Patent ID: 8051753

Claim:
A journal turning lathe for machining tapered shafts comprising: a) a drive housing including a first annular member and an annular drive gear journaled for rotation with respect to the first annular member; b) a support housing comprising a second annular member and an annular driven gear journaled for rotation with respect to the second annular member; c) a plurality of spacer rails coupled between the drive housing and the support housing for maintaining the drive housing and support housing in parallel, spaced-apart relation with the first annular driving gear facing the annular driven gear; d) a motor attached to the drive housing for driving the annular drive gear; e) a coupling shaft extending from the drive gear to the driven gear, the coupling shaft having a gear train at opposed ends thereof arranged such that rotational movement of the drive gear is transmitted to the driven gear; f) a radially adjustable drive bracket assembly affixed to and rotatable with the annular drive gear and a radially adjustable support bracket assembly affixed to and rotatable with the annular driven gear; g) a pair of parallel slide rails coupled at opposed ends to said drive bracket assembly and said support bracket assembly; h) a cutting head slidably mounted on the pair of parallel slide rails; i) a threaded lead screw carrying a traveling nut thereon, the nut being operatively coupled to the cutting head whereby rotation of the lead screw causes longitudinal displacement of the cutting head along the pair of slide rails; and j) a cam arm coupled through a one-way clutch to the lead screw and adapted to be actuated by a tripper assembly mounted so as to be engaged by the cam arm during orbiting movement of the drive and driven gears.