Mini lathe killed?

C

chatter chatter cut cut

Registered
Registered
Joined
Jun 21, 2021
Messages
139
while boring a 1 in recess for bearings for live center i think iv killed my mini lathe. belt has shredded about the 4th time in about a year. motor will not run, and some evidence of hot wires around the speed control. very sad , i think i broke my toy.
 
chatter chatter cut cut said:
while boring a 1 in recess for bearings for live center i think iv killed my mini lathe. belt has shredded about the 4th time in about a year. motor will not run, and some evidence of hot wires around the speed control. very sad , i think i broke my toy.
Click to expand...
If the belt is shredding it seems like it's just an alignment issue. Or a bad pulley with a rough spot in it. The third possibility is your motor was running REALLY hot and softened the belt.
If the motor won't turn on, it goes back to the motor running hot and dying. Take the belt off and see if it moves.
There may be a few more shadetree tests but can't really say without knowing if the motor is AC/DC or anything else.
 
Mini-lathes typically use DC motors, either brushed or brush-less on higher end models.
 
chatter chatter cut cut said:
while boring a 1 in recess for bearings for live center i think iv killed my mini lathe. belt has shredded about the 4th time in about a year. motor will not run, and some evidence of hot wires around the speed control. very sad , i think i broke my toy.
Click to expand...
Many, if not most, of the mini lathes share parts and the little machine shop sells parts which will work with most of them like upgraded bearings, metal change gears, motors, etc...
 
If the tool is not sharp enough it can put too much strain on the motor and smoke things
Those inexpensive brazed-carbide boring bars are notorious for not being suitable for use out of the box
 
As long as your DOC wasn't too large, boring a 1 inch pocket shouldn't have presented a problem for your lathe.

Was your lathe exhibiting any symptoms of problems before it went totally sideways? Odd noises, burning smell, easily stalled while cutting?

Try turning the spindle by hand. If it turns really hard, even when the belt is removed, you may have a mechanical problem that has been loading down your motor. Bearings, transmission problem, something rubbing etc. As @Inferno mentioned, frequently shredding belts suggests an alignment problem -- I used the original belt on my 7x12 for over 15 years before it finally went south.

Also, once you've got the belt off, try turning the motor pulley by hand to see if it turns freely or not. Check the brushes if it's got 'em, and examine the commutator ring while you're at it.
 
chatter chatter cut cut said:
while boring a 1 in recess for bearings for live center i think iv killed my mini lathe. belt has shredded about the 4th time in about a year. motor will not run, and some evidence of hot wires around the speed control. very sad , i think i broke my toy.
Click to expand...
update just came in from shop . i am happy to report that the lathe is fixed. the motor had a stuck brush. having some knowledge of dc motors i was able to repair it.the control board seems to work fine during cutting the piece would walk out of the chuck increasing the feed rate this loaded the lathe to an extreme,causing over heating.
im thinking that i should grind the jaws of the chuck however runout is not excessive. maybe its time for a better one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top