My LAST Lathe Question!

Ruth,

I would call jet on that problem. I was having about the same kind of problem with mine and I just fussed with it for awhile and now it works. Maybe I stretched out the belt??

Good luck

rik

You're either going to have to stretch the belt somehow, or there is more travel left in that thing. It could very well be that something is stopping it from moving. Another possibility is that for transportation reasons - they crossed the belt onto the pulley next to it, drawing the belt up (worth checking anyhow), and now the belt needs lifted and put back on the right v-belt groove.

Is your banjo in the way? Move it to the far right just to be sure the bottom bolt of it isn't restricting movement of the motor upward. Otherwise, I'm assuming that the belt isn't already loose and able to be moved and the motor is already at it's normal upward limit?

- Andrew

Thanks for the opinions and advice. The belts are fine, I have changed speeds, with difficulty because I can't release the pressure of the motor weight.

The tool rest is completely out of the way.

I removed the loosening screw and see it has the capability to move up a good 1/2" which is perfect. I tipped the lathe over to watch exactly what was happening and when I lift the lever, the top of the motor is right against the ways; it has no place to go.

Maybe I'll take the motor off and see if there's a way of re-mounting it so it rises with the lever. Maybe I'll call Jet first!

Ruth

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"Ruth" wrote: (clip) Maybe I'll call Jet first! ^^^^^^^^^^^ Maybe this is a good excuse to call that handsome machinist who helped you before. Or would the General object?

ruth - I'd bet that either:

1. the pulleys (well, actually, sheaves) are out of alignment so that the belt is on the wrong pair
2. the belt is too short.

Evenin' Ruth:

I know you know what you're doing, But I have had a Jet mini for about two years now. Haven't had a problem. Have also used several at Woodcraft for demos and no problems. My belt is a clear material and stretches easily. Yours should be able to be pulled down for tension with the handle and should slip if the motor is all the way up. It sounds like your belt is too small.

Good Luck!

"Just one OLD man putin' in his two cents."

The Other Bruce

diameter groove on one pulley (now its loose), then move

your work) to turn the spindle during both operations.

quick. Personally, I use that method on ALL my lathes

whatsoever. Seriously, give it a try. Its easier than

Ummm...yes. But I'm not sure where this is going.

Peter Teubel Milford, MA

Same on my Jet that washer on the handle kept the motor from being moved up and down aslo the banjo hit the top of the motor and locked it up also the mounting bolt on the pivot point of the motor being lossend up didnot affect the motor moving as it has to be solid. Careful on peeling the belts from pulley to pulley so you dont get your fingers pinched in the assy. Power unconnected at all times!. Don.

William_b_Noble, Yes, the belt is straight and I don't think it's too short because I can move it to change speeds without lifting the motor. It's not as easy as it would be could I raise the motor weight, but I can change gears (so to speak).

Ruth

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Wait a minute, I think I'm just not getting what you, William Noble and one other poster meant by "the belt is too short"..... that it's holding the motor up so there is no more room for it to move when I pull up on the release handle, right? But if the belt were too short, wouldn't it be very hard for me to move the belt to the next step without lifting the motor weight?

I think I'm just a little bit more confused than when I first started. Machines come with an on/off button for a reason; reason being you turn them on and they work, when you're done, you turn them off and they stop working. Why can't it be that simple????

Ruth

Woodturners Logo My shop and Turnings at

I once had a friend who defined his "wife" in that context. Something you screwed on the bed, and it did the housework!

Hi Ruth, COC's want to know. Did you have all this trouble & woe with your Sears monotube? ;) Arch

Fortiter,

Hi Ruth, Personally, of all the mini's you'll see me talk about the Vicmarc. Aside from that, the Jet isn't a bad lathe, but does need some tuning out of the box. Our local woodturning club has a couple they use at the meetings, and every now and then we have to do something to one of them. As to the problem you are having, I have seen the same thing. And Tony is right, there is a washer that manages to get in the way every now and then. That or as others suggest, sometimes the banjo is above the motor and stops its movement when you lift the handle. I would check those two things first off. Another couple things to look at are the set screw on the pulleys and the tailstock.

1. The shafts on the ones I've used don't have a flat ground on them for the set screw to bear against. Secondly, they were not fully tapped either. It's a minor annoyance and something that can be fixed with a little work, but something Jet should have done themselves.
2. The tailstock quill lock, be careful about how far you loosten it. It basically rides in that slot and acts as a guide for the quill. Loosen it too far and the quill can rotate.
3. For my taste, the machining on the ways could have been better to allow the tailstock and banjo to be positioned easier. And before people start flaming me, saying that helps keep the banjo and tailstock locked down securely, I will say that my Vicmarc and my Oneway banjo and tailstock glide on the ways, and when they are locked down, they do not budge.

Tony, Don and Jim, Thank you, that washer was the problem. I took it off just to see and the motor moved just fine. Now I'll figure how to work around it; small dia. washer maybe?

Jim, I have to agree with the tailstock issue. It is so annoying when it creeps after locking it down. I tap it (how hard depends on what else is going wrong!) with a block of wood as I must do with The General, too. It just becomes a habit; an unnecessary habit but a habit.

Thanks, guys. : ) Ruth

Woodturners Logo My shop and Turnings at

Hi Ruth,

Expanding on Arch's thought, I wonder if anyone has had any of these troubles with a Oneway.

Would you like me to send you a link to their website?

Remember, there's the wrong way and the Oneway.

Good Luck,

Phil Axtell Central Florida Woodturners Space Coast Woodturners Orange County (CA) Woodturners

Ruth wrote: (clip)I had a "first" lathe that I was completely happy with, it never said "no" to what I wanted to turn (what I liked to turn). The biggest repair was a new belt in 10 yrs (!) (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^ Ruth, in keeping with this line of thought, I believe you should get rid of both of your present lathes, and get a treadle lathe, or a bow lathe. Then, you won't be troubled with that constant hassle of replacing a belt every ten years or so. Also, get rid of your clocks and watches, and get a sun dial or hour-glass. They never need cleaning. This reminds me of the slogan I saw once, in the yellow pages, for an ice company that was evidently feeling a loss of business due to refrigerators. "Ice never gets out of order."

I think a simple belt-drive lathe is simpler than a Reeves drive.

I have a Delta 46-715.

I had to take apart and clean the Reeves drive once.

The Reeves drive belt is not equally tight at all speeds.

The motor mount broke due to weak design.

Width for the Reeves drive necessitated design placement of the bearings at about 4" c-c. I think they are getting worn out.

More complex mounting makes change to a different motor (like a variable speed) more difficult.

Also on the 46-715, but unrelated to the drive: I bent the shaft in the banjo, so I had to make a new banjo and I snapped off the so-called outboard extension which is too long and extremely wimpy.

I am not a big fan of Reeves drive. Simpler stronger cheaper mechanical parts with an electronic variable speed motor would be the way to go.

Derek