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- Nov 16, 2012
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- 5,596
A computer guru's method of attaining magnets for the headstock:
Inside a computer's hard disk drive (3.5" or larger) you'll find a pair a very nice strong magnets. Odd shaped but very useful.
I use them all over the shop, I've been salvaging hard drives for their bearings and magnets for years.
Working distance is low. I've placed one at the front and back on the bottom of the birmingham headstock housing where the slopes in the casting are.
Scrounging hard drives is pretty easy.
View attachment 80666
Do be advised, they are strong, field of about 1 to 1.5 inches. Don't get them near you wallet (debit/credit card mag strips) or mobile phone.
They are usually attached to a backing plate which you can use for mounting screws and such. The yellow shrink-tube one in the lower left
is from an old 5.25 full height disk drive. It is darn near a 1/2" thick and very strong. I put the tubing on it to allow getting chips and filings off of it easier.
I've had luck using solvent or heat to remove the magnet from the mounting plate.
_Dan
Dan / All,
I used the same kind of magnet shown here in my 1236 lathe after the first oil change. They work very well for that purpose with no fear of it dislodging and causing a disaster. It was installed after the 1st oil change. When that oil was changed there was very little on it and after the 2nd change, just a light film of residue that so fine you'd need a microscope to see it. I left it in there and don't expect to find much on it (if anything) when I change the oil next year. After the first 2 oil changes, I only do them every 2 years now. It seems that once the gears break-in, the amount of wear is trivial. Given these gears are submerged, the last thing I'm concerned about is excessive wear.
Ray