New member and already have machine problem

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bikerdib

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I'd been considering a benchtop lathe for a while and when I found an unused Central Machinery 7x10 at a garage sale for $100, I bought. I got it home, cleaned off all the packing grease (cosmoline?) and proceeded to get all the slack out of the carrage, cross slide and compound slide (or as much as was possible). I also bought and installed a quick change tool post with extra tool holders. I also have a camlock kit coming for the tailstock.

I used some 1/2" steel rod that I turned to a fine point to make a tool for tailstock and cutting tool alignment. So, I pretty much had it all set up.

Yesterday evening I mounted some brass stock to do my first small project. Turned on the power switch (which lit up like usual), selected forward and slowly turned the speed pentometer up... and nothing :(

I found a trouble shooting direction for mini lathes and proceeded to try and sort it out. Checked continuity of the fuse and holder, check. Tried to check the lighted power switch but get continuity when the directions say I shouldn't. Same thing with the pentometer, continuity when I shouldn't although the output check showed it was giving the correct ohms when running that check.

So... after some consideration, I've decided to takemy lumps and get a different lathe. I want the ability to carry it to a metal welding table but store it away when not using so weight and size are considerations. Looking at the Grizzly G0768 and it seems to fit those criteria.

If you are near Houston southwest and need a HF mini for parts, it's yours for free (too heavy to ship).

Dennis
 
Thanks Tim. Ya', it may be an easy fix but I've exhausted my skil level trying to figure it out. I don't know how to proceed...
 
One thought: That lathe has a 'chuck guard'? Sometimes there's a switch in the hinge that won't allow the motor to run unless the guard is flipped down. That 'feature' can usually be bypassed with a jumper on the controller board. Wiring diagrams are on the LittleMachineShop website.
 
VicHobbyGuy said:
One thought: That lathe has a 'chuck guard'? Sometimes there's a switch in the hinge that won't allow the motor to run unless the guard is flipped down. That 'feature' can usually be bypassed with a jumper on the controller board. Wiring diagrams are on the LittleMachineShop website.
Click to expand...
Yes, mine does have the provision for that but since the plastic guard was MIA, I removed the shaft. I took the switch apart to find operation and without the shaft, the switch is in the run position (it was running before). Also, when I push on the little nub that moves the switch, I hear the clicking in the board so it seems to be working fine.

I did the 9 volt battery test and the motor runs steady so it is either in the controls or the board.
 
Also, welcome to the site.

$100 is a good price for one of these machines and if you need portable you'll likely end up with another one pretty much the same or a Sherline. It's pretty common for the control boards to go out and although I've never done business with him olduhfguy seems to be pretty solid on this stuff.

John
 
matthewsx said:
although I've never done business with him olduhfguy seems to be pretty solid on this stuff.
Click to expand...
Peter Brush (olduhfguy) is a very reliable and trustworthy person, and the 'go-to' guy for the controllers on small Chinese lathes and mills. He's repaired boards for me a few times and the service was great, and the price was reasonable, even with the higher cost of shipping to Canada.
 
bikerdib said:
I took the switch apart to find operation ......I did the 9 volt battery test ....
Click to expand...
It sounds like you are pretty capable of troubleshooting (and building?) electrical gear. When I blew the controller on my 7x14, I put together a cheap controller (following ideas for treadmill motor controllers) and that worked fine for more than a year, even after I got the repaired board back from olduhfguy (Peter Brush). So that might be a possibility for you, if you enjoy that sort of work.
It does seem strange that your machine just 'decided not to work' - I recall that I overloaded the controller and blew it up, while I was turning good metal into chips. :)
 
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