Lathe fix. Has anyone ever had lathe gears made for replacement parts?

Salem Straub

Salem Straub

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Oct 20, 2008
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Looking at maybe buying a used Grizzly 12x37 belt drive gap bed lathe- model G1003. Apparently this machine, being from the late '80s and not having a cam lock spindle, used the back gear to lock the spindle for chuck removal. This would lead to gear teeth being broken when the chuck would not unscrew and too much force was used. Well, this guy did it to his machine too and has not been able to use it since.

Apparently the parts are no longer available from Grizzly. I thought to measure the gears and see if other makes maybe share the same gear, or trying to build up or braze teeth on. Also, I've seen where someone else that had this happen had a custom gear cut for $175ish somewhere. I also saw Martin Gear Co. mentioned as a custom gear source. Looks like helical gears (slanted teeth?)

Or, if it could be made to run at a single speed at least, I have a good Baldor 3phase that I could put on it and run to my VFD.

Any thoughts as to the best (hopefully not awfully expensive) solution?

Hey Nathan, what do YOU think? Any advice is appreciated.

I'm trying to figure this out so I can know what to offer him. It's supposedly very lightly used and comes with a 3 and a 4 jaw chuck, and some other tooling. I've not looked at it yet. He mentioned that he'd been asking $650, I've not made a counteroffer yet.
 
You can also look at Boston Gear

Their catalogs have good info on what to measure

They have dozens of catalogues


http://www.altraliterature.com/pdfs/P-1930-BG Full LR.pdf

http://pdf.directindustry.com/pdf/boston-gear/gear-catalog/9195-66215.html

Once you know what you need, you can order through local motion/bearing stores, or through ebay sellers
It's really nice to buy it in store so you can get it measured and fit in person, the old gear against the new.


You can often find the correct gear match and then turn down the inside and outside of the old and new and braze together to use the old hub and the new teeth.


or at worst, braze on some tooth material and file the new teeth in.
 
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Thanks, Count! Great catalogs there. I do need to get the exact specs on these gears, the guy was supposed to get me some part numbers today but has not yet... I'd drive out there but it's about an hour and a half round trip.

Maybe I should just make him a lowish offer, if he takes it I'll just do whatever is necessary to get the machine working- hate to see a mostly good machine unused or relegated to scrap for want of parts.
 
Yep I would go look at it and offer him around $400-$450 for it. But you need to make the offer in person so he knows your serious about your offer. It would be hard to go wrong at that price. The value of that machine is at least $1500 in working order.
 
I'll check that, Frank. Thanks.

Brett, that's roughly my plan for now if I don't find out anything in the meantime. I'll go up there with an empty truck and $450 cash, offer him $400 and see what happens...
 
You can see a manual and a parts manual here

I can't update Adobe so I can't read them.
Can you get some specs from the parts list and manual ?
Often they will give you tooth numbers and such.

The Boston Gear catalogues I showed you are inch, but those gears may be in Metric, you have to check sometimes those metric parts are an exact conversion of an inch part too.
I'm sure you can get metric gears of the shelf too.

http://cdn0.grizzly.com/manuals/g1003_m.pdf

http://cdn0.grizzly.com/partslists/g1003_pl.pdf


I agree if you can get it working, it would be a good value.
 
I brazed and recut a few broken teeth on my south bend heavy 10. They were straight gears, I can't even imagine cutting helical gears. Good luck.
 
If the teeth are broken off it is not "lightly used". I paid $300 for a South Bend model C with all tooling and cabinet including change gears for threading. I think starting your counteroffer there might be in order, just a thought

-Page
 
The gears on a gear head lathe are high precision gears. They're hobbed and ground, not milled. A "repair" to this lathe is not likely to result in a lathe of the same quality it was when new, but you could get a functional tool. You just wouldn't get as good a surface finish due to the inevitable hammering caused from the variable gear lash and pressure angles, which may not be a big deal.

I like your idea of bypassing the gear all together and using a belt and VFD. Depending on which gear you remove you might retain powerfeed and thread chasing. The outer end of the spindle is usually threaded for a collet closer, you could adapt a pulley there...

...hum...
 
I live in an industrial centre that has machine tool repair services.

Maybe you don't, but if you do try to get a quote from them on the replacement gear, and a separate quote on replacing it.

Use that as leverage in the purchase.

They likely have lots of parts cross reference lists on what fits what.
Try to get them to specify size of the gear in the quote.
 
Salem, if this part isn't available, then the machine is worth essentially scrap. I wouldn't offer much above that, considering you're likely to have to haul it.

People around here think anything remotely resembling a metal lathe is worth it's weight in gold also, so the guy may find some poor sucker to give him real money for it, but you shouldn't. Ask around, and get people that like your work to help you find a good lathe. Chances are, you'll find something much nicer for as much or less than this guy is asking.

I sold my large Powermatic Drill to a local business owner, and offered to deliver it for him. I told him I was looking for a lathe also, he said he had an old one they weren't using and I could take a look at it when I came by. Long story short, I left there with a 13x24 Jet with perfect ways for $250, and all it needed was a new gasket and belt. He knew he was giving me a screaming good deal(said as much), and I was very grateful. Haven't seen anything other than a HF mini-lathe with an asking price less than $1k around here in a long time, but the point is, they're out there.


Anyway, I know better than most the appeal of fixing broken or neglected machines, but I'd pass on this one, unless the owner had a revelation about it's value.
 
Well guys out here in the Pacific Northwest machines are not in surplus like they are out east and this drives even the old wore out machines to crazy prices. In this case I think the risk is worth the reward if you can get get him down. I have seen what you can do Salem Im sure you can make it work. LOL
 
javand said:
Salem, if this part isn't available, then the machine is worth essentially scrap. I wouldn't offer much above that, considering you're likely to have to haul it.

People around here think anything remotely resembling a metal lathe is worth it's weight in gold also, so the guy may find some poor sucker to give him real money for it, but you shouldn't. Ask around, and get people that like your work to help you find a good lathe. Chances are, you'll find something much nicer for as much or less than this guy is asking.

Haven't seen anything other than a HF mini-lathe with an asking price less than $1k around here in a long time, but the point is, they're out there.


Anyway, I know better than most the appeal of fixing broken or neglected machines, but I'd pass on this one, unless the owner had a revelation about it's value.
Click to expand...

that's so true about the inflated values.

I saw one fellow at an auction bid up to 1500 for a school disposal 14x72 or so with no tailstock, no chucks, no face plate, no motor...no nothing.

At that time he could have had a fully operational Chinese 12x36 for 2x that price.
He didn't do research ahead of time, didn't look at it with a critical eye.

but you are

I think whatever you do you will be ok for you.
Afterall, you could just not use the back gear.
 
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Thanks a bunch again for the perspectives, guys. It is a risk, but as Brett says surplus machines are less common in the west, and about as common as hen's teeth in eastern Washington...

I think I will come armed with a quote on gear cutting.
 
Even if its not qoute for that spicific gear. LOL I think the knows what it will take to get it running and would accept your offer either way.
+
 
Salem, you might want to save your $ go to Grizzly's tent sale in Bellingham this year and look around. I got a 11x37 lathe for cheap one year, Maybe $500, the shipping crate must have broke and the metal plate by the controls was dented up and the 2 steady rest were broke. Removed plate and hammered flat, welded up the rests and remilled the welded slots. Next year I got another of the same model that had gotten the long feed screw messed up and the non drive end knocked loose. and had a broke foot on the bed and had the on/off sw robbed for like something $150 or $200. Spare motor, spare gears, tools, belts, almost a spare everything and 2 good steady rests. LOL. There is all kinds of things for sale with great prices. Complete drill index with broken hinge, or 1 missing bit. Lathes, mills, sanders bandsaws ete etc. All with some little to big thing wrong from shipping or was returned and can not be resold as new.
 
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