Lathe Question

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mopowers

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I picked up an older Atlas/Craftsman lathe last month and am having a great time with it. The literature I've seen calls for "Keystone #122" grease on the gear train, but I can't seem to find it or an equivalent product. What's a good grease/oil to use on the straight cut gears on this lathe as well as the gears in the quick change gear box? Is there a modern equivalent to Keystone #122 grease?
 
Darn near "anything" is better than nothing. So long as it's not "cutting oil" LOL I used to have an Atlas/ Craftsman 12" and got rid of it when I got a SB. Not sure I gained much. The SB is I think a 9" I had subbed an old style (simple) treadmill motor on the Atlas which had a simple speed control so it was completely controllable for speed and direction.
 
Thanks guys. I've been using some regular high temp bearing grease just because it's what I had laying around, but I figured I'd look into what they actually recommend. Sounds like some type of "open gear lube" is the ticket. Thanks all.
 
Any light oil will work but the open gear lube sticks and doesnt sling off as much. It lasts a long time and one can will last you years unless your using it every day.
 
You want a “sticky” grease so it doesn’t get flung off. I used this stuff on my craftsman 12” for 15 years with great results. Also recommend replacing the zinc reversing gears with delrin. It really quiets down the gear train if the gear clearance is set correctly.

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Light oil only, like sewing machine oil you can buy it in the small squeeze cans anywhere. Don't use a sticky lube...metal chips fly and bounce everywhere and will collect on your gear sets. IMO.
 
Thanks guys!

You want a “sticky” grease so it doesn’t get flung off. I used this stuff on my craftsman 12” for 15 years with great results. Also recommend replacing the zinc reversing gears with delrin. It really quiets down the gear train if the gear clearance is set correctly.

View attachment 1715946057

Where were you buying that stuff in the aerosol can?
 
Darn near "anything" is better than nothing. So long as it's not "cutting oil" LOL I used to have an Atlas/ Craftsman 12" and got rid of it when I got a SB. Not sure I gained much. The SB is I think a 9" I had subbed an old style (simple) treadmill motor on the Atlas which had a simple speed control so it was completely controllable for speed and direction.
I put a treadmill motor in my Craftsman 12" band saw. I can slow that puppy to a crawl to cut metals now. I kept the digital speed controller on it so now when I want to slow it down. I just dial in 3MPH....:) I have it 5:1 reduced too, turning a 10" pulley. I'd still like a little more oomph as it still seems to labor on some material. Blades are probably shot.
 
The treadmill motor is a 130v DC motor, PWM speed controlled. Says 3hp but there is no way. It still bogs on my bandsaw. Maybe 3hp at 4750 rpm (100% duty cycle) but I never get it that high.
 
Another lathe question. I got a chance to get an old wood lathe. Any chance I can put a metal tool post on this? I'm not even sure what the chuck looks like, just a glance at a garage pic prior to an estate sale. Guy was a wooden furniture repairman. I'm also looking at getting his old floor standing drill press and maybe a 10T press.even his 71 Ford pickup will be sold. No prices set yet but estate seller gets 40% so if I can slide in prior to that I can save 40% off asking price with no discout toward the seller.
 
All things are possible but maybe not practical. I don’t think that you can make a carriage type system work that will traverse up and down if the wood lathe wasn’t designed for it. Most of those don’t have ways that will support something like that if that’s what you’re thinking of
 
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