Feedshaft worm drawing wanted Viceroy PCS lathe

[Pzy]

I posted about this some while ago (maybe 2 years ago?) when I initially bought the lathe. I have now dismantled the apron again with a view to doing something about this.

The worm looks badly worn and I presume this is why it is not engaging completely with the worm wheel. Actually, I would have expected the wheel to wear more quickly than the worm, but it appears to be as previously stated.



My two options appear to be to get a worm made (compatible spares are unavailable?) or accept the feedshaft will never work and use the leadscrew for all operations instead. The latter option doesn't seem too bad a choice but I could be wrong.

I have tried contacting Tony at Lathes.co.uk as I have seen him recommended online but I've not had a response.

If you have a spare worm (unlikely, I know) please let me know.

Does anyone have an idea of how much it might cost to have a worm made? I'm realistic about the time involved but it would have to be a sensible price. Alternatively, might it be viable to somehow build it up again and remachine?

I have trawled through the archives and if I'm not mistaken it's part number ML110 308 (or 312?) as found on drawing ML110 300.

Does anyone know where I can find a working drawing for the worm?

Many thanks,

Brian

[Pzy]

And another question if I can, I am trying to strip down the apron. The highlighted shaft appears to move freely but does not push out. Any idea what it is holding it?

[rpwilson]

Scroll up about 2 spaces from this entry and you will see 'ML Drawings for TDSI lathes' Open that and scroll down until you see 'ML 105 and 110 drawings'
Open that , and scroll though till you see ML110 308, followed shortly by ML 110 312. There are your drawings with full manufacturing details. You have a lathe, so no problem!

You might try John Ward at Lathespares, he makes loads of bits for obsolete lathes like this, he might be able to help, and his charges are reasonable. My experience is that going to a commercial machine shop for the part will cost more than the machine is worth.
To be honest, although the tooth profile is badly worn on one flank, there still seems to be plenty of thread depth left, so I don't understand why it doesn't mesh with the gear

[Pzy]

Scroll up about 2 spaces from this entry and you will see 'ML Drawings for TDSI lathes' Open that and scroll down until you see 'ML 105 and 110 drawings'
Open that , and scroll though till you see ML110 308, followed shortly by ML 110 312. There are your drawings with full manufacturing details. You have a lathe, so no problem!

You might try John Ward at Lathespares, he makes loads of bits for obsolete lathes like this, he might be able to help, and his charges are reasonable. My experience is that going to a commercial machine shop for the part will cost more than the machine is worth.
To be honest, although the tooth profile is badly worn on one flank, there still seems to be plenty of thread depth left, so I don't understand why it doesn't mesh with the gear

I have asked about this problem elsewhere on the 'net and they raised the same question as you regarding meshing. Following their direction, I now believe the lack of engagement may be due to the lever mechanism and not the worn work itself. However, one could be aggravating the other. It's still under investigation but I've returned to the house to warm up and have a coffee - it's freezing outside!

I have tried to contact John Ward without success. It's a shame as he appears to be widely recommended.

[Pzy]

Navigating this website (and the search function) causes me a few problems but I have it at last. Thanks.

https://www.denfordata.com/downloads/for ... 0scans.pdf

[rpwilson]

John isn't always easy to contact. He's on his own, so if hes working he won't answer the phone. Try early evening, or email him. Its well worth the effort.
Time was he used to go off mountaineering (big stuff, the Alps, Himalayas etc) but presumably thats not the case at present.

[Pzy]

John isn't always easy to contact. He's on his own, so if hes working he won't answer the phone. Try early evening, or email him. Its well worth the effort.
Time was he used to go off mountaineering (big stuff, the Alps, Himalayas etc) but presumably thats not the case at present.

OK, thanks. I will try again.

[Pzy]

Just a quick update to say that I flipped the worm around (the wear was uneven) and added a spring to the worm engagement lever mechanism to improve engagement between the worm and worm wheel. I made a small "dummy feedshaft" that I could use to assemble the whole apron assembly before feeding it back onto the lathe. On the previous occasion I used a long screwdriver instead and it was very tricky!

Screwcutting and powered feed (including powered cross-slide) are now working correctly.

I will see if I can make a new worm in the future.

[rpwilson]

Glad you've got it sorted!