lathe. See Sheraton Lathe - South Bend Copy & Conquest


    1. Not sure manuals exist, but the "Textbook of Turning" by Hercus is a reasonable starting point.


    2. No reverse, because all these lathes use a screw thread to hold the chuck/faceplate on the spindle.
    If you reverse the rotation, the chuck unscrews and falls off!
    It is possible to use collets inside the spindle instead of a chuck, and wire the motor for reverse,
    but not many people ever need to do that.
    Disengaging the drive belts, and using your hand to turn the chuck backwards, is usually good enough.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Location
    Australia
    Age
    66
    Posts
    2

    Default Update

    OK. As per the attached pictures.

    Many cans of degreaser, solvents, pressure cleaning, then re grease and all is well.

    It works great see attached pictures.

    2 levers however on the Left Hand side, I do not understand what they are for.

    Lever 1 (towards the rear), although it just engages 2 cogs as per picture 2, just stalls the motor totally. Is lever 2 (which is fixed by a bolt associated to the same function and what are they for ?

    Help would be appreciated.

    I have also seen clips where these units do run forwards and backwards .... Does anyone know is a different motor required ? Are there any advantages ? Apart from the before mentioned items, it runs beautifully and has a new lease on life.

    Please see pictures.

    Regards

    Mike
    Attached Images Attached Images

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Revesby - Sydney Australia
    Age
    56
    Posts
    1,183

    Default

    Lever 1 is called the "back gear lever" and has to be used with "the bull gear lock-pin" un-locked.
    If you look in the headstock, on the chuck side, there is a pin poking through the large gear.
    (you might need to turn the chuck or drive belt around by hand to see it)

    Lever 2 is for controlling the power feed; for cutting automatically, or for machining threads.
    It rotates the long feed screw under/behind the carriage, and has 3 positions for cutting left & right.


    See pages 7 & 8 – "The Headstock" – in the "Text Book of Turning"


    Note: Never use the levers when the motor is running. It is bad for the gears.
    Always hand-rotate the spindle while nudging either lever into position.

    Note 2: As you noticed, the spindle locks if you use lever 1 without pulling that little pin.
    That is handy for mounting/unmounting the chuck, but only gently. No hammering

    Note 3: Grease? These things are meant to use oil - especially the external gears.
    If you look at picture 3, you will see little oil holes in those tumbler gears.
    That have felts in them that slowly lubricate the shafts those gears sit on.
    (and these are other places that just leak oil onto the surfaces)
    Oil drips and sprays everywhere, but that is how these old lathes work
    Last edited by nigelpearson; 16th Feb 2020 at 04:37 AM. Reason: "manual" ref, oil not grease

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Holbrook, NSW
    Age
    73
    Posts
    490

    Default

    Note 3: Grease? These things are meant to use oil - especially the external gears.
    If you look at picture 3, you will see little oil holes in those tumbler gears.
    That have felts in them that slowly lubricate the shafts those gears sit on.
    (and these are other places that just leak oil onto the surfaces)
    Oil drips and sprays everywhere, but that is how these old lathes work[/QUOTE]

    I agree with Nigel, absolutely no grease. Hydraulic oil only.
    Mal

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    near Warragul, Victoria
    Posts
    3,718

    Default backwards

    I have also seen clips where these units do run forwards and backwards .... Does anyone know is a different motor required ? Are there any advantages ? Apart from the before mentioned items, it runs beautifully and has a new lease on life.

    Hi Mike I have the same lathe , a ex tech school machine . Don't run the spindle backwards because the chuck will unscrew and come off ! I replaced the spindle tapered roller bearings in mine and it made a huge difference to how it runs , the old bearings were scored and noisy. I also fitted a modern auto multi ribbed belt and pulleys on the motor , got rid of the B section belt . I still have a unbalanced counter pulley it seems , the lathe vibrates at a certain mid rpm range , Ive tried releasing the main spindle B section belt and running the counter pulley on its own from the motor and it vibrates . The vibrations are amplified once the spindle main pulley belt is tensioned and the main spindle is running . I run a light grease in the main spindle bearings , its what Sheraton recommended . I did use a heavy wheel bearing grease but this clogged up the bearings to the point where the motor struggled to get the spindle up to RPM . Oil everything else .

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    York, North Yorkshire UK
    Posts
    6,439

    Default

    Hi Guys,

    Quote Originally Posted by morrisman View Post

    Hi Mike , Don't run the spindle backwards because the chuck will unscrew and come off !
    Not entirely true ! I have a Myford lathe with a screw on chuck and regularly run it in reverse ! Mainly for threading, particularly in a bore.

    Normal use tends to cause the chuck to tighten, reducing the tendency to unscrew. The only one that I know of that unscrewed was a chap who was parting from the rear in reverse with the parting tool cutting edge facing upwards and the tool jammed on him stopping the chuck causing it to unscrew and wreck his cross slide. But that is plain operator error !
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Revesby - Sydney Australia
    Age
    56
    Posts
    1,183

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BaronJ View Post
    I have a Myford lathe with a screw on chuck and regularly run it in reverse !
    Risky.


    Maybe if you have a soft-start for your motor, or are only turning at low speeds, but from memory the inertia of the spindle/chuck/job was enough to loosen the chuck (when I was a kid playing on my Dad's Hercus, and reversing the drive system by hand on the countershaft)

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    York, North Yorkshire UK
    Posts
    6,439

    Default

    Hi Nigel,

    I take your point.

    I generally only thread with the lathe running in reverse, I also only have a single phase motor, so you have to stop the motor to change spindle direction. I can see that banging a three phase motor into reverse without stopping it could cause a problem.

    But I've never seen or had mine come off or even loose. Actually thinking about it there would be more danger of a faceplate coming loose.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Location
    Melbourne Aust
    Posts
    21

    Default

    [QUOTE=nigelpearson;1963166]Lever 1 is called the "back gear lever" and has to be used with "the bull gear lock-pin" un-locked.
    If you look in the headstock, on the chuck side, there is a pin poking through the large gear.
    (you might need to turn the chuck or drive belt around by hand to see it)

    Note 2: As you noticed, the spindle locks if you use lever 1 without pulling that little pin.
    That is handy for mounting/unmounting the chuck, but only gently. No hammering

    Could you please clear up what the purpose of engaging the back gears is please,
    if I engage the back gears on my Sheraton C, which i assume is the same, it still feels locked up, I am too scared to turn on the power to see what happens!

    sorry for hijacking your post mate

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Revesby - Sydney Australia
    Age
    56
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by AGeckoCan View Post
    Could you please clear up what the purpose of engaging the back gears is please,
    if I engage the back gears on my Sheraton C, which i assume is the same, it still feels locked up


    It is a two step operation. 1) Engage the gears, 2) Pull out the pin near the chuck:

    IMG_0265.jpg

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Location
    Melbourne Aust
    Posts
    21

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by nigelpearson View Post
    It is a two step operation. 1) Engage the gears, 2) Pull out the pin near the chuck:

    IMG_0265.jpg

    Yup done that, engaged the rear lever, then pulled the pin out(which spins the gear freely when back lever isnt engaged)

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
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    Revesby - Sydney Australia
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    Default

    The chuck will seem locked up, because the gearing is very small to very large (like 100:1).

    Try turning the countershaft pulley by hand, which is geared the other way (like 1:100).

    Or maybe turn the front pulley by hand (which is something like 1:20).

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Location
    Melbourne Aust
    Posts
    21

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by nigelpearson View Post
    The chuck will seem locked up, because the gearing is very small to very large (like 100:1).

    Try turning the countershaft pulley by hand, which is geared the other way (like 1:100).

    Or maybe turn the front pulley by hand (which is something like 1:40).


    oh ok I'll give it a go , thanks

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Location
    Melbourne Aust
    Posts
    21

    Red face

    Quote Originally Posted by nigelpearson View Post
    The chuck will seem locked up, because the gearing is very small to very large (like 100:1).

    Try turning the countershaft pulley by hand, which is geared the other way (like 1:100).

    Or maybe turn the front pulley by hand (which is something like 1:20).

    Well Nigel, I tried turning by hand in all manner of ways but no glory,maybe I'm just a weakling lol then I bit the bullet and flicked the power on and off and of course you were right , it worked, albeit it sounded like it had never been oiled!
    A bit of oil and I have another 3 speeds, So much slower!
    Thanks for the advice mate

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