For tricky fill ports that tend to bubble like that, you can run a 1/8" line down the hole and put your funnel beside it. That will allow the air to vent while the oil fills.
You can pick up a refrigerant oil pump it goes right into the bottle has a 3/8 flair fitting. We use it to pump oil into big semi hermetic or screw compressors.
Definitely get in touch the with rep for Matthews and link to this video, showing them the trouble you had in emptying out the oil -- I'm sure that's not what the design engineers had in mind when they designed it. This is exactly the kind of feedback that's extremely valuable to any manufacturer to allow them to go back and fix future versions of the product -- and maybe even provide some sort of retrofit kits for current versions. Also, great to see your smiling face at the end -- always entertaining and informative material.
New Owner of same lathe. This video gave me some caution to think about it and I really appreciate the heads up as it saved me the puddle mess! The thread in the oil drains is 1/2 NPT. So I purchased FUMOTO valves PN# T202NS that thread right on the ports and the cover still fits over them fine. To avoid the oil spill, I machined a simple thread in PVC rod for the Oil fill port on the headstock( it was a 16 TPI starting with a strange diameter .725 in.). Then drilled a hole through it and turned the other end to fit my shop vac. I removed the oil drain plug to the last couple of threads finger tight and then switched on the VAC. I was able to remove the plug and thread the new valve right in and switch the shop vac off in about 40 seconds. Nary a drip. I removed the vac and attached a hose to the valve and opened the valve. Did similar on the lower port. To fill the lower box I inserted a small diameter plastic tube into the fill port and then was able to pour the oil in with no burps. With the valves in place now I won't have to do that again and I was able to do my first little project on the new lathe.
I believe I would install a ball valve with a plug installed to keep someone from turning the valve on and draining unit accidentally . This would allow you regulate oil drain flow.
@abom79 +1 for demonstrating proper maintenance, too often missed these days. I put Fumoto drain valves on much of my equipment & my vehicles, saves a lot of mess.
Looks like a good place to use a couple Fumoto drain valves. They have a spring lock on the lever to prevent accidental opening. They're designed for automotive oil pan drains, so they'll certainly be safe enough to use for a lathe drain.
Hey Adam. Fumoto Valves changed my oil changing life. I have them on all my vehicles, for 12-15 years, and have never had a failure. Also, some models come with a barb. You can connect a drain hose PRIOR to opening the valve. They also lock, and an additional lock can be applied if you wish. I am now putting Fumoto valves on the equipment I service. I no longer spill a drop. Nor do they leak.
I love the way you show when things don't go exactly right. You are obviously a skilled and careful craftsman - and even so, we all make mistakes from time to time. Terrific stuff, thank you
Awesome video!!!! Very detailed and walked me throught the whole process.....I appreciate the fact that you didn't edit out any mistakes, instead you showed how to handle situations as they come , AWESOME TEACHING
You'll get a filler with breather figured out and a drain also figured out to keep things clean and neat when you have to change the oil on your machine. Thanks for sharing with us Adam. Stay safe and enjoy the new lathe . Fred.
I have a similar drain plug on the head stock of my lathe, except that it is right over the chip tray, so drips and spills don't matter. I didn't realize how good that was until I saw your problems. Good solution - straightforward and effective as I would expect from you!
A great tip is to take e male hydraulic fitting to use instead of the plug , when its time fore a oil drain just attatch a hose with a female fitting on one end.... Greetings from Sweden... Love your content Adam..
There is a hand pump that is manufactured with a plastic top that fits 5 gal. oil buckets which are made specifically for transferring new oil from a 5/10/25/50 gal container into whatever. Ask your oil supplier if he carries them, if not, he should be able to get one for you. The cost is very minimal and they work great, no drip, no mess. You can also buy a small reverse suction electric fluid pump for removing the old oil from the machine and transferring it into a storage container. The cost for one is also minimal, they work slowly in sucking out the old oil, but there is no mess whatsoever. The two together won't cost you much more than $50.00 Hope this helps. Thanks for the continued updates on the new shop and new equipment. Scott
What I did in similar situation. Duct taped aluminum foil slightly below and to the left and right of the drain plug. Shape aluminum foil to guide oil to pan. Remove drain plug in a controlled manner. When drained, replace plug nonsense with an elbow and a valve.
Everything I own that came with a drain plug now has a fumoto long nipple fitting in place of the drain plug. ⅜" tubing down to my catch can....zero tools, zero mess, zero stripped/seized/leaky drain plugs. They are worth their weight in gold if you do your own maintenance.
I imagine the operator feedback they request is from large manufacturers that have a separate maintenance department. They need feedback from smaller shops where the operator and maintainer are the same person. Appreciate seeing someone that takes pride in their equipment.
Here is another good trick to add to many wonderful oil changing comments. Dispensing oil from a 5 gallon pail in a controlled manner can be remedied by the following method. Lay the pail on its side (work bench height) with the capped pour spout at the top. Place receiving container under the pour spout.and remove the cap. Roll the pail to allow a controlled amount to flow into the container. When completed, roll the pail back to the starting position and the oil flow shuts off. Carefully done, there is zero dripping and possibly only a rag is needy to tidy up small drips. A full pail may start oil flow as soon as the cap is removed, so elevate the top end of the pail on its side with a block of 2x4. This technique works super well for all pail dispensing. I especially like using it to meter paint from a pail. I bet that Adam doesn't employ this technique since he dispensed off camera in the grass! An old man demonstrated this technique to me when I was a lad. 45+ years later I have never seen anyone employ this technique prior to me demonstrating how effectively it works. This old man seemed incompetent in all of skills and I was dismissive of this trick until I saw and employed it. Decades ago I wanted to purchase one of those field forming oil drain sheets to make custom gutters to drain frustrating situations like Adam did in the video. I quickly graduated from oiler and PM duties to technician and I forgot about that oil draining aid. I just watched someone grab that tool this week and remembered that I was going to get one 40 years ago. In my retirement hobby shop I don't have an oiler on staff. I just may go purchase a new toy!
My Grandfather and Uncles used that technique with 55-gallon drums on the farm. Learned that one some 50 years ago! They had a homemade rack and kept all their oils on it.
I do the pail rolling trick as well. It's especially handy with synthetic coolant as it is about $300 a pail up here. Don't want to spill too much of that. Ken
I have a Precision Matthews 1340GT and it has the same oil drain problem. I don't even mess with it any longer, I just remove the top(4 screws) and siphon out the oil...problem solved, neat and clean!
I'm sorry for laughing about the oil spill, I was hoping it would have come out slowly for you in that diminutive green funnel. Then it blasted out and I laughed. I appreciated your calmness about it. I also laughed when you were filling. Thank you for sharing your foibles as well your acumen.
I took the fill tube/elbow off the gear box and used it for the drain tube/elbow in the headstock on mine. Use a hand held extraction pump (like this one Thorstone Automotive Fluid Extractor Pump, Oil Change Syringe with Hose, Manual Fuel Suction & Filler, Fluid Change Evacuator (7 Oz./0.21 Qt./200 ML) to fill the gearbox. I take the used oil that I take out of the gearbox and headstock and let it settle out in a 5 gallon jug like the one you're using, then draw off the top as needed to use in my carriage. Best of luck with the new shop.
Motorcycle jack is great for holding a bucket/jug at JUST the right height. Relieved to see, though, that making an unholy mess of a brand spankin’ clean machine is not just something I do. Others do it too.
I've ran into issues like that trying to add oil to a non-vented compartment. A quart sized gear oil bottle with some 1/4" tubing works really well for thinner oil like that. It'll put the oil inside the compartment with enough air space in the fitting that it will vent out without burping at you.
For the gearbox, in the future put a small diameter length of tubing in your funnel to vent the air. The oil will pour around the tube and the tube will vent air.
I regularly have to drain oil from an old heidelberg press. The drains are the same on it. What I do is tape a "guide" just under the drain port to help direct the oil. The volume is considerably less than this, (maybe 1/2 pint), so I can make it out of scrap paper, but perhaps something bent out of sheet metal and considerably larger may help for someone doing the initial drain out to control the flow better.
I'll watch anything Adam puts on the telly, but seriously, this little series on the new lathe is a hell of a tease! Show us it making chips already! I want to see you chasing tenths on some stainless or something ;) Looks like such an amazing bit of kit - so massively jealous.
@Abom79 A possible solution to Your problem when filling the gearbox, with the oil not "draining down" is to first push in a "thin tube" through the "elbow" into the "gearbox" and then "thread" the funnel over it when You put it onto the "elbow". The intention is to give the "displaced air" a way to "escape/vent out" through the "thin tube" while allowing the oil to run "more freely" into the gearbox. Giving the air this way to "escape" should prevent it from making "blocking bubbles". Just a thought. Best regards.
A transfer pump for gear oil would work and should have a long enough hose for it to get into the box to eliminate the venting issues. It would make filling up the gear boxes much easier. Also a ball valve with a plug in the output would be just as safe as the plug in the bottom of an elbow, plus you could regulate the initial outflow or use it to attach a hose into the waste oil jug. I'm not certain how often this machine needs its oil changed but ease of maintenance is what makes people continue to do preventative maintenance. the new shop is looking quite impressive. keep up the good work.
At the end of the video there is a closeup for the discussion of the tool post. There is sticker that says to remove a bolt before operating and the bolt is still there.
Sooner or later all of us shop types have to cope with a nice messy spill. Good on Adam for showing his own troubles spilling oil and then showing how to clean it up. If it was me, I'd have edited out the embarrassing stuff though he's pretty savvy: I suspect Adam allowed the spill to show us what could happen to the unwary and how to cope with the clean-up. Every piece of mechanical equipment having splash or circulated oil lubrication requires periodic oil changes. I've never yet in my geologic era in manufacturing shops seen a machine tool, pump, transmission, engine, whatever arranged to convenience the poor sap who has to change the oil. There's always a fine pitch flush plug inconvenienty located usually close to the floor. A duck decoy with a glass eye in its butt could see a simple design change involving a few fittings and a lock-out valve leading drained oil to a receptacle would convenience the maintenence guy and lead to fewer postponed oil changes, labor savings, and and fewer spills. Among the first things to note on receipt of new equipment are the servicing requirements including oil changes and how to effect them. Oil changes are a certainty and planning in detail how to drain the oil is sure to lead to some simple plumbing, drain valves, etc.
I’ve got a few machines where the oil fill/drain is super poorly thought out. Some don’t have space to put elbows on etc..I use a short, narrow diameter piece of rubber hose stuck on the end of a funnel and insert it past the fill point. It leaves a gap around it so the tank can breathe and the oil goes directly in. It’s the only way I’ve found to know how much I’ve put in on machines without sight gauges too as you don’t really know how much of a measured amount you spill!
When filling a gear box with out another breather. I have put some pipe fittings together a nipple and a T and an elbow and come up with two pipes about a foot. One for pouring oil into and one for a breather. It worked very well without making a mess. I’m not sure if this makes sense to anyone wish I could draw a picture. Thanks Adam
Try a ball valve tap. You can also install a hose on a barb fitting so when you crack open the tap it runs directly into your container. When jobs done shut off the tap disconnect the barb fitting and hose so nothing can be caught up in he lathe on run up.
I'd want a replacement plastic gear or two or twelve, to have on hand, so I wouldn't need to wait in uncertainty on orders in the future. You won't crash much but one spare . . . That oil drain was one rough experience. I envy the PM's bump switch. Love how your shops are evolving. Thanks for sharing.
Sorry I'm later commenting on this - been away. I'm no expert - I haven't oil changed anything. For the drains I would use a valve and thread to barb adapter and a length of hose (3'4" or 1m, enough to reach the floor) then you can open it up and leave it to drain easy. Quick release would be an option as well. For the fill, I'd use a (1/4" 6mm) hose siphon with a valve. The flow would be slow enough you can check the fill and turn it off. Work smarter not harder. Thanks for all the great videos - I have learned a lot from you.
On ROV's we would use Bug Sprayers with Swagelok QD's to pump oil and also 3/8" plastic tubing. Short pieces of Tubing plugged into these fittings can also be used to vent the systems as well.
A couple of inches of aquarium air line run into the fill hole for the gear box will keep it from belching oil back out and overflowing. Just have to give the air a way out. Cut the end of the air line at a shallow angle and it will be less likely to be obstructed by the line coming in contact with the gear box housing or anything else.
You're a really cool dude Adam. Leaving in the screwups is great. That was a frustrating job. :/ I agree with you and lots of other people here with modding it and putting in a ball valve system. 100%.
As some have mentioned, the instant sight of those drain screamed MESS, and all agree with what your solution. In my experience I found it was worth taking the time now to go get the proper parts and I incorporated a reducer from what "appears" to be 1/2 NPT to small (3/8ish) copper tubing with a hand valve (not 1/4 turn which can be bumped open) and another short nipple. The tubing can be conveniently routed and that short nipple could accept a short hose to a waste pail. Granted the flow would be slower but infinitely neater.
for the oil change. for some lawn mowers you can get this oil thing to screw in to where the plug normally go, has on/off and you can put a hose on .. you need one of those.. (unless you make a vid and machine one with a ball valve, ) Love the videos.
Adam, on the lower fill port, you could put an extension pipe (about 6-8") and an 1/8-3/16" vent tube that reaches clear into the feed gearbox and it'll fill much easier, with little to no mess. You'll still have to pour slowly, but it won't puke back out like it was. Best wishes and happy machining!
The best way to get that gear box to breath is with an 1/8" poly tube stuck down inside. Still need to pour kind of slow, but it works. Depending on the size of the fitting, you might be able to use 1/4".
This was the funniest video I think you have ever produced. 🤣 I would drain and fill from the bottom and vent from the top. Fill using a small hand pump. Like how you would fill the lower unit on an outboard boat engine.
Hi Adam and thanks for the years of great videos. Years ago I used to work on small charter airplanes which had oil changes every 50 hours. There was an adapter where at the drain plug which one would push on a rubber hose and in the process start the flow of oil with the other end of the hose going into a container. I would think you could easily something similar in Pensacola. Albeit, after the next two oil changes you probably wont change oil again for a long time. Rod
How weird! Every other machinist I'm subscribed to & watch mentions Abom but I'd never watched any video's or subscribed. It's taken me a couple of years but now I have more to binge!!!
I do all my own oil changes on motorcycles and vehicles. I swear 10 more min of thought in the design would save so much mess in a few of my experiences as well.
Having had to do similar things in the past I have a collection of hoses that have a tapered plug on the end. One end of the hose goes into the catch container, open the drain as you did put hold the plug in place to keep it leaking. Hold the tapered plug with hose in the other hand, quick switch, fluid drains down and out the hose. Depending on a bunch of things I might have to stay there holding the tapered plug in while it drains, sometimes I can give it a partial twist and it will lock in the threads.
I put a short male/male elbow on my machines with a female/female ball valve. I put a plug in the valve outlet to prevent accidents. Then I have a length of clear plastic hose on a hose fitting. Take out the plug, screw in the hose, put the hose in the old oil container open the valve and come back an hour or so later. No mess at all, until you accidently kick the old oil container over.
I used to work on automatic transmissions and we had a device that sucked the oil out of the dipstick tube, some gearboxes dont have a drain plug and you have to remove the pan to drain them, might be worth looking into getting one with the amount of machinery Adam has, saves a lot of time and mess
some of the comments make me think its a lunar landing they are concerned about. ive been watching you a while now Adam and u have full confidence you will find your own answer. im a veteran mechanic and issues like this are common place
On the elbow filling up and going slow - you can get a tiny piece of tubing, like a 1/8" diameter pneumatic hose, and stick it down into the gearbox so it can vent the backpressure and the thing will fill faster.
Adam: It looks like those oil drain plugs are NPT, if so McMaster 4082T45 , a 3/4” MIP x FIP ball valve, or 4082T44, a 1/2” MIP x FIP ball valve. Screw the male side of the valve directly into the lathe, on the female side of the valve you can screw in a hose barb 2838N27 (3/4” NPT) or 2838N26 (1/2” NPT), then attach a suitable length of clear vinyl tubing to the barb, remove the barb fitting and hose when done and screw in the plug.
Agreed...bad design on the fluid drain and fill. Next time, take some 2" wide tape and some heavy duty tin foil then tape it to the side of the headstock/case so if there is an overflow or oil finding its way down the side it will run onto the tape and down the foil away from the machine and into a bucket or a few pigmats. Likely the filler needs an air vent or may one they have is just too small to allow for fill ups and design is only to "vent" just enough to allow for expansion needs during use.
Thanks much, Adam! One concern I would have with the drain rig you fabricated - with the weight of that high pressure 90 hanging off of that brass fitting, you could see a fatigue failure on that brass fitting, especially if it’s subject to any amount of vibration. Thanks much for sharing your videos with us.
Someone probably already said this, but get some small ball valves and fill the gear box from the drain using a piece of vinyl tubing running up past the "fill". Think of a boiler sight glass. You will be able to see the level of the oil in the gearbox in the tube. The "fill" will act a a breather.
you might be able to find some small ball valves so that you can put in a hose barb when you need to do an oil change. might make it a little less messy. seems every piece of equipment I use that needs oil changes has the drain plugs in the worst positions
I know it will be a while before you change out the oil on this again but you may find an oil suction gun useful for adding oil back in. They often have a plastic tube on the end that could probably go around that elbow.
Hi Adam, I would be looking at a tap fitting that you can fit a piece of flexible hose onto, so waste drium on the floor, flexible plastic hose from tap into bucket, no spills unless it overfills the drum. You also need a funnel that can screw into the inlet to the QC gearbox that has a air vent into the gear box, so as you fill there is no air lock to prevent the oil not flowing into the gearbox.
I’ve been there, changing vacuum pump oil. No matter what precautions I would take I always made a mess. It became a game to see if I could do an oil change and not get a single drop of oil on the floor. I have yet to win that game!
I think the elbow on the gearbox filler was supposed to be on the head stock drain. Then you can fit your small funnel in the filler at 45 degrees and the air can come out around it.
13:38 the funnel tube shoul be a tight fit to that elbow thread so that when it bubbles up it would be up in the funnel where could be full of oil but still not making a mess down there
For the filling process, get a small plastic tube to feed in about an inch past the corner in the elbow then put the funnel in without crushing the tube. The tube should allow the air to bleed.
My dad ran a maintenance crew in an industrial gear factory. Whenever they got a machine with fill holes in inconvenient places, they'd drill in new ones(and update the operator manual) so the operator wouldn't skip oil changes because of the inconvenience.
Not sure how much swearing there was off camera, but huge respect to you keeping it together. Made my day.
So true.
For tricky fill ports that tend to bubble like that, you can run a 1/8" line down the hole and put your funnel beside it. That will allow the air to vent while the oil fills.
Or worst case scenario, a straw works great
Was going to say the same thing!
You can pick up a refrigerant oil pump it goes right into the bottle has a 3/8 flair fitting. We use it to pump oil into big semi hermetic or screw compressors.
I was watching him do that and was thinking the same thing. I was going to leave the same comment… but you beat me to it!
@@sampantiliano now that's a very good idea. It's a lovely machine but the fill/empty design is bloody awful lol
Definitely get in touch the with rep for Matthews and link to this video, showing them the trouble you had in emptying out the oil -- I'm sure that's not what the design engineers had in mind when they designed it.
This is exactly the kind of feedback that's extremely valuable to any manufacturer to allow them to go back and fix future versions of the product -- and maybe even provide some sort of retrofit kits for current versions. Also, great to see your smiling face at the end -- always entertaining and informative material.
The new shop has bee BAPTIZED!
@@porkpie2884 FAR more desirable over baptism by fire... (Unless we are talking about spray welding that is...)
Thank you for showing us all of your work - including the bumps and warts when they occur. That’s real life and I appreciate it!
New Owner of same lathe. This video gave me some caution to think about it and I really appreciate the heads up as it saved me the puddle mess! The thread in the oil drains is 1/2 NPT. So I purchased FUMOTO valves PN# T202NS that thread right on the ports and the cover still fits over them fine. To avoid the oil spill, I machined a simple thread in PVC rod for the Oil fill port on the headstock( it was a 16 TPI starting with a strange diameter .725 in.). Then drilled a hole through it and turned the other end to fit my shop vac. I removed the oil drain plug to the last couple of threads finger tight and then switched on the VAC. I was able to remove the plug and thread the new valve right in and switch the shop vac off in about 40 seconds. Nary a drip. I removed the vac and attached a hose to the valve and opened the valve. Did similar on the lower port. To fill the lower box I inserted a small diameter plastic tube into the fill port and then was able to pour the oil in with no burps. With the valves in place now I won't have to do that again and I was able to do my first little project on the new lathe.
the person who has developed the maintenance of this machine is not hindered by any knowledge of the subject.
@12:50 I recommend putting a flexible tube inside the elbow next to the funnel for a breather. Hopefully it works next oil change.
Yeah i was thinking the same thing 👍
I believe I would install a ball valve with a plug installed to keep someone from turning the valve on and draining unit accidentally . This would allow you regulate oil drain flow.
@abom79 +1 for demonstrating proper maintenance, too often missed these days.
I put Fumoto drain valves on much of my equipment & my vehicles, saves a lot of mess.
I would order a new replacement gear now, so if it ever crashes you don't have to wait. Never hurts to have a backup on hand.
It's simple really... I see a Abom video, I click it, I press like, I enjoy it.
Looks like a good place to use a couple Fumoto drain valves. They have a spring lock on the lever to prevent accidental opening. They're designed for automotive oil pan drains, so they'll certainly be safe enough to use for a lathe drain.
Second this. Keep some vinyl tubing handy and wouldn't even need a funnel!
Hey Adam. Fumoto Valves changed my oil changing life. I have them on all my vehicles, for 12-15 years, and have never had a failure. Also, some models come with a barb. You can connect a drain hose PRIOR to opening the valve. They also lock, and an additional lock can be applied if you wish. I am now putting Fumoto valves on the equipment I service. I no longer spill a drop. Nor do they leak.
Thanks for mentioning those, exactly what i was looking for for another project 👍
@@AramcoPhil You are welcome.
I love the way you show when things don't go exactly right. You are obviously a skilled and careful craftsman - and even so, we all make mistakes from time to time. Terrific stuff, thank you
We've put fittings with a valve on every machine that can accept a length of tubeing, just attach drain... no mess :D
Thanks for being authentic by showing your mistakes as well as your successes.
Can't really call it "your lathe" until you modify it! First mods complete. Nicely done.
Awesome video!!!! Very detailed and walked me throught the whole process.....I appreciate the fact that you didn't edit out any mistakes, instead you showed how to handle situations as they come , AWESOME TEACHING
You keep showing things I can do to help my son in his shop. I'm getting competent, thanks to you.
You'll get a filler with breather figured out and a drain also figured out to keep things clean and neat when you have to change the oil on your machine. Thanks for sharing with us Adam. Stay safe and enjoy the new lathe . Fred.
McMaster Carr ,used them for 45 years ,one word beyond excellent !
I have a similar drain plug on the head stock of my lathe, except that it is right over the chip tray, so drips and spills don't matter. I didn't realize how good that was until I saw your problems. Good solution - straightforward and effective as I would expect from you!
ABom handled that with more patience and grace than I could have mustered. I'da cussed a blue streak they coulda seen from SPACE!
A great tip is to take e male hydraulic fitting to use instead of the plug , when its time fore a oil drain just attatch a hose with a female fitting on one end....
Greetings from Sweden...
Love your content Adam..
Adam, thank you for sharing the aggravation, problems, & solutions that can catch unsuspecting new owners when changing oil on machines like this!
There is a hand pump that is manufactured with a plastic top that fits 5 gal. oil buckets which are made specifically for transferring new oil from a 5/10/25/50 gal container into whatever. Ask your oil supplier if he carries them, if not, he should be able to get one for you. The cost is very minimal and they work great, no drip, no mess. You can also buy a small reverse suction electric fluid pump for removing the old oil from the machine and transferring it into a storage container. The cost for one is also minimal, they work slowly in sucking out the old oil, but there is no mess whatsoever. The two together won't cost you much more than $50.00 Hope this helps. Thanks for the continued updates on the new shop and new equipment. Scott
Go ahead and put a ball valve on the drain holes. You can always put a pipe plug in the valve outlet as a safety.
The time to do that is AFTER you drain the oil, not now after leaving the existing finnings and refilling it.
What I did in similar situation. Duct taped aluminum foil slightly below and to the left and right of the drain plug. Shape aluminum foil to guide oil to pan. Remove drain plug in a controlled manner. When drained, replace plug nonsense with an elbow and a valve.
I had the same thought.
Fumoto locking drain valves for the win. I like the ones with a small hose barb so I can run the drain hose into a container.
I was just about to post this. They are great.
Everything I own that came with a drain plug now has a fumoto long nipple fitting in place of the drain plug. ⅜" tubing down to my catch can....zero tools, zero mess, zero stripped/seized/leaky drain plugs. They are worth their weight in gold if you do your own maintenance.
I imagine the operator feedback they request is from large manufacturers that have a separate maintenance department. They need feedback from smaller shops where the operator and maintainer are the same person. Appreciate seeing someone that takes pride in their equipment.
Here is another good trick to add to many wonderful oil changing comments.
Dispensing oil from a 5 gallon pail in a controlled manner can be remedied by the following method. Lay the pail on its side (work bench height) with the capped pour spout at the top. Place receiving container under the pour spout.and remove the cap. Roll the pail to allow a controlled amount to flow into the container. When completed, roll the pail back to the starting position and the oil flow shuts off. Carefully done, there is zero dripping and possibly only a rag is needy to tidy up small drips.
A full pail may start oil flow as soon as the cap is removed, so elevate the top end of the pail on its side with a block of 2x4. This technique works super well for all pail dispensing. I especially like using it to meter paint from a pail. I bet that Adam doesn't employ this technique since he dispensed off camera in the grass! An old man demonstrated this technique to me when I was a lad. 45+ years later I have never seen anyone employ this technique prior to me demonstrating how effectively it works. This old man seemed incompetent in all of skills and I was dismissive of this trick until I saw and employed it.
Decades ago I wanted to purchase one of those field forming oil drain sheets to make custom gutters to drain frustrating situations like Adam did in the video. I quickly graduated from oiler and PM duties to technician and I forgot about that oil draining aid. I just watched someone grab that tool this week and remembered that I was going to get one 40 years ago. In my retirement hobby shop I don't have an oiler on staff. I just may go purchase a new toy!
My Grandfather and Uncles used that technique with 55-gallon drums on the farm. Learned that one some 50 years ago! They had a homemade rack and kept all their oils on it.
I do the pail rolling trick as well. It's especially handy with synthetic coolant as it is about $300 a pail up here. Don't want to spill too much of that. Ken
Excellent idea! You will see that I asked about this in my comment above, and this is the perfect answer! Thank you for sharing!
I have a Precision Matthews 1340GT and it has the same oil drain problem. I don't even mess with it any longer, I just remove the top(4 screws) and siphon out the oil...problem solved, neat and clean!
I'm sorry for laughing about the oil spill, I was hoping it would have come out slowly for you in that diminutive green funnel. Then it blasted out and I laughed. I appreciated your calmness about it. I also laughed when you were filling. Thank you for sharing your foibles as well your acumen.
I admire your patience. Thanks for the tips.
I love it when a plan comes together!
I took the fill tube/elbow off the gear box and used it for the drain tube/elbow in the headstock on mine. Use a hand held extraction pump (like this one Thorstone Automotive Fluid Extractor Pump, Oil Change Syringe with Hose, Manual Fuel Suction & Filler, Fluid Change Evacuator (7 Oz./0.21 Qt./200 ML) to fill the gearbox. I take the used oil that I take out of the gearbox and headstock and let it settle out in a 5 gallon jug like the one you're using, then draw off the top as needed to use in my carriage. Best of luck with the new shop.
Adam, i commend you on your patience! :-)
Motorcycle jack is great for holding a bucket/jug at JUST the right height.
Relieved to see, though, that making an unholy mess of a brand spankin’ clean machine is not just something I do. Others do it too.
I've ran into issues like that trying to add oil to a non-vented compartment. A quart sized gear oil bottle with some 1/4" tubing works really well for thinner oil like that. It'll put the oil inside the compartment with enough air space in the fitting that it will vent out without burping at you.
For the gearbox, in the future put a small diameter length of tubing in your funnel to vent the air. The oil will pour around the tube and the tube will vent air.
You had me in tears... I had to watch it twice.
I regularly have to drain oil from an old heidelberg press. The drains are the same on it. What I do is tape a "guide" just under the drain port to help direct the oil. The volume is considerably less than this, (maybe 1/2 pint), so I can make it out of scrap paper, but perhaps something bent out of sheet metal and considerably larger may help for someone doing the initial drain out to control the flow better.
I do pretty much the same. I use the back off of a legal pad. The cardboard bends easy, and doesn't disintegrate when the oil hits it.
I'll watch anything Adam puts on the telly, but seriously, this little series on the new lathe is a hell of a tease! Show us it making chips already! I want to see you chasing tenths on some stainless or something ;) Looks like such an amazing bit of kit - so massively jealous.
@Abom79
A possible solution to Your problem when filling the gearbox, with the oil not "draining down" is to first push in a "thin tube" through the "elbow" into the "gearbox" and then "thread" the funnel over it when You put it onto the "elbow". The intention is to give the "displaced air" a way to "escape/vent out" through the "thin tube" while allowing the oil to run "more freely" into the gearbox. Giving the air this way to "escape" should prevent it from making "blocking bubbles".
Just a thought.
Best regards.
You could add valves then hose barbs so when it comes to draining the oil you just connect a host that you can drop into the container
The jog button is great for returning the carriage to a start position for metric threading with leaving he half nut engaged
A transfer pump for gear oil would work and should have a long enough hose for it to get into the box to eliminate the venting issues. It would make filling up the gear boxes much easier. Also a ball valve with a plug in the output would be just as safe as the plug in the bottom of an elbow, plus you could regulate the initial outflow or use it to attach a hose into the waste oil jug. I'm not certain how often this machine needs its oil changed but ease of maintenance is what makes people continue to do preventative maintenance. the new shop is looking quite impressive. keep up the good work.
At the end of the video there is a closeup for the discussion of the tool post. There is sticker that says to remove a bolt before operating and the bolt is still there.
That is the carriage lock bolt, it needs loosening before use, not removing, its in the manual which you can download from Precision Matthews.
Sooner or later all of us shop types have to cope with a nice messy spill. Good on Adam for showing his own troubles spilling oil and then showing how to clean it up. If it was me, I'd have edited out the embarrassing stuff though he's pretty savvy: I suspect Adam allowed the spill to show us what could happen to the unwary and how to cope with the clean-up.
Every piece of mechanical equipment having splash or circulated oil lubrication requires periodic oil changes. I've never yet in my geologic era in manufacturing shops seen a machine tool, pump, transmission, engine, whatever arranged to convenience the poor sap who has to change the oil. There's always a fine pitch flush plug inconvenienty located usually close to the floor. A duck decoy with a glass eye in its butt could see a simple design change involving a few fittings and a lock-out valve leading drained oil to a receptacle would convenience the maintenence guy and lead to fewer postponed oil changes, labor savings, and and fewer spills.
Among the first things to note on receipt of new equipment are the servicing requirements including oil changes and how to effect them. Oil changes are a certainty and planning in detail how to drain the oil is sure to lead to some simple plumbing, drain valves, etc.
Again, amazed at your aplomb when things go wrong. I'd probably have dumped half of it on the floor!
I was trained that when working with oil and machines you are done when you have a little in it and a lot on it. You done good.
I had to laugh, i thought i was the only one to make messes like that. You had the balls to show your mishaps. That's why i watch your videos.
I’ve got a few machines where the oil fill/drain is super poorly thought out. Some don’t have space to put elbows on etc..I use a short, narrow diameter piece of rubber hose stuck on the end of a funnel and insert it past the fill point. It leaves a gap around it so the tank can breathe and the oil goes directly in. It’s the only way I’ve found to know how much I’ve put in on machines without sight gauges too as you don’t really know how much of a measured amount you spill!
Glad you got that cleaned up. It was bothering me too. Probably not as much as it did you. Glad to see you take such good care of your new tools.
When filling a gear box with out another breather. I have put some pipe fittings together a nipple and a T and an elbow and come up with two pipes about a foot. One for pouring oil into and one for a breather. It worked very well without making a mess. I’m not sure if this makes sense to anyone wish I could draw a picture.
Thanks Adam
Makes good sense, man. Hope it helps Adam out.
It is so nice to see real pros make messes too.
Man, it would piss me off to buy a 16k well designed machine just to find out the engineers did a crap job on designing way to change oil/
Try a ball valve tap. You can also install a hose on a barb fitting so when you crack open the tap it runs directly into your container. When jobs done shut off the tap disconnect the barb fitting and hose so nothing can be caught up in he lathe on run up.
I'd want a replacement plastic gear or two or twelve, to have on hand, so I wouldn't need to wait in uncertainty on orders in the future. You won't crash much but one spare . . . That oil drain was one rough experience. I envy the PM's bump switch. Love how your shops are evolving. Thanks for sharing.
Sorry I'm later commenting on this - been away. I'm no expert - I haven't oil changed anything. For the drains I would use a valve and thread to barb adapter and a length of hose (3'4" or 1m, enough to reach the floor) then you can open it up and leave it to drain easy. Quick release would be an option as well. For the fill, I'd use a (1/4" 6mm) hose siphon with a valve. The flow would be slow enough you can check the fill and turn it off. Work smarter not harder. Thanks for all the great videos - I have learned a lot from you.
On ROV's we would use Bug Sprayers with Swagelok QD's to pump oil and also 3/8" plastic tubing. Short pieces of Tubing plugged into these fittings can also be used to vent the systems as well.
A couple of inches of aquarium air line run into the fill hole for the gear box will keep it from belching oil back out and overflowing. Just have to give the air a way out. Cut the end of the air line at a shallow angle and it will be less likely to be obstructed by the line coming in contact with the gear box housing or anything else.
You're a really cool dude Adam. Leaving in the screwups is great. That was a frustrating job. :/ I agree with you and lots of other people here with modding it and putting in a ball valve system. 100%.
As some have mentioned, the instant sight of those drain screamed MESS, and all agree with what your solution. In my experience I found it was worth taking the time now to go get the proper parts and I incorporated a reducer from what "appears" to be 1/2 NPT to small (3/8ish) copper tubing with a hand valve (not 1/4 turn which can be bumped open) and another short nipple. The tubing can be conveniently routed and that short nipple could accept a short hose to a waste pail. Granted the flow would be slower but infinitely neater.
for the oil change.
for some lawn mowers you can get this oil thing to screw in to where the plug normally go, has on/off and you can put a hose on .. you need one of those.. (unless you make a vid and machine one with a ball valve, )
Love the videos.
Adam, on the lower fill port, you could put an extension pipe (about 6-8") and an 1/8-3/16" vent tube that reaches clear into the feed gearbox and it'll fill much easier, with little to no mess. You'll still have to pour slowly, but it won't puke back out like it was. Best wishes and happy machining!
The best way to get that gear box to breath is with an 1/8" poly tube stuck down inside. Still need to pour kind of slow, but it works. Depending on the size of the fitting, you might be able to use 1/4".
Thank You Adam.
This was the funniest video I think you have ever produced. 🤣
I would drain and fill from the bottom and vent from the top. Fill using a small hand pump. Like how you would fill the lower unit on an outboard boat engine.
Every time I change oil in. anything no matter how careful I am I always make a mess. I sympathize with you on your oil change.
I feel your pain, Adam. But I have to say that it gives me a small amount of comfort that I'm not the only one who has made messes like that. ;-)
Hi Adam and thanks for the years of great videos. Years ago I used to work on small charter airplanes which had oil changes every 50 hours. There was an adapter where at the drain plug which one would push on a rubber hose and in the process start the flow of oil with the other end of the hose going into a container. I would think you could easily something similar in Pensacola. Albeit, after the next two oil changes you probably wont change oil again for a long time. Rod
How weird! Every other machinist I'm subscribed to & watch mentions Abom but I'd never watched any video's or subscribed. It's taken me a couple of years but now I have more to binge!!!
It'll take you a while. He's always favoured a long form video format.
Same here. I must say he seems like a really nice guy. This Old Tony made him seem a bit gruff lol
I do all my own oil changes on motorcycles and vehicles. I swear 10 more min of thought in the design would save so much mess in a few of my experiences as well.
Looks like I'm not the only one to suggest 1/4 turn ball valve and a hose.
I love the giant oversize super high pressure elbow hanging off the little brass adaptor
Having had to do similar things in the past I have a collection of hoses that have a tapered plug on the end. One end of the hose goes into the catch container, open the drain as you did put hold the plug in place to keep it leaking. Hold the tapered plug with hose in the other hand, quick switch, fluid drains down and out the hose.
Depending on a bunch of things I might have to stay there holding the tapered plug in while it drains, sometimes I can give it a partial twist and it will lock in the threads.
I can't believe all the comments on the oil change. The big plastic gear is a game changer for me. Available now, what about 50 years.
Depending on price, I'd buy one or two spares while they're available.
I put a short male/male elbow on my machines with a female/female ball valve. I put a plug in the valve outlet to prevent accidents. Then I have a length of clear plastic hose on a hose fitting. Take out the plug, screw in the hose, put the hose in the old oil container open the valve and come back an hour or so later. No mess at all, until you accidently kick the old oil container over.
I used to work on automatic transmissions and we had a device that sucked the oil out of the dipstick tube, some gearboxes dont have a drain plug and you have to remove the pan to drain them, might be worth looking into getting one with the amount of machinery Adam has, saves a lot of time and mess
some of the comments make me think its a lunar landing they are concerned about. ive been watching you a while now Adam and u have full confidence you will find your own answer. im a veteran mechanic and issues like this are common place
I had one very similar to that one but it was just not stout enough, it is just fine for smaller projects.
You can also unscrew the sight glass to act as a vent while filling. That’ll get you most of the way there
On the elbow filling up and going slow - you can get a tiny piece of tubing, like a 1/8" diameter pneumatic hose, and stick it down into the gearbox so it can vent the backpressure and the thing will fill faster.
Adam: It looks like those oil drain plugs are NPT, if so McMaster 4082T45
, a 3/4” MIP x FIP ball valve, or 4082T44, a 1/2” MIP x FIP ball valve. Screw the male side of the valve directly into the lathe, on the female side of the valve you can screw in a hose barb 2838N27 (3/4” NPT) or 2838N26 (1/2” NPT), then attach a suitable length of clear vinyl tubing to the barb, remove the barb fitting and hose when done and screw in the plug.
Any parallel threaded fittings?
@@wallacegrommet9343 - why are you asking that? The fittings on the lather are clearly Tapered. Notice they don't have any O-rings?
My carpentry background seldom involved O-rings😄
Agreed...bad design on the fluid drain and fill. Next time, take some 2" wide tape and some heavy duty tin foil then tape it to the side of the headstock/case so if there is an overflow or oil finding its way down the side it will run onto the tape and down the foil away from the machine and into a bucket or a few pigmats. Likely the filler needs an air vent or may one they have is just too small to allow for fill ups and design is only to "vent" just enough to allow for expansion needs during use.
They make funnels with built in vent ports and it makes filling stuff like this so much easier.
Thanks much, Adam! One concern I would have with the drain rig you fabricated - with the weight of that high pressure 90 hanging off of that brass fitting, you could see a fatigue failure on that brass fitting, especially if it’s subject to any amount of vibration. Thanks much for sharing your videos with us.
For the venting of the gear box when filing you can pull the sight glass till it get up to the bottom of it.
Someone probably already said this, but get some small ball valves and fill the gear box from the drain using a piece of vinyl tubing running up past the "fill". Think of a boiler sight glass. You will be able to see the level of the oil in the gearbox in the tube. The "fill" will act a a breather.
You baptized the new shop floor :)
you might be able to find some small ball valves so that you can put in a hose barb when you need to do an oil change. might make it a little less messy. seems every piece of equipment I use that needs oil changes has the drain plugs in the worst positions
When ever possible I add a valve or a shut off quick disconnect. Then the mate has a house attached.
I know it will be a while before you change out the oil on this again but you may find an oil suction gun useful for adding oil back in. They often have a plastic tube on the end that could probably go around that elbow.
Hi Adam, I would be looking at a tap fitting that you can fit a piece of flexible hose onto, so waste drium on the floor, flexible plastic hose from tap into bucket, no spills unless it overfills the drum.
You also need a funnel that can screw into the inlet to the QC gearbox that has a air vent into the gear box, so as you fill there is no air lock to prevent the oil not flowing into the gearbox.
I’ve been there, changing vacuum pump oil. No matter what precautions I would take I always made a mess. It became a game to see if I could do an oil change and not get a single drop of oil on the floor. I have yet to win that game!
I think the elbow on the gearbox filler was supposed to be on the head stock drain. Then you can fit your small funnel in the filler at 45 degrees and the air can come out around it.
13:38 the funnel tube shoul be a tight fit to that elbow thread so that when it bubbles up it would be up in the funnel where could be full of oil but still not making a mess down there
yes or put a hose on the funnel to go inside the fittings. the air could then escape around the hose.
For the filling process, get a small plastic tube to feed in about an inch past the corner in the elbow then put the funnel in without crushing the tube. The tube should allow the air to bleed.
This is a new kind of spam.
My dad ran a maintenance crew in an industrial gear factory.
Whenever they got a machine with fill holes in inconvenient places, they'd drill in new ones(and update the operator manual) so the operator wouldn't skip oil changes because of the inconvenience.