Reconditioning a Relmac lathe

[irving2008]

Lee,

No offence. But there is a good mechanical reason why I want to use the right material... when the oiling fails in a Babbitted bearing its the Babbit that wears. When it fails in a bronze bearing its the spindle that gets chewed up... now I know thats unlikely while its running, but lathes are very stop-start and have long gaps between usage where there is the possibility that the oilways dry out. A Babbitted bearing will survive better under those situations.

And there's something about making like the original. While I plan some mods to this lathe, like an adjustable top-slide, nothing will be done that can't be returned to the original.

And time is not a huge criteria (not sure that a bronze bushing will be any quicker, I'd still need to find someone to grind down the spindle and machine the bushings).

[Lee Roberts]

when the oiling fails in a Babbitted bearing its the Babbit that wears. When it fails in a bronze bearing its the spindle that gets chewed up... now I know thats unlikely while its running, but lathes are very stop-start and have long gaps between usage where there is the possibility that the oilways dry out. A Babbitted bearing will survive better under those situations.

And time is not a huge criteria (not sure that a bronze bushing will be any quicker, I'd still need to find someone to grind down the spindle and machine the bushings).

Ok thanks for teaching me somthing today!, i see the bronze bushings are not really an option then.

[irving2008]

Ok thanks for teaching me somthing today!, i see the bronze bushings are not really an option then.

Well they are always an option, but need to consider all aspects... see my reply to Robin for another major reason why not...