3 in 1 machine, it leaks!

T

Tincamp67

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Several months ago I bought an older, 1992, Smithy in good shape with a bunch of tooling. Just got it set up and tested it last weekend. Seemed really noisy, the lathe and especially the mill. I did some disassembly, lubed the gears for the milling head and added oil to the headstock reservoir per instructions which leave something to be desired.

Anyway, I enter my shop today to see oil has started to seep out from under the machine. Is this normal for these critters? My first experience with one so I'm wondering if they are just on the messy side, and noisy? My only experience so far is with a south bend lathe that I've had for about 10 years. Quiet and clean with that.

Any input is appreciated.
 
What kind if noisy is it? Noise when what happens? Does it look like all the oil you put in came back out?
Do you think it could have been full when you added the oil?
 
itsme_Bernie said:
What kind if noisy is it? Noise when what happens? Does it look like all the oil you put in came back out?
Do you think it could have been full when you added the oil?
Click to expand...


It's noisy when running, even without the carriage feed engaged and on slower speeds, without turning or cutting anything. Less noisy after the lubing. And is appears that the oil I put in is leaking out somewhere under the headstock. It wasn't full, I couldn't even see oil before I added some. I don't think I over filled it.

I won't use it without earmuffs. Although my ears are a little sensitive.
 
Open the door from the power side of the machine and just below the clutch between the pulley wheels you will see two little bolt heads. Sometimes these get loose and the oil leaks out from this site. Is it oily inside the housing that the motor pulleys and the clutch is? If this is the case, attempt to slightly tighten the screws. If they move, then refill the lathe slightly and watch again. If it continues to leak from either of these screws, you could dry off the site and back these bolts out slightly. Place some Clear silicone caulk on these bolts around the threaded area under the head of the bolt. Then, re-tighten them. My smithy came from the factory new and after I filled it with oil, the box was full of oil the next day. After calling Smithy, Kerry told me to check these bolts and they were loose. I backed out these 2 bolts, applied a little silicone sealant and re-snugged the 2 bolts. Never has leaked again. Good Luck - if you need to, call Smithy and ask for Tom or Kerry and they will fix you up.
 
I'm sorry to only have new questions, but is it motor noise, or gear noise? I wonder if you have bad bearings in a motor or something, to be making that much noise, cutting or not.




Bernie
 
Just the tiniest bit of oil under the cover on the left side of the machine. Not enough to be the source of what I'm seeing. It looks like it's coming from the gear case/headstock area.

That is also the source of the noise, gears or bearings? I don't know. Hadn't considered bearings a but it's a possibility. There doesn't seem to be any play in the faceplate. Maybe I should try turning something to see if I get movement or vibration.


I don't have any frame of reference for this machine. Never owned one but general consensus seems to be that the import mini mills and lathes are noisy. I do know the original owner but he moved to Florida last fall. He was a part time gunsmith, very part time, after he retired from his first job.
 
My Smithy CB1220XL is twenty years old. I have made many upgrades on it to make it more proficient. DRO's on all three axis. I can hold 0.0005 with it! I have invested in gobs of tooling for it, as sine plates,3&4jaw chucks, ER-40 Collet chuck for both mill and throat spindle, cross feed table and numerous other attachments. I found, the more you use it, the better they get.

the nerve center.jpg X&Y Dro's.jpg
 
Um, just a thot... does the noise diminish if you run it in reverse?
 
I have a new Grizz 17x31 and the mill and lathe run quiet! Must have got lucky with the noise factor. A lot of owners complain about the noisy running. Now working on accuracy issues. Seems to be coming all together for me after resolving issues.
 
I have an idea of where your leak is coming from, I have B2229 mill/lathe combo which is similar in style to yours. If you remove the headstock from the base you will find a small set screw on the underside that tends to leak since they don't use any kind of sealer on it or the threads. I just tore mine apart to find this leak and fix it, it was driving me crazy.
Would like to post pics but I need more posts.....soon
 
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