I recently wore out the bearings on my five year old PM lathe. I don't know if I should get a merrit badge for using it so much or if the bearings aren't up to the amount of abuse that I heap on my lathe. I do turn a lot of bowls from chainsawn blanks, and core almost all of them. Is it just me or has anyone else had this problem?
Sounds like the word "abuse" is justified, though I would guess that the coring is worse than the short-term out-of-balance loads. Were the bearings properly secured? Do you use the tailstock until round?
I do rough lathe-rattling beginnings too, and Ol' Blue (46-204) is still on his first quiet set. I do check and tighten as required a couple times a year, of course. Tough to estimate, but I'd guess he's got over a thousand 12" bowls, easy, at least as many smaller ones, plus spindle stuff.
Fortunately they're cheap.
Hi robo
It's probably the quality of the components used, but if all the things gone wrong is a set of bearings you shouldn't complain, replace with some quality bearings and your set for a number of years again, or you could upgrade to a Oneway, that would be the end of any problems imo.
Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo
robo hippy wrote:
After talking to anyone who would listen, including an older technition at powermatic who actually owns the same lathe, it could have been a bad bearing, or I could have worn it out (I do turn a LOT of bowls), or a combination of the two. PM did recomend that I release pressure on the bearings by loosening the nut slightly when turning spindles and to check to see if the bearings are heating up. I had never thought about tightening the bearings on a regular basis. Before I switch to a One Way, I'll have to wear out this next set of bearings. Of course it would be a challenge to see if I could do the same thing to the One Way. I haven't had the chance to try one yet. The one advantage the PM has over the One Way is the sliding headstock, which allows me to stand up straight no matter what I'm turning, and not having to bend over the bed. This helps the old back a lot on those 6, 8, 10 hour turning days. Also, I could get 2 PM's for the price of a One Way. If nothing else, the PM is the best bang for your buck in it's price range.
After talking to anyone who would listen, including an older technition at powermatic who actually owns the same lathe, it could have been a bad bearing, or I could have worn it out (I do turn a LOT of bowls), or a combination of the two. PM did recomend that I release pressure on the bearings by loosening the nut slightly when turning spindles and to check to see if the bearings are heating up. I had never thought about tightening the bearings on a regular basis. Before I switch to a One Way, I'll have to wear out this next set of bearings. Of course it would be a challenge to see if I could do the same thing to the One Way. I haven't had the chance to try one yet. The one advantage the PM has over the One Way is the sliding headstock, which allows me to stand up straight no matter what I'm turning, and not having to bend over the bed. This helps the old back a lot on those 6, 8, 10 hour turning days. Also, I could get 2 PM's for the price of a One Way. If nothing else, the PM is the best bang for your buck in it's price range.
Well, if you want something even better for your back than a sliding bed, you should try a Stubby S750. Once the piece is on a faceplate or a chuck, you can get the bed out of the way completely by rotating it and work from the end of the lathe.
Bill
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