Lathe Troubles

It sounds like a bearing problem, how did you check them? Do you have a dial indicator?

Dave in fairfax

Hi Donald, I think your lathe uses a Vee belt. These can take a set diagnosed by a thumping sound heard best with some kind of stethoscope device like a stick between ear and headstock. If you hear a rumble instead of a thump, think bad bearings.Your pencil marks seem to indicate a fixed eccentric or off center drive,. Perhaps bearings are ok but a bearing's seat is loose or canted, being worn or dirty . Did you check headcenter to tailcenter alignment with the spindle turning to see if the headcenter scribes a circle instead of a dot? Did you check the mandrel shaft to Morse taper alignment? Is the potmetal pulley still smooth and straight, its setscrew tight and the spindle nuts snug? Have you warped the lathe bed by bolting down unlevelled feet?

Did you consider selling the Rigid and buying a Jet Min(d)i? I would :) Arch

Fortiter,

Could be you are using a bit too much tailstock pressure, and bowing the piece.

Ken Grunke SW Wisconsin

Donald, If there's a wobble, there are a couple of possibilities; first is bearing sand the second is a bent spindle. If the lathe is the one I'm thinking about, it's a clone of the Sears monotube, and has a pretty scrawny spindle, and it could bend without enormous pressure. Essentially, it a piece of 3/4 inch pipe. A dial indicator will show if that's what's wrong. A third possibility is excessive tailstock pressure on the mandrel causing it to bend. however, this would cause more eccentricity in the middle of the work piece. Again, a dial indicatorwill answr most of the questions.

Ken Moon Webberville,TX

Or the low-cost version. A touch gage using the banjo/toolrest and dial indicator procedures will tell you what. To find out how much, you can use feeler gages or the dial indicator.

Hello Everyone.

You all have made some great suggestions. Especially the one suggesting I sell my lathe and get a better one. I wish I could afford to do that. I will try a few of your suggestions and see what happens.

I did replace the V-Belt tonight with a Goodyear automotive V-Belt with the teeth in it. I noticed the lathe runs allot smoother but there is still a wobble. It is improved but still not as good as it was 2 months ago.

Hi Donald

Try to eliminate parts that are involved, like mark the head stock shaft and the morse taper and the mandrel, then rotate one part 180 degrees and check again and the next part, till get to the bent, dirty or wore part, I think that is the way to go. You only need a little glue in the or on the morse taper, head stock etc.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Donald wrote:>Hello Everyone.

Now the pulleys? Tom Work at your leisure!