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Reconditioning of Lathes

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 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 5, Issue 6, June 2015)

Reconditioning of Lathes
Harish H1, Gopikrishna B L2, Gautham G3, Anil K4
1
Assistant Professor, 2, 3, 4U G Student, Sri Revana Siddeshwara Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, India - 562157
Abstract— This work on reconditioning of lathes was being The result is that material can be removed from the work
carried out at machine shop of mechanical department, piece under very precise control to produce shapes that are
SRSIT, Bangalore. The earlier situation indicated that some truly precision made. Dimensional accuracies of one-one-
lathe machines were not working properly due to various thousandth of an inch (.001") are typical. However,
reasons. The problems related with lathe machines are
because of the inherent rotational nature of a lathe, the vast
critically analysed by observation. Those problems were
rectified by following proper corrective actions for respective majority of the work produced on it is basically cylindrical
lathe machines by considering process and performance in form. In spite of this, the lathe is an extremely versatile
parameters: Replacement of hardware’s which were not in machine capable of producing a surprising variety of
operating conditions, Service of lathe machines to proper objects [2].
operating conditions The detail understanding of lathes and its functions in
machine shop was done and also can be seen that the
Keywords— Lathe, Tailstock locking lever, Compound maximum failures takes place in headstock, tailstock and
slide, Pitch engaging lever, Speed changing lever and carriage sub-systems in the lathe no.3, 4 and 5. These sub-
reconditioning.
systems face failures in components like gear, gearbox
bearing, spindle bearing, locking levers, cross lead screw,
I. INTRODUCTION
clutch and cross-slide jib. Here it could be observed that the
The lathe is one of the oldest machine tools and came above mentioned problems are cause longer downtime and
into existence from the early tree lathe which was then a improper maintenances.
novel device for rotating and machining a piece of work
held between two adjacent trees. A rope wound round the II. METHODOLOGY
work with its one end attached to a flexible branch of a tree
This project helps for increasing the efficiency of
and the other end being pulled by a man caused the job to
machine; it also helps to reduce the losses in power
rotate intermittently. Hand tools were then used. With its
transmission which helps to increase the productivity of
further development a strip of wood called ―lath‖ was used
machine. The main objectives of project is to improve the
to support the rope and that is how the machine came to be
lathe machine from the point of view of better working
known as ―lathe‖.
condition to increase the production, decrease the
This device continued to develop through centuries and
manufacturing lead time.
in the year 1797 Henry Maudsaly, an Englishman,
designed the first screw cutting lathe which is the A. Scope Of Work
forerunner of the present day high speed, heavy duty  Observation and identification of failures in lathes.
production lathe, a machine tool which has practically
 A systematic study of failures can help in identifying
given shape to our present day civilization by building
the critical sub-system of lathes; this will be useful for
machines and industries [1]. A lathe is a machine, whether
identifying the condition monitoring needs of lathes.
for woodworking or metalworking, rotates a cylindrical
 Identification of critical sub-system based on the
work piece along its axis and removes material from the
failure data analysis.
work piece to form it into a specific shape.
 The failure data has to be collected and analysed
On a woodworking lathe, the cutting tools are usually
systematically.
hand-held against a support and are moved in and out and
back and forth along the surface of the work by hand to  The failures can be rectified by servicing.
form a shape such as a table leg. On metalworking lathes,  If servicing is not possible then opted for replacement
the cutting tools are held rigidly in a tool holder that is of parts.
mounted on a movable platform called the carriage. The
tool is moved in and out by means of hand cranks and back
and forth either by hand cranking or under power from the
lathe.
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 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 5, Issue 6, June 2015)
III. RECONDITIONING OF LATHE MACHINE We moved the tailstock onto a table. Dissemble of the
As discussed at previous chapters about problems base from the tailstock by using Allen key and Opening the
regarding selected lathes are discussed in this chapter with bottom plate of the tailstock as shown in the Fig1.
reasons and solutions for individual problems.
A. Reconditioning Of Lathe No: 03
The Problems observed and solutions for lathe machine
– 03 are discussed under followings.
 Tailstock
The Problems observed in lathe machine – 03 was
Locking lever not working properly, if the lever is loose
during working of certain operations it may cause the
spindle to detach from the work piece. Thus leads to failure
of operations. The reason for this was Misalignment of
locking clamp and lack of maintenance.
The function of the tail-stock is to support the end of the Fig 1 Disassemble of tailstock
piece of work opposite to the head-stock; to furnish a
Step 2: Cleaning the inner portion of tailstock as shown
movable centre for various forms of drills, reamers, and
in Fig 2 is done for better performance, the parts best
similar tools; and to carry one end of boring bars when the
cleaned with diesel or kerosene to clean the inner portion of
work is clamped to the carriage. For these purposes it must
the tailstock as well as locking lever and spindle. We used
be of sufficient strength and rigidity to withstand the strain
emery paper also to remove the rust from the parts of
to be put upon it; it must have a travelling spindle to carry
tailstock.
the tail centre; and be capable of being "set over" in a
direction at right angles to the centre line of the lathe, for
the purpose of turning tapers, and in some types of lathes
for boring operations. It is fitted to the two inner V's of the
lathe the same as the head-stock, so as to permit the
carriage wings to run past it, and must be capable of being
securely clamped in any position along the length of the
bed. The spindle must, be adapted to be handled by a hand
wheel upon the traverse screw in small and medium sized
lathes, and in large lathes located conveniently in front and
connected with the screw by suitable shafts and gearing.
The spindle should be adapted to be clamped at its front
end in an efficient manner so as to hold it firmly and at the
same time not to force it out of correct alignment with the Fig 2 Clean the inner portion of the Tailstock
head-stock spindle.
Step 3: Resetting of locking system mechanism as
The problem have encountered was that locking lever is
shown in the Fig 3, the tailstock is locked with the help of
not working properly. To overcome these problems have
cam lock. The locking plate and nut are in front of the base.
done as follows;
Due to improper position of cam ring locking system it was
Step 1: Removing the tailstock from the machine and lock the tailstock. After disassemble of tailstock we change
Disassemble of tailstock. This step was done by removing the position of the cam lock to its proper position, Thus
the locking lever with help of spanner we removed the solving the problem of locking the tailstock.
bolts which was held to the locking lever.

184
 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 5, Issue 6, June 2015)
Fig 3 Resetting of locking system
Step 4: Setting the locking clamp and Final assembly of
the tailstock is as shown in the Fig 4 and Fig 5 was done
with the help of lubricants like grease and oil. After
resolving the problem there was better performance.
Fig 4 Setting the locking lamp of tailstock
Fig 5 Final assembly of tailstock
 Carriage
Compound slide is jammed; operators find it difficult to
operate thus causes difficulty in taper turning operation.
The reason for this was Rust formation in sliding jibs and
lack of maintenance.
185
Lathe must possess in order to do good and heavy work;
it must have a substantial carriage and compound rest or
other tool-holding mechanism. The carriage must support
the compound rest on top and the apron hanging down at
the front. The compound rest has a graduated base, a
convenient removable double crank, and a tool-post
provided with a concave ring and washer adjustments for
the tool. The cross-feed screw carries a very convenient
graduated disc and is useful in many ways for even larger
lathes where fine work is to be done.
The compound rest has a large, circular, graduated base
and supports a very broad and heavy tool block. The tool is
held by heavy steel clamping bars held up under the nuts by
large spiral springs so that the tool may be readily
introduced. These clamping bars project, at the ends,
beyond the holding-down studs so that the tool may be
placed outside the studs when the nature of the work
requires that position. The entire device is very strong and
rigid and capable of withstanding very heavy cuts. There is
a power cross and angular feed in addition to the facilities
for hand feeding in all directions.
Solution: We disassemble the carriage completely as
shown in Fig 6 by using spanners and Allen key. By
applying lubrications to certain parts we improved the
performance. The problem was that the compound slide
was jammed. It was difficult for the operators to perform
on it. We dismantled it and removed the rust from the jib
area and applied grease for free movement.
Fig 6 Dissemble of the carriage
After reassembly of carriage is as shown in Fig 7,
checked the bed level by using spirit level and the process
is carried out by using standard mandrel and dial gauge to
check the centre alignment of the machine as shown in Fig
8; placed the mandrel in chuck by using support of
tailstock, then placed the dial gauge on the carriage surface;
slides the dial gauge on the mandrel from tailstock end to
headstock end. We observed that the centre alignment was
in good condition i.e. the dial gauge read approximately
Zero.
 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 5, Issue 6, June 2015)

Fig 9 Speed changing lever before welding

Fig 7 Final assembly of the carriage

Fig 10 Speed changing lever after welding

C. Reconditioning Of Lathe No: 05

Fig 8 Checking of centre alignment
B. Reconditioning Of Lathe No: 04
The Problems observed and solutions for lathe machine
– 04 are discussed under followings
 Speed Changing Lever Was Broken
Speed changing lever is used for locking the v-belt for
power transmission. Since it was broken as shown in Fig. 9
it was impossible to lock. The major problem due to the
breakage is that at high speed the v-belt slips out from the
driven and driver shaft. Hence at high speed it was
impossible to do operations. The reason for this was Lack
of maintenance and rough use of the lever.
This problem was rectified by welding the broken pulley
lever as shown in Fig 10 and easy locking was achieved.
This was done by welding the broken part. The broken
part’s outer edge was grinded to obtain proper mating and
with the help of cast welding the broken part was welded.
The Problems observed and solutions for lathe machine
– 05 are discussed under followings.
 Speed Changing Lever Is Not Working Properly
Speed changing lever is not working properly is used to
locking the v-belt for power transmission. The lever was
loose. The problem was that at high speed the v-belt slips
out from the driven and driver shaft. Hence at high speed it
was impossible to do operations. The reason for this was
Lack of maintenance and rough use of the lever. This was
overcome by tightening the nut.
 V-Belt Is Totally Damaged
The V-belt was worn out due to long time use and the V-
belt was replaced. The old belt was totally damaged and
was in no way useful. The new belt of size B36 replaced
the old one as shown in Fig11.

Fig 11 V-Belt

186
 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 5, Issue 6, June 2015)
 Pitch Engaging Lever Is Not Working Properly
The pitch engaging lever was not engaging properly to
the screw rod due to the slipping of the gear mechanism.
The gear mechanism was slipping out .This was rectified
by removing the gear assembly as well as screw rod as
shown in Fig 12 and Fig 13 This problem was overcome by
correct meshing of gears. For proper meshing of gears
lubricating agent grease was used. The rust formed in
screw rod was removed by cleaning with the help of diesel.
The setup was reassembled.
Fig 12 Gear Mechanism
Fig 13 Screw Rod
187
IV. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
To convert the conventional lathe machine for
developing, there are three required portions they are
namely mechanical, electronics, and mechatronics. From
mechanical point of view we are reconditioning the lathe
machines. At previous stage the machine under
maintenance condition needed servicing of certain parts
and in some replacement of parts. There were many
problems in the three lathe machines leads to choose for
reconditioning.
There were some defects related to the tailstock. The
major problem encountered in the tailstock was that the
tailstock lever was not locking properly. The problem was
rectified by disassembling the tailstock, cleaned and setting
the locking clamp in its required position. This problem
was similar in the other two lathe machines.
There were some defects in the carriage of the lathe
machine - 3. The major problem faced was that the
compound slide was jammed due to improper maintenance,
where dust and metal chips are present in between
compound slide and guide ways, which was repaired by
cleaning those particles and brought the carriage in full
working condition.
In lathe machine 4, the speed changing lever was
broken. The major problem due to the breakage is that at
high speed the v-belt slips out from the driven and driver
shaft. Hence at high speed it was impossible to do
operations. Hence the speed changing lever was welded
and fixed to its position. Certain minor parts were missing
like locking nuts, knobs, washers etc. these were replaced.
In lathe machine 5, the V-belt was totally damaged. A
new V-belt replaced the old one. We could see that the
speed obtained is much more than previous with the
damaged V- belt due to sufficient friction between V-belt
and pulley grooves. V-belt causes the machine for
facilitating smooth operations. The pitch engaging lever
was not engaging. It was due to the slipping of the gears in
the gear mechanism. The gears were removed and
assembled back with correct sized washers and nuts and
were given clearance between each other.
The Centre alignment was checked with the help of
standard mandrel and dial gauge. The bed level was
checked using spirit level.
The performance of the machine can be known by doing
various lathe operations on a model.
Comparison of model determines result of
reconditioning of the lathes and the models as shown in Fig
14 and 15
 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 5, Issue 6, June 2015)
Fig 14 Model Before reconditioning of the lathe
Fig 15 Model After reconditioning of the lathe
A. Parameters Of Lathe Machine
 Process Parameters
Cutting feed: The distance that the cutting tool or work
piece advances during one revolution of the spindle,
measured in inches per revolution (IPR). In some
operations the tool feeds into the work piece and in others
the work piece feeds into the tool. By giving the cutting
feed of 1mm/rev, as in the model as shown in fig 14 the
cutting was irregular and at the same feed after
reconditioning the cutting was smooth as shown in fig 15
Cutting speed: The speed of the work piece surface relative
to the edge of the cutting tool during a cut, measured in
surface feet per minute (SFM). The cutting speed was
maintained at 1 feet/ min for both cases – before
reconditioning and after reconditioning. As shown in fig 14
the cutting was irregular and at the same feed after
reconditioning the cutting was smooth as shown in fig 15
Spindle speed: The rotational speed of the spindle and the
work piece in revolutions per minute (RPM). The spindle
speed is equal to the cutting speed divided by the
circumference of the work piece where the cut is being
made. In order to maintain a constant cutting speed, the
spindle speed must vary based on the diameter of the cut. If
the spindle speed is held constant, then the cutting speed
will vary. The speed of 1200 RPM was maintained for
operations such as facing, turning, step turning. Speed of
600 RPM was maintained for Knurling operation in both
the cases. Before reconditioning, as tailstock was not
locking properly the spindle was not supporting the work
piece due to which wobbling occurs at high speed. After
reconditioning the support for the work piece was proper.
188
Hence at these speeds operations were done to obtain
best results.
Feed rate: The speed of the cutting tool's movement
relative to the work piece as the tool makes a cut. The feed
rate is measured in inches per minute (IPM) and is the
product of the cutting feed (IPR) and the spindle speed
(RPM).Hence the cutting feed and spindle speed influence
the feed rate.
 Performance Parameters
Material removal rate: This is a production term usually
measured in cubic inches per minute. Increasing this rate
will obviously get a part done quicker and therefore
possibly for less money, but increasing the material
removal rate is often accompanied by increases in tool
wear, poor surface finishes, poor tolerances, and other
problems. Optimizing the machining process is a very
difficult problem. Before reconditioning the metal removal
rate was not uniform throughout the work piece as shown
in fig 14 after reconditioning the metal removal rate was
uniform throughout the work piece as shown in fig 15
Tool wear rate: The rate at which the cutting edge of a tool
wears away during machining. Due to wobbling during
operations the tool wears out faster. After reconditioning
the tool wear was less.
Surface Finish: The degree of smoothness of a part's
surface after it has been manufactured. Surface finish is the
result of the surface roughness, waviness, and flaws
remaining on the part. Before reconditioning the surface
finish obtained was rough. After reconditioning the surface
finish obtained was smooth.
V. CONCLUSION
Lathes are highly accurate machine tools designed to
operate around the clock if properly operated and
maintained. Lathes must be lubricated and checked for
adjustment before operation. Improper lubrication or loose
nuts and bolts can cause excessive wear and dangerous
operating conditions.
Lathe machines should be in good working conditions in
order to get the desired results that are expected. If the lathe
machines are in good condition then the operator finds it
easy to work on them. If the lathe machines are not in good
working condition, it’s difficult for the operator to perform
operations on them and prolong working on them may
cause machine failure.
To overcome machine failure, reconditioning is required.
Reconditioning deals with regular maintenance of the lathe
machines.
 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 5, Issue 6, June 2015)
In this project work several problems which were caused
due to improper maintenance like lack of regular servicing,
improper or on/off application of lubricants, not guided
usage of machines and machines left without working for
long periods. These problems require servicing or
replacement of parts.
Reconditioning of lathe machines was carried out using
failure data analysis. The steps were discussed in
Reconditioning of lathes.
By reconditioning of lathe machines, the overall
performance of the machines can be improved and hence,
safety for the operators as discussed in result and
discussion.
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