Anyway, there is a magnet at the swivel base that cut off power to the lathe when the cover is lifted up. It does gets in the way when turning big diameter stock close to the spindle but it prevent accidental touching of the spinning spindle when in operation.
I wonder if I should replace it or Loctite the magnet on the swivel base to allow the spindle to work without it. Those safety conscious folks may jump with it off but... I don't know. Will think about that. Anyway, I ordered the replacement and it should be on its way from Germany.
Some noise from within the gear compartment was also heard when the spindle was spinning. I opened the cover to have a look and saw these:
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| No, the belt didn't come off the pulley. I took it off for photo shoot and to cut away the frayed portion. |
4 comments:
Wong, I've never run a lathe with the guard but I can see that it would have kept the oil stripe off the left side of my shirt. I think I would replace it. I'd mount a metal plate in the clamp and rivet the guard back in place.
Belts should last longer. They usually fail do to too much tension or too much slipping. I prefer to keep my belt on the loose side, just enough tension to keep it from slipping under normal loads.
GeneK
GeneK,
I've ordered the guard and the belts.
There's a bolt that I've to loosen a little when changing belt. It is spring loaded and seems to have only 3 "positions"; lock, released, and push further forward to move the belt from one pulley to another. I'll try to take a video to show what I mean.
From the mess shown on the broken guard, it indeed helped in keeping the cutting oil from my shirt and all over. I don't have the habit of having my hands near the spinning chuck so that's not a problem.
Regards,
Wong
Wong, inspect the belt carefully. If there is any misalignment of the pulleys, all the pressure maybe on one edge of the belt, causing it to wear faster. This is the sort of failure I spend a lot of time and thinking and testing. In my mind you haven't had that lathe long enough to wear out a properly installed and tensioned belt.
GeneK
GeneK,
The 2 belts don't look worn. Just the side tearing up. I believe what you said is right; not placed properly. Too little use to wear them out.
Regards,
Wong
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