Homemade Lathe Headstock EXTERNAL Gearbox

Hi guys,

Fabricated external lathe gearbox and finally managed to test it. I run it for very short time in order not to destroy gears. No oil in gearbox.

As there are couple of people who couldn't wait to see it in operation (rossbotics wrote: Looks great, cant' wait to see the finished product)
I posted it now before it is completely finished.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hEO1oiNlk8

I would assemble it completely in a day or two and fill oil inside (ISO 46 hydraulic oil) and buy 925 mm v-belt (presently 900 mm v-belt is outside pulley groove), but I received an urgent call from crewing manager and had to pack my luggage and join the vessel very urgently. So that has to wait until I am back home again. Then I will post video of assembling gearbox and with fully completed gearbox (painted as well) in use.

Poor design of belt change and bad choice of spindle speeds made me to do something about it. Whoever has this type of lathe knows exactly what I am talking about. I was thinking about this project for a couple of years already and during my last contract I spent more than 3 months calculating speeds and what gears to buy. I made so many calculations and I made more than 500 different drawings always changing something. There was also an idea to have 18 speeds, but that would be overkill. Still there is possibility to install two additional gears (55 and 33 teeth) and get additional 6 spindle speeds: 125, 250, 375, 500, 750 and 1500. It can happen. I am in China again and gears (google translated it from Chinese as precision spur gears #45 steel tooth surface induction hardened) are very cheap here. Chinese gears for Chinese lathe.
Total weight of gearbox is close to 50 kilograms and that's the reason why it sits on very strong support. It is also placed far away from the chuck so it is not in the way of chuck key.

Once I was happy with my calculations and drawings, I bought all that stuff which can be seen in attached pictures.

What can't be seen in video is that I also installed drain plug at the bottom of gearbox (smaller oil eye glass) and glued rare earth magnet inside in order to collect steel particles.

Materials used:
mild steel, SS 316 and SS 304

I estimate that I spent little bit less than 100 dollars for all material, but now I have fully functional and user friendly lathe. Needless to say that I spent plenty hours of my vacation time for fabrication of this gearbox.

Best regards
LMMasterMariner

That is one awesome piece of engineering I must say, I bet you laid awake in bed at night thinking about that project !, It looks and functions just like a geared head lathe, I can understand what you meant by changing your designs so many times until you finally got what you were looking for, I been there and done that as well, congratulations on a superb and beautiful job, I give you two thumbs up on this one and my vote for tool of the month, excellent work !

Doug

Thanks for the comments. I was even dreaming about it, not only laying awake and thinking about.

LMMasterMariner

Superb design and build, I particularly like the selector mechanism, a recirculating oil pump would really top it off. You have made a superb lathe with your many modifications and this one certainly deserves an award.

I made a power feed for the X axis of a mill I had..Came out well but man what a chore to get the reduction and spacing so everything added up..I like your rack and lever for gear change..Where did you end up getting the gears from?

That's truly an amazing build. Congratulations!

Great job I might have only one suggestion
I have used those adjustable pillow block bearing several times in the past. I found that in time no matter how Tight I thought I had them they would move just enough to cause a miss match My solution was to drill and tap a small piece of metal then weld one on each side to the adjustment then use a grub screw to hold the housing in place. It is a lot of work having to use two grubs on each bearing since you have 8 of them but it may pay off in the long run.
Again great job

Awesome and brilliant. Wish I had the know how to do that.

Thanks for the comments. Recirculating oil pump would be very nice addition to this project, but I wanted to make it simple. There are plenty lathes with oil bath system and they are working just fine.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by seb fontana

I made a power feed for the X axis of a mill I had..Came out well but man what a chore to get the reduction and spacing so everything added up..I like your rack and lever for gear change..Where did you end up getting the gears from?

---

I got gears in China. Ordered them via Taobao and they are really very cheap here in China.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Frank S

Great job I might have only one suggestion
I have used those adjustable pillow block bearing several times in the past. I found that in time no matter how Tight I thought I had them they would move just enough to cause a miss match My solution was to drill and tap a small piece of metal then weld one on each side to the adjustment then use a grub screw to hold the housing in place. It is a lot of work having to use two grubs on each bearing since you have 8 of them but it may pay off in the long run.
Again great job

---

Many thanks for the comments and suggestion. I noticed that also, but I thought that I didn' tighten them enough. Will do as suggested. Thanks again.

That is indeed a very impressive project!!!!

As I was reading through the posts and comments, I have to share that this line in one of your responses really made me laugh...."Recirculating oil pump would be very nice addition to this project, but I wanted to make it simple."

These words specifically, "....but I wanted to make it simple.", really tickled my funny bone!!!! I am not positive but I think you flew past (or perhaps sailed in your case) simple long before you even started collecting all of the gears, and bearings, and racks, and keys, and oil sight glass, and bolts, and etc....

I hope you get my perspective on this!!

Awesome,

John

<!-- BEGIN /var/www/html/homemadetools/protected/modules/zeus/views/tool/postUpdate.php -->
Thanks LMMasterMariner! We've added your External Lathe Gearbox to our Lathes category,
as well as to your builder page: LMMasterMariner's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-external-lathe-gearbox"> <img src="/uploads/213419/homemade-external-lathe-gearbox.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-external-lathe-gearbox">External Lathe Gearbox</a> <span> by <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/builder/LMMasterMariner">LMMasterMariner</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='http://www.homemadetools.net/tag/lathe'>lathe</a>, <a href='http://www.homemadetools.net/tag/gears'>gears</a> </div> </div> </div> </div>
<!-- END /var/www/html/homemadetools/protected/modules/zeus/views/tool/postUpdate.php -->

Hi LMMasterMariner
Great build and the video was easy watching and interesting. Got my vote for tool of the week this is an exceptional add-on to your lathe and I congratulate you on your design and workmanship.
First class.
The Home Engineer

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hemmjo

That is indeed a very impressive project!!!!

As I was reading through the posts and comments, I have to share that this line in one of your responses really made me laugh...."Recirculating oil pump would be very nice addition to this project, but I wanted to make it simple."

These words specifically, "....but I wanted to make it simple.", really tickled my funny bone!!!! I am not positive but I think you flew past (or perhaps sailed in your case) simple long before you even started collecting all of the gears, and bearings, and racks, and keys, and oil sight glass, and bolts, and etc....

I hope you get my perspective on this!!

Awesome,

John

---

couple of ideas which I abandoned in order to make it simple:
12 speeds instead of 18 speeds
different selector handles and detents. simply bought three M18 bolts and nuts and made different, much simpler detent mechanism, as I knew that I wouldn't have time to complete it as originally planned.

couple of drawings attached.

Wow! Excellent presentation (thank you) and nicely engineered. Definitely Tool-of-the-week candidate! Was that disk brake OEM or did you add it?

More about disk brake can be found at http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/l...ck-brake-61437 and http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/l...-fixture-61693

Best regards
LMMasterMariner

Congratulations LMMasterMariner - your External Lathe Gearbox is the Homemade Tool of the Week!

Multiple very nice tools this week, but this impressive build was a rarity on this forum: a clear winner.

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LMMasterMariner - you'll be receiving a $25 online gift card, in your choice of Amazon, PayPal, or bitcoin. Please PM me your current email address and gift card choice and I'll get it sent over right away.

More importantly, this is your 5th Homemade Tool of the Week win! I've just added the silver wrench-on-pedestal graphic to the awards showcase in your postbit, visible underneath your avatar.

:rocker: :clapping: :thumbsup: :bow:https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...OfTheWeek2.png:bow: :thumbsup: :clapping: :rocker:

Great job, and you're in excellent company joining these other 5-time winners: rossbotics, Christophe Mineau, Brendon, mklotz, Vyacheslav.Nevolya, brianhw, Tuomas, olderdan, tonyfoale.

Here are all of your wins. Congrats again :thumbsup:

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And most deserving of the award

Well deserved, congratulations

Doug

Awesome work!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LMMasterMariner

Thanks for the comments. Recirculating oil pump would be very nice addition to this project, but I wanted to make it simple. There are plenty lathes with oil bath system and they are working just fine.

---

Your gearbox, entire development, and presentation gets my vote for "Tool of the Week". Forever!

Benefits from recirculating oil are probably suited to equipment with long run cycles, where baths aerate lubricants to unhappy plain bearings.

Bath oiling works perfectly satisfactory. Suits many gear forms including hypoid and spherical or roller bearings.
I've noticed some work better, where the engineering provides 'paths' for oil to reach components above the fluid level.
Rotating gears transfer oil upward readily, even at slow speeds. Slingers [oil knives] are common in small engines.
Shafts grooved with a shallow long pitched helix generate lengthwise travel. Most are rounded, not vee'd grooves.
Oil wicks [capillaries] are very effective; cotton cord or pipe cleaners wrapped loosely around light gauge stiff wire. Position these over oil ports of bearing housings. About the first boxed gear train I worked on included small balconies; reservoirs to better feed remote capillaries.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LMMasterMariner

Hi guys,

Fabricated external lathe gearbox and finally managed to test it. I run it for very short time in order not to destroy gears. No oil in gearbox.

As there are couple of people who couldn't wait to see it in operation (rossbotics wrote: Looks great, cant' wait to see the finished product)
I posted it now before it is completely finished.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hEO1oiNlk8

I would assemble it completely in a day or two and fill oil inside (ISO 46 hydraulic oil) and buy 925 mm v-belt (presently 900 mm v-belt is outside pulley groove), but I received an urgent call from crewing manager and had to pack my luggage and join the vessel very urgently. So that has to wait until I am back home again. Then I will post video of assembling gearbox and with fully completed gearbox (painted as well) in use.

Poor design of belt change and bad choice of spindle speeds made me to do something about it. Whoever has this type of lathe knows exactly what I am talking about. I was thinking about this project for a couple of years already and during my last contract I spent more than 3 months calculating speeds and what gears to buy. I made so many calculations and I made more than 500 different drawings always changing something. There was also an idea to have 18 speeds, but that would be overkill. Still there is possibility to install two additional gears (55 and 33 teeth) and get additional 6 spindle speeds: 125, 250, 375, 500, 750 and 1500. It can happen. I am in China again and gears (google translated it from Chinese as precision spur gears #45 steel tooth surface induction hardened) are very cheap here. Chinese gears for Chinese lathe.
Total weight of gearbox is close to 50 kilograms and that's the reason why it sits on very strong support. It is also placed far away from the chuck so it is not in the way of chuck key.

Once I was happy with my calculations and drawings, I bought all that stuff which can be seen in attached pictures.

What can't be seen in video is that I also installed drain plug at the bottom of gearbox (smaller oil eye glass) and glued rare earth magnet inside in order to collect steel particles.

Materials used:
mild steel, SS 316 and SS 304

I estimate that I spent little bit less than 100 dollars for all material, but now I have fully functional and user friendly lathe. Needless to say that I spent plenty hours of my vacation time for fabrication of this gearbox.

Best regards
LMMasterMariner

---

I would realy like to see the complete gear box and drawings if it fit my mini lathe
Good luck
Dennis

Great job!
This is such a project what makes me very enthousiastic to go to my shop and make some nice stuff!

Hello Denis,

I am presently preparing drawings for 18 speeds gearbox and will post them once completed.
It will fir mini lathe but you must make some strong support for it.

Best regards
LMMM

Update / Upgrade
===========

In order to upgrade this gearbox and make an overkill, I have alredy ordered and received 2 gears; 33 and 55 teeth.
Paid total 3.73 USD for both of them. Picture of speed chart together with new gears attached.

I also decided to install recirculating pump and prevent "churning".
Will buy recirculating pump together with tank, pumping capacity 1.2 liters per minute. Price up to 25 USD max.
Picture attached.
Google translated from Chinese:
Taiwan genuine 1.2L liters / 1.8 liters electric lubricant pump / CNC electromagnetic pump / machine automatic oil pump
It can be found on the following web pages:
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm...cket=12#detail

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm...cket=12#detail

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm...cket=12#detail

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm...cket=12#detail

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm...cket=12#detail

Will also buy 2 distributors for copper pipes; each 8 lines and will have 8 lines for gears and 8 lines for 8 bearings.
Picture attached.
Google translated from Chinese:
B type adjustable resistance proportional distributor / TK oil distributor / oil / oil valve / lubrication branch
Picture attached and it can be found at the following web pages: Check the prices.......
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm...id=44406509307

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm...cket=12#detail

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm...cket=12#detail

Best regards
LMMasterMariner

very nice work. Do you have any links for buying the gears them self and a parts list? I went to the sight but failed to have it pull up anything but tiny RC car gears.

Recently bought 33 and 55 teeth gears from taobao at China.

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm...cket=15#detail

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm...cket=15#detail

Prices are for Chinese market. The same can be found at aliexpress but prices are much higher.

Best regards
LMMasterMariner

I must say this is one impressive build!!

What is the idea behind the adjustable bearing flanges? Is it to overcome layout precision or to allow slightly different center diameters in the gear sets? Frankly in all my years in industrial maintenance I’ve never seen such flange mounted bearings.

One item worth consideration is the output belt. You will have a lot of torque capability on that belt. As a result you may get slippage or even a broken belt. Something to consider.

hello wizard69,
the only reason for these adjustable pillow blocks was that I found them cheap and idea was that I could adjust the gap between gears very easily. (which I actually did, but it wasn't easy). gap can also be properly adjusted using ordinary bearings and will use 6203 bearings for my new gearbox.
cheers
lmmastermariner

Nice job on gear box..Lot of thought and computing gear ratios..I have a project in mind and need gears ..The ones you used would be close to what I need [I hope!]..Could you post or send me a link to source? Thanks, Seb..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by seb fontana

Nice job on gear box..Lot of thought and computing gear ratios..I have a project in mind and need gears ..The ones you used would be close to what I need [I hope!]..Could you post or send me a link to source? Thanks, Seb..

---

Recently bought 33 and 55 teeth gears from taobao at China.

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm...cket=15#detail

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm...cket=15#detail

Prices are for Chinese market. The same can be found at aliexpress but prices are much higher.

Best regards
LMMasterMariner

above links doesn't work. go to previous page of this thread where from I copied above reply. It works from there.

Can't believe how many times your [LMMasterMariner] gearbox post and I cross paths. Maybe some unknown force is directing me to create one, but I don't know where to install it! To me the single critical issue is laying and producing out two opposing walls of ideal parallelism. With a large horizontal, line-boring is obvious. I'll bet few readers have such access. Pillow blocks are a logical work around, sandwiched together in a vertical mill is a good secondary approach. Regarding a layout of 6203 bearings, I'm trying to visualize getting so many bearing bores registered right and left to construct a box, not to mention some increase of thickness.
Shafts floating in a radial bearing at one end, and a tapered set on the other would tempt me, having a legitimate 4' work envelope. Auto spindle bearings have all the load and RPM range needed and plenty economical. Well directed lube becomes more important too.

I'll say again; as one doing bores, long keyways and large X-Y layouts frequently. This multi-speed gear set is still my favorite endeavor in HMT.net, deserving 'Tool Of The Week' forever, just so much to appreciate.

Hello Toolmaker51,

Thanks for nice words again.
I believe that boring of bearing holes will be not so difficult task. First must fabricate 4 side plates and bottom plate. Front side and back side must be the same. Pulley side and chuck side must be the same. My plan to do it is to clamp both plates (chuck side and pulleys side) together and make them square on milling machine. The same with front and back side. Then after that must assemble the box and once I am happy with the box, need to dismantle everything and proceed with boring of the holes. My plan to do it is to clamp both plates (chuck side and pulley side) together and drill / bore first bearing hole in both plates on milling machine. Then have to install bearing with short shaft (approx. 20 mm long) in top plate. 60 teeth gear to mount at that shaft. Then need to place 30 teeth gear next to 60 teeth gear and to adjust gap. Short piece of 20 mm shaft to insert in R8 collet in order to find where to drill / bore next hole. And so on until all 8 holes are done. That way all shafts should be parallel. Already have all required material in the workshop, but first need to fabricate power feed for milling machine as I am tired of cranking.

Cheers
LMMasterMariner

Yes 100%. Without an X-Y [or Z] coordinate envelope to traverse an entire pair of sides, working out shaft locations individually is the only dependable alternative. Also offers previous openings for additional clamping.
I'd recommend doweling two corners to guarantee respective orientation regardless interim disassembly. The greatest repeatability is had via standard tapered dowels. With a little planning, drill and tap big ends for pull studs/ screws. They'll simplify final construction of the box too.
Another sandwiching trick is to space a few through-tapped holes in idle areas before doweling, but clamped as flat possible, then dowel prior to milling square. Then setscrews shorter than the combined thickness holds them together very well, stopping incursion of chips or burrs from holes jacking them apart. Sealing them is quite easy and varied; cap screws, Teflon tape, valve grease, drill out threads and peen in round stock...Good results peening can start with a bearing ball to 'countersink' the hole perimeter.
I'll illustrate a doweling scheme for readers and edit in; but good practice spaces dowels diagonally opposed far apart as possible, maintaining at least 1.5 diameters from edges, positioned asymmetrically to avoid matching wrong corners together. Tapered dowels don't require the effort of cylindrical and 'pull' the registry into place via the conical shape. Cylindrical dowels can shear one portion of a hole, deviating from intended position.
Attachment 26536

LMMasterMariners point about building next box after a powerfeed is well taken. For a project like this, old fashioned tooling buttons are a great substitute; moving the plate instead and minimal indicating. With decent material [a good OD finish indicates best] they'll locate intended centers within .001 readily, closer yet with sensitive test indicator and careful positioning. I don't know they are still made...But they can be made, or use small drill bushings, and of course bought used. Too many sellers think Toolmaker Buttons are some exotic deal, which is not the case, overpricing them insanely. I use drill bushings; perfect ground OD, ends very square, and come in varied length for closely placed positions.
Readers; as always, direct any questions our way. It's why we're here!
Special info discount sale today, too cold & snowy for engineering. I'm writing and rocking Spotify!

fantastic job