Mid-morning All :D
Another late rising here :(
This has to stop, just because I am now an official pensioner is no real excuse for tardiness.
No snow here.
My new lathe is kaputski and in pieces on the work bench. The drive system is in need of some re-design as it chews belts and spits them out again. The toothed pulleys aren't properly aligned, the belt just destroys itself trying to break free and climb the side wall of the drive pulley and they have made it so tight that it strips the teeth away and puts undue stress on the main spindle bearings. Not good at all in this respect.
I will see what I can do to resolve it with some proper alignment, a new (longer) belt and some form of tensioner.
Have a great day everyone. :D
Hava search ont youtube for fixes others have done to theirs.
 
Hava search ont youtube for fixes others have done to theirs.
Yup, been there and done that for all the "common problems" with these styles of lathes.
Sadly, my problem isn't up there except for one poor sausage whose MX 8 x 14 is in a far worse state than mine :(
I can probably fix it, but I shouldn't have to. It has run for <2-hours and it is stripping the belt of teeth and just isn't "right".
I am in touch with the supplier and we are "doing the dance" where he pretends he is trying to help me and I pretend I believe him.
These are essentially simple machines but the way they have organised the main drive on this one is pretty awful. :(
I have asked them to provide a new drive belt (for a start) and they have suggested I alter the motor's position to lessen the strain on the belt.
Trouble is, the motor pulley has been hammered onto the motor-spindle and is immovable along the shaft and the motor mount points are bolt holes and not "slots" so the degree of movement is extremely limited.
I will get there and I will fix it. It is just ruddy annoying.
 
Yup, been there and done that for all the "common problems" with these styles of lathes.
Sadly, my problem isn't up there except for one poor sausage whose MX 8 x 14 is in a far worse state than mine :(
I can probably fix it, but I shouldn't have to. It has run for <2-hours and it is stripping the belt of teeth and just isn't "right".
I am in touch with the supplier and we are "doing the dance" where he pretends he is trying to help me and I pretend I believe him.
These are essentially simple machines but the way they have organised the main drive on this one is pretty awful. :(
I have asked them to provide a new drive belt (for a start) and they have suggested I alter the motor's position to lessen the strain on the belt.
Trouble is, the motor pulley has been hammered onto the motor-spindle and is immovable along the shaft and the motor mount points are bolt holes and not "slots" so the degree of movement is extremely limited.
I will get there and I will fix it. It is just ruddy annoying.
You know, when I started to look for a new lathe, I did think of getting a Chinese one. So many people have videos of them having problems I went with a 1949 Smart & Brown. I still have problems that require sorting but I think, hey its older than me!!
It doesn't really matter which way you go, if it is a bad one, it will give trouble sadly :(
 
No, it does have flat belts but it was an early uptake of the electric motor :)
Yes, a lot of "Home Lathes" were "treadle-powered" before small electric motors came along. :)
I did think of getting a Myford ML7 (or similar) but they are commanding £1 .. 1.5K prices it seems.
I could just write this off as a salutary lesson and go elsewhere, but I will do my best to resolve it first.
I might just be lucky enough that this is the only real problem with the machine.
I think MOST machines are now "Made In China" and the truth of it is that all things are made to a specification and a price-point detailed in a contract somewhere.
Some of the German branded lathes are actually Made In China, but the specification and QC is properly applied. :)
 
I did think of getting a Myford ML7 (or similar) but they are commanding £1 .. 1.5K prices it seems.
I did too as that was what I had sold 7 years ago (foolishly!!) I actually paid £700 for my S&B but it came with a new 3ph motor and VFD (Siemens) and also a shed load of tooling, chucks and spares.
I later acquired another Model M lathe for nothing so I am good for spares ;)
I hope you can fix it and maybe even improve it!
 
I did too as that was what I had sold 7 years ago (foolishly!!) I actually paid £700 for my S&B but it came with a new 3ph motor and VFD (Siemens) and also a shed load of tooling, chucks and spares.
I later acquired another Model M lathe for nothing so I am good for spares ;)
I hope you can fix it and maybe even improve it!
One of the reasons I went for a new one, was that a lot of the older lathes are knackered and I didnt want to spend hundreds get one back in to spec.
 
One of the reasons I went for a new one, was that a lot of the older lathes are knackered and I didnt want to spend hundreds get one back in to spec.
Whilst I do agree and nearly did the same, I doubt your Warco will still be churning out parts in 70 years time like my old S&B :) I don't have anything against them I just like a lathe that knows how I feel (knackered) lol
 
Whilst I do agree and nearly did the same, I doubt your Warco will still be churning out parts in 70 years time like my old S&B :) I don't have anything against them I just like a lathe that knows how I feel (knackered) lol
I am not sure how many 140 year olds are operating lathes?
Do you have any imperical date to support your hypothesis?
 

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