Help! Pm 3520B Faceplate Stuck

[BILL DONAHUE]

Working on a small piece and the Don Pencil 2 1/2" faceplate won't come off the PM 3520B. Tried using the knock out bar from my Jet Mini, pulling at the faceplate while holding the spindle lock button - didn't work. Got my wife to hold the spindle lock button while I beat the knock out bar with a hammer - didn't work. Now the spindle lock button won't work so I probably broke it. Any suggestions on how to get the faceplate off?

[Andrew Derhammer]

Did you put a grub screw in the faceplate to hold it onto the spindle? I know it sounds like a dumb question but figured i'd ask.

[Don Carter]

Bill:
Do you have a strap wrench? If not screw a long piece of 2x4 to the face plate and give it a whack with a deadblow. Let us know if/when you get off.

All the best.

Don

[ROY DICK]

Bill, A face plate is threaded and unscrews counter clock wise, a knock out bar is to remove a morse tapper.
I hope I understood your thread correct.

Roy

[BILL DONAHUE]

Roy, The Jet Mini's knockout bar just happens to fit the hole on the faceplate. Normally, putting the knockout bar in the hole and pullling it to the left (counter clockwise) while holding the spindle lock button would loosen it. This time it didn't work.

[Harvey M. Taylor]

Bill, if and when you get the faceplate off get a gallon plastic milk jug, empty, of course. Make a washer/gasket from a flat side of the jug and put it on the spindle before the faceplate and you wont have that problem again. Craft Supplies and others sell commercially made ones, about a buck for three. Invaluable.Good luck on the removal, Max

[Ron Erickson]

Bill,
Try taking the cover off the spindle lock button and with a pliers pull out the button. It may come out hard. My guess is the end of it is scuffed up. If it is scuffed up, file it smooth and reassemble. To remove the faceplate, put a bar in the faceplate and while turning the faceplate push in the lock button, the sudden stop should jerk the faceplate loose. Hope this helps. Ron

[Jeff Nicol]

Working on a small piece and the Don Pencil 2 1/2" faceplate won't come off the PM 3520B. Tried using the knock out bar from my Jet Mini, pulling at the faceplate while holding the spindle lock button - didn't work. Got my wife to hold the spindle lock button while I beat the knock out bar with a hammer - didn't work. Now the spindle lock button won't work so I probably broke it. Any suggestions on how to get the faceplate off?
Bill, I have some of the small faceplates from Don Pencil and I use them on my smaller lathes (1"x8tpi) I sometimes have the same thing happen to them. I believe the aluminum is pretty soft on these little faceplates. I use them still but I make sure they are seated good and tight to the face of the spindle so when turning they don't tighten up and stick hard to the spindle. The little washer talked about above is a good idea too. But you can take a long piece of wood and put it across the screw holes in the faceplate and put some screws into the board thus creating a long handle to gain leverage on the face plate. Not sure why the spindle lock failed, but there are 2 bolts that hold it on the lathe so you should be able to take it out and see what happened. Hope this helps you out.

Jeff

[BILL DONAHUE]

Thanks guys. I'm strictly a numbers guy and probably the most un-handy guy who ever took up woodturning. What comes easy to you guys is difficult for me. Spent the better part of two days messing with a very small project that got stuck. Took your suggestions. Removed the RPM indicator and could see that the spot that the spindle lock was supposed to fit in had slipped out of place due to a loose set screw. Got that working again. Then made a trip to Lowes to get a strap wrench - but it couldn't get a tight enough grip. Managed to get the wood off the faceplate with a 1" tip of a phillips head screwdriver held by pliers. Screwed a board on the faceplate and the screws bent and it was obvious that the board was about to break. Went back to the knock out bar from the Jet mini and since the wood was off, could hit it with a hammer close enough to the faceplate so the bar didn't bend and that did it. Should have taken some shop classes in H.S.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Bill - sounds like that had to have been a royal pain to deal with! Glad you got it figured out!

[Don Carter]

Bill:
Glad you got that thing off. It must have really been on there tight. I do use a nylon washer on my spindle but I have had some still get tight. But not that tight! Keep on turning.

All the best.

Don

[Scott Conners]

Check the faceplate carefully for spots where the anodizing color is gone to see where it fused on. If it was against the spindle collar, a plastic washer as others have suggested can definitely help. You want plastic if a nice uniform thickness to keep the faceplate running true.

[Judy Kingery]

Bill, I had the same trouble as Jeff identified, aluminum small face plate on a steel spindle mates all too well. I just went steel to steel and no longer use aluminum face plates, no problem since then at all.

Best to you,

Jude

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Try using automobile Anti-sieze lube on your faceplate. The problem is 2 dis-similar metals binding. All you will need is a little on the threads. screw the faceplate on and off a couple times to spread the lube. Wipe off the excess on your PM. It's a little messy, but that should also help. The goal is to get it in the threads of the faceplate, so it won't get all over you.

[ROY DICK]

Roy, The Jet Mini's knockout bar just happens to fit the hole on the faceplate. Normally, putting the knockout bar in the hole and pullling it to the left (counter clockwise) while holding the spindle lock button would loosen it. This time it didn't work.
BILL,
I am pleased to know you got it going your way. i should have checked further on you lathe tho.:(

I am opening mouth to insert foot. It tastes better with tabasco.

Roy

[BILL DONAHUE]

One last comment. One of the big pluses of this forum is that it encourages a totally unmechanically minded guy like me to stretch and take a chance. I decided to take up woodturniing after seeing an interview with a turner on local TV. I went to see the guy and at that time didn't know what a lathe or bandsaw was. This weekend I took more pride than you guys can imagine in taking off a cover on the headstock, figuring why the spindle lock didn't work, and fixing it. Wouldn't have happened without this forum.

[Don Carter]

Hey Bill;
We all have our areas or expertise, that's what makes this site great. I am so glad it worked out for you. Most of us have advice about how to fix a problem because we have had the same problem. Keep turning and keep coming back to the Creek.

All the best.

Don

[Mike Lipke]

You could have put the lathe in the freezer for an hour or so. Parts would shrink and set it free.:):):)