EW. THE COUNTERSHAFT
ABOVE, THE EW STANDARD FACTORY COUNTERSHAFT
THE COUNTERSHAFT WAS ONE OF THE LEAST PURCHASED ASSEMBLIES WHEN ORDERING THE LATHE FROM Mr. STRINGER. THE PURCHASERS THAT DID NOT WANT THE EXPENSE OF THE EW COUNTERSHAFT, OBVIOUSLY IMAGINED THAT THEY COULD EASILY FABRICATE ONE THEMSELVES BUT THIS IS MORE DIFFICULT THAN ONE WOULD THINK.
UNFORTUNATELY THIS SPAWNED A MOTLEY COLLECTION OF HOME MADE ONES THAT LOOK COMPLETELY OUT OF PLACE NEXT TO THE ELEGANT DESIGN OF THE LATHE
THE STRINGER DESIGNED COUNTERSHAFT IS SIMPLICITY PERSONIFIED TOGETHER WITH THAT PLEASING ON THE EYE CONFIGURATION THAT IS EASY TO USE IN SERVICE. SO BEFORE I CONTINUE WITH THIS PAGE, I WILL ADD A CHAMBER OF HORRORS STRIPSHOW TO SHOW YOU WHAT I`M TALKING ABOUT.
UNFORTUNATELY THIS SPAWNED A MOTLEY COLLECTION OF HOME MADE ONES THAT LOOK COMPLETELY OUT OF PLACE NEXT TO THE ELEGANT DESIGN OF THE LATHE
THE STRINGER DESIGNED COUNTERSHAFT IS SIMPLICITY PERSONIFIED TOGETHER WITH THAT PLEASING ON THE EYE CONFIGURATION THAT IS EASY TO USE IN SERVICE. SO BEFORE I CONTINUE WITH THIS PAGE, I WILL ADD A CHAMBER OF HORRORS STRIPSHOW TO SHOW YOU WHAT I`M TALKING ABOUT.
THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY!
I SUPPOSE THAT SOME OF THE BAD AND UGLY WERE USABLE!
AN OVERVIEW OF THE EW COUNTERSHAFT
ABOVE, THE EW COUNTERSHAFT PARTS, BOTH EARLY AND THE LATEST VERSIONS ON ONE IMAGE
THE ABOVE LEFT HAND AND CENTRE IMAGES SHOW THE EARLY VERSION OF THE COUNTERSHAFT, THE LADDER FRAME WAS SUPPORTED BY TWO LENGTHS OF ANGLE IRON AND A SLOTTED LINK BOLTED TO THE ANGLE IRON SERVED TO TENSION THE BELT. HOWEVER THIS WAS NOT EASY TO ADJUST AND REQUIRED A SPANNER TO TIGHTEN THE NUT ON THE SLOTTED LINK WHILE PUSHING BACK ON THE FRAME TO TENSION THE BELT TO THE LATHE SPINDLE PULLEY.
THIS SITUATION WAS IMPROVED BY REPLACING THE LINK BY THE SWIVELLING TENSIONER SHOWN IN THE RIGHT HAND IMAGE
THIS SITUATION WAS IMPROVED BY REPLACING THE LINK BY THE SWIVELLING TENSIONER SHOWN IN THE RIGHT HAND IMAGE
ABOVE THE LATER WAY TO TENSION THE BELT. NOT EXACTLY GOOD ENGINEERING BUT IT WORKS VERY WELL AND WAS A GREAT IMPROVEMENT. OF COURSE A MORE "PRECISION LOOKING" METHOD COULD HAVE BEEN DESIGNED AND STILL CAN BE BUT THIS WOULD HAVE MADE THE LATHE MORE EXPENSIVE TO BUY!
Mr. STRINGER BOUGHT IN THE STANDARD PULLEYS FROM SUPPLIERS PICADOR AND PELICAN. HE RECOMMENDED A TOP SPEED OF 800 RPM AT THE EW SPINDLE AND DUE TO THE PLAIN CAST IRON SPINDLE BEARINGS, I WOULD NOT INCREASE THE SPINDLE SPEED TO MORE THAN 1000 RPM BUT DO REMEMBER TO OIL THE BEARINGS FREQUENTLY TO MINIMISE WEAR. MOST OF THE EW SPINDLES THAT I`VE EXAMINED HAVE BEEN IN PERFECT CONDITION BUT THE BEARINGS SHOULD BE ADJUSTED CORRECTLY, OVER TIGHTENING THEM CAN CAUSE WEAR,
RUNNING IN INSTRUCTIONS
ABOVE, THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE EW RUNNING IN INSTRUCTIONS THAT WAS ATTACHED TO MY FIRST EW IN 1963. THIS ALSO GIVES GOOD ADVICE ON THE BACK GEAR, BELT TENSIONING etc.
POSITIONING THE COUNTERSHAFT MOTOR.
THIS NEEDS CAREFUL CONSIDERATION, THE EW PUBLICITY PHOTOS SHOW THE MOTOR MOUNTED BEHIND THE LATHE BUT HAVING DONE THIS I DID NOT LIKE THE SWARF COVERING THE MOTOR AS IF YOU USE SOME FORM OF CUTTING OIL THIS WILL COVER THE MOTOR IN A COATING OF FLUID AND THE SWARF WILL STICK TO IT.
AVAILABLE SPACE WILL IN MOST CASES DICTATE THE POSITION OF THE MOTOR. ON MY FIRST EW I MOUNTED THE MOTOR UNDER THE BENCH AND THAT WAS MOST SATISFACTORY
IN MY OPINION, PLACING THE MOTOR BEHIND THE LATHE LIMITS THE ACCESS SO THAT I PREFER TO HAVE THE MOTOR ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE AS SHOWN ON THE ABOVE LEFT IMAGE. ON MY OTHER EW I MOUNTED THE MOTOR ABOVE THE COUNTERSHAFT AS ON THE CENTRE IMAGE. THIS CLEARS THE SPACE AROUND THE LATHE. NORMAN SENT ME THE RIGHT HAND IMAGE WHERE HE HAS MOUNTED THE MOTOR BEHIND THE COUNTERSHAFT. IF USING THE HAND CRANKING LEVER TO SCREWCUT THEN THE BEST PLACE FOR THE MOTOR IS ABOVE OR BELOW THE BENCH TO GIVE ENOUGH ACCESS TO TURN THE HANDLE.
IN MY OPINION, PLACING THE MOTOR BEHIND THE LATHE LIMITS THE ACCESS SO THAT I PREFER TO HAVE THE MOTOR ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE AS SHOWN ON THE ABOVE LEFT IMAGE. ON MY OTHER EW I MOUNTED THE MOTOR ABOVE THE COUNTERSHAFT AS ON THE CENTRE IMAGE. THIS CLEARS THE SPACE AROUND THE LATHE. NORMAN SENT ME THE RIGHT HAND IMAGE WHERE HE HAS MOUNTED THE MOTOR BEHIND THE COUNTERSHAFT. IF USING THE HAND CRANKING LEVER TO SCREWCUT THEN THE BEST PLACE FOR THE MOTOR IS ABOVE OR BELOW THE BENCH TO GIVE ENOUGH ACCESS TO TURN THE HANDLE.
CHOOSING VEE BELTS
THE ORIGINAL VEE BELTS AS SUPPLIED WITH THE EW ARE GOOD ENOUGH BUT IMPROVEMENTS CAN BE BENIFICIAL. THE PLASTIC LINKED BELTING THAT HAS STEEL PINS HOLDING THEM TOGETHER IS NOT RECOMMENDED BUT THERE IS ANOTHER TYPE THAT CAN BE PURCHASED FROM CHRONOS, THE Z SECTION LINKED DRIVE BELT THAT IS REALLY EXCELLENT AND GIVES BETTER GRIP.
THIS IS FOR THE BELTING BETWEEN THE SPINDLE AND COUNTERSHAFT BUT THE A TYPE BELTING THAT IS USED BETWEEN THE MOTOR AND THE COUNTERSHAFT DOES NOT SLIP LIKE THE BELT BETWEEN THE COUNTERSHAFT AND THE SPINDLE AND CAN BE BOUGHT FROM ANY BELTING SUPPLIER.
MACHINING UP THE COUNTERSHAFT
SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I HAD THE FRIENDLY CASTING COMPANY IN COVENTRY, CAST TWO COUNTERSHAFT FRAMES IN ALUMINIUM AS AN EXPERIMENT AS TO WHETHER THIS WAS THE ANSWER TO MAKING AN ACCEPTABLE REPLICA OF THE ORIGINAL. WHEN CASTING IN ALUMINIUM, USING AN ORIGINAL PART AS THE PATTERN, THERE IS A SHRINKAGE OF THE CASTING RELATIVE TO THE ORIGINAL PART OF AROUND 15 % BUT IN THIS CASE IT WOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM.
THE ABOVE LEFT HAND IMAGE SHOWS THE CAST ALUMINIUM FRAME ON THE LEFT TOGETHER WITH AN ORIGINAL ONE THAT I USED AS THE PATTERN. A LOT OF THINGS HAD HAPPENED TO PREVENT ME FROM CONTINUING WITH THIS PROJECT INCLUDING MOVING THE DECKEL MILL TO THE UPPER PART OF THE WORKSHOP WHICH REMAINED DISCONNECTED FROM THE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY FOR MANY MONTHS. I RECENTLY RECONNECTED IT AND WAS ABLE TO START MACHINING THIS FRAME UP. THE CENTRE IMAGE SHOWS THE CASTING BEING CLEANED UP TO SIZE AND ON THE RIGHT IMAGE THE HOLE FOR THE SPINDLE BEING SPOTTED READY FOR DRILLING. FAR RIGHT, THE 3/4" HOLES BEING REAMED READY FOR THE BRONZE BUSHES