Machine Tool Adjustment

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articles from Machinery Magazine
reprinted by Lindsay Publications Inc

Another collection of short but sweet articles from post-WWI era issues of Machinery magazine on machine tools and their testing and adjustment.

First you get an interesting article on new Drummond lathes. You are not only told what the design features are that makes them unique, but you get the logic behind the size and shape of the saddle, tailstock, and gibs to maximum strength and rigidity. You get some valuable ideas in lathe design. Then come photographs of the variety of tests being performed on the lathe before it can leave the factory.

Next from July 1919 is a fascinating article that told British machinists how they could take their lathes that had been almost worn out by turning WWI artillery shells twenty four hours a day and restore them to factory accuracy and get years more life from them. Here you will learn how to make test measurements, and how to calculate how much metal should scraped from what portion of the headstock and saddle to swing the spindle around into alignment, or lower it to make the tailstock line up, or whatever else might be needed. You get sample calculations and incredible nuts-and-bolts tips on restoring a lathe to accuracy. This one article is worth the price of the whole booklet.

Then you get a lengthy two part article on lathe bearings. Now this is not about ball or roller bearings. This is about older bronze, brass and even steel bushings and sleeves. These simple but precise bearings ran on a film of oil sandwiched between the bush and the spindle. Very simple devices, but incredible performance was possible. The Gingery lathe uses bronze bearings, and you may have an old lathe which uses them. You get dozens of drawings of various types of bearings used in lathe headstocks, milling machines, grinders, etc and why they were designed the way they were. You get valuable tips on why one type of bearing was better than another. They can deliver years of precise work so long as they are lubricated and adjusted properly.

Finally a short article takes you to the Pratt & Whitney factory to see lathe lead screws being tested. These are great articles. If you plan to build a lathe, or restore one, then you certainly will need these skills. Even if you never use the info presented here, you'll learn a great deal about practical machine tool design. Great reading! Lot's of fun for the machinery nut. Get one! 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 booklet 47 pages
No. 22810