Any quick and dirty methods to build up a shaft?

Ken Macfarlane

Well-known Member
I bought a rough CIH 3309 discbine as a backup machine. I've been patching it back together and started into the drive shafts. The carrier bearing was run seized for what appears to be a season.

The rear shaft is a normal 540 male spline at a support bearing going back to a yoke on the gearbox. Tri-lobe metric shaft.

The yoke has a roll pin that I can remove. The spline and shoulder for the bearing are welded in. The shoulder is worn undersized by the old bearing by about 1/8 to 3/16 in diam.

Its way to long to fit in my lathe.

I'm looking at taking a piece of I beam and clamping some dead centres on there to make a bit of a welding positioner. Then bolting my cross slide vice onto it with a grinder held in the jaws to grind the bearing surface.

Some folks I've worked with would probably suggest that its just a back up machine and put some form a thread on it, slide the bearing on and leave it be.

I've only ever built up pins etc that fit in a proper lathe that you can turn them down with after.
 
Do you have a steady-rest for your lathe? In a pinch I have used a V-Block made of oak as a rest. Try to do your cutting near the chuck and keep the speeds down and the cuts VERY light. Make sure to use a clamp on top of the piece and use plenty of grease.
 
If you can get the worn area on the bed of the lathe remove the tail stock chuck the shaft in the 3 jaw and use your steady rest to hold the shaft. No steady rest? then you must get creative with clamps, pieces of steel or aquare hardwood, shims and a "vee" block if you get my drift. NEVER use higher spindle speeds with a jury rigged steady rest! The fellow who taught me once had a very long shaft chucked in his lathe with the far end sitting on nothing but oak blocks clamped to the ways with couple2x4 screwed down a straddle of the shaft and another screwed down on top. He looked up and said always keep one hand on the clutch when doing this.
 
You might try this product. A little expensive but was designed for that type of repair. If you were close I would give you enough to repair your small area.

http://www.belzona.co.uk/prod1k.aspx

I think I paid over 300 bucks for the smallest amount they would sell.
 
I've had that problem a lot since I like to use the antique stuff I get and is sometimes not in good shape and parts are rarely available. I just weld up the shaft and grind it down till the bearing fits. It's easy to see when you are close enough to round and then just start trying the collar and fine grinding til it fits. The shaft doesn't have to be perfect since the bearing has a lock colar to lock it to the shaft. Done this lots of times and never had a problem. Last week, as a matter of fact, I had to do 2 bearing surfaces on my 426 case picker drive that I posted pics of on here.
 
My personal lathe is a tiny little Myford 7, so something like 7x20? Somewhat useless for farm equipment. I don't have a 3 jaw, only a 4 jaw. A make shift steady rest will work though, good idea, I can use the plastic pto guard bearing on the yoke end to support the shaft.
 
I've done this in a pinch although I wouldn't normally admit to it. Would like a bit better repair as the bearing is a light press fit.
 
Shim stock... pull the bearing up the shaft where it's good. Cut the appropriate size piece of shim stock and wrap the shaft, get the bearing fitted. Pull the bearing off again, apply a abundant coat of green Loctite (bearing retainer) and slap it all back together. Run it up so it centers and runs in, then let it set overnight. Should work fine.
Otherwise you can build it up with 7018 and freehand grind it with a flap disc on a grinder. That's rather imprecise...

Rod
 
Can you get a bushing or sleeve on it? Even if you split it and epoxied it back on? How about measuring it and seeing if there is a bearing that is undersized that'll fit right or maybe be close enough you can use quick metal or another bearing retainer product on it? I've brazed 'em up on reel mower roller shafts but they usually didn't last all that long but it would get us through until I could take each gang apart and do it right, but then we decided to run a 8 gang verses 9 so I always had a spare in the shop to work on.
 
If you have space on one side of the bearing, make a 2 part wooden bearing, and bolt it in, shimming, till it feels tight, yet doesn't bind.
 
I am not familiar with what your shaft looks like. Could you cut it down to a size that will fit in your lathe and then make the repair to it. Afterward you will need to either weld the shaft back together or make a coupler to hold them in alignment.
Or weld it up an have machine shop turn it for you.
SDE
 
My machine shop uses the "Spray Weld" method, to
weld oversize, then turn down to original. I've
never had any problems..it's supposed to be
"Harder than original". He's got a dedicated "Long" lathe that can do long stuff.
 
Your idea will work as long as you go slow. You can clamp the lathe turning tool in the cross vice for the final sizing. That's what I do. Ajd the cross slide play to a minimum before you start so it won't bounce.
 
Yep, Belzona will work and get every bit as hard as steel. I've used it on pitted hydraulic rams and it works great. In fact the Miter Gates on the Robert C. Byrd Locks on the Ohio river has Belzona for wear cushion on the bottoms and the roller gates on the same dam were built up with it where the chain runs. Expensive but good stuff. Don't ask how I got mine LOL. Keith
 

Ken,
As greygoat says spray weld (metal spray )
the low temp as the hot system will warp the
shaft.

george

<p align="center">
terra%20axle008.jpg


beginning to turn taper</p>

<p align="center">
terra%20axle015.jpg


spray weld turned and polished</p>
 

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