Walk This Way...

[Burt Alcantara]

I've been turning larger pieces at faster speeds. I'm finding 2 things are happening. Vibration and walking. The Mustard is unplugging itself.

I can understand vibration on an out of round piece but it seems like I'm getting the vibration of smaller pieces as well. Happens around the 900 RPM range. I've turned faster before so I don't know what's different other then the jiggle here, jiggle there may have put the lathe on a more uneven surface.

When I initially set it up, I screwed in the levelers just to get them in. Once upright, the lathe was bubble level with no rocking of any kind. Trying to wiggle 600#+ is no easy task so I may have been off right from the start.

How can I tell if I'm level on the floor. All that weight seems to just sink in where ever it is.

Thanks,
Burt

[Steve Schlumpf]

Burt - when I set my 1642 up the first time I went to great lengths to level it. Worked great - then I had to move it away from the wall about 6" - and had to level it again. Started doing bigger pieces and found the vibration was increasing - checked - and YUP - had to level the lathe again! No idea why this was happening as I had built a ballast box and had placed 7 bags of concrete inside for extra weight. I still get vibration with out of round pieces but I can vary the speed up or down a little and get rid of it.

I have never had my lathe decide to walk across the floor and unplug itself! Hope you find out what is causing the vibrations and fix it soon!

[Bob Vallaster]

Burt,
I do not have first-hand acquaintance with your lathe, but have a question about the leveling feet.
Is there a jam nut to hold the adjustment once you've made it? Given that a lathe is going to see vibration, it is possible a screw-type leveler might creep in the course of use. A jam-nut or some Loctite might be the cure.

BobV

[Richard Madison]

Another detail. Check the torque on the bolts that hold the legs to the bed. Pretty unlikely, but found one of mine a bit loose once. If this is a new problem, apparently something has changed. The re-leveling suggestion sounds good.

[Kirk Miller]

I loaded my little Jet 1014 on a stand up with an out of balance blank this winter and spent the next 1/2 hours chasing it around in circles till I got everything stabilized.......lol It never came uplugged though.....I use an extension cord.........lol

[Dan Forman]

I had to level my Mustard a couple of times. Cast iron will move a bit over time, so it may have adjusted itself to conform to your floor. I use my car jack to lift it enough to move the levelers up or down.

I haven't had anything very big on it yet, so haven't had to chase after it, but will have occasion to test it soon. I built a ballast box with about 150 pounds of sand in it.

Dan

[RL Johnson]

Burt, what type of flooring do you have? If it is not concrete, a wooden floor may have too much give at the concentrated loads under the levelers. If you do have a wooden floor you may have to shim under the levelers with a thick metal plate to spead the load. If you are on concrete, the car jack is what I used and you can also check your centers to make sure that they are in alignment. You will be suprised how flexible cast iron is.

[Burt Alcantara]

In a way I'm glad to hear others have this problem. My floor is concrete covered with industrial linoleum. There is a bit of slickness to it but not enough to cause me to slip. However, I can pull the lathe back to its position when it takes a walk.

As far as leveling, there is no space under the levelers. They all touch the ground. What I'm thinking is some may be seated further then others and that might be the problem. If this is the case then how do I know the weight distribution?

Thanks,
Burt

[John Fricke]

Burt.
The feet may very well all be touching and your lathe may still not be level. The Cast may flex enough to absorb slight uneveneness in your floor. Make sure with a bubble level that you are dead nuts level and make sure your centers line up perfect.

If you are level and square to the world how about gluing some 80 grit sanding discs to the bottom of your feet to prevent sliding? Grit side down of course :p

[Allen Neighbors]

When I set up my lathe, I mounted it to the floor with screws. (I have a wood floor with good bracing underneath). When I turn out of balance pieces, the whole shop vibrates, but the lathe stays put. And the centers remain aligned.
I suggest leveling, and permanently securing the lathe to the floor. Shims can be used when making a permanent location, to insure alignment and prevent bed twist.
The chance of overly large, unbalanced chunks, over an extended period of time, causing stress fractures in the metal of the lathe are minimal, and probably moot.
Just my .02.

[David Penner]

My mustard, too, has a vibration around 950--regardless of what is on it. However, I've never had mine vibrate so much that it starts walking.
The vibration disappears below and above that speed, so I just adjust the speed according to what I'm turning.

david

[Chris Stolicky]

2 thoughts:

1. I have no experience with this lathe, but from what I understand, there is a natural speed (at lower rpms) that will cause any lathe to vibrate. Now, 900 sounds fast to me, but who knows?

2. Depending on the type of floor and structure you are in, is it possible that you have some seasonal movement that could force the weight of the lathe to shift?

[Wally Dickerman]

Your lathe is put together with nuts and bolts. I'm sure that they're all tight, But in time there may be some movement. The leveling has to be touched up. Get 3 of the leveling bolts set and tightened. Bring the 4th bolt down until it just kisses the floor or pad if there is one. Should be leveled. Doesn't have to be bubble level.

Most lathes, especially those with fabricated steel in the construction will have a vibration point. With some it is so small that it's not noticeable. My Oneway has a slight vibration at 1600. Okay, so I can turn at 1500 or 1700. No problem. My Nichols was at 2100.. Again, no problem. I seldom wanted to turn at that speed anyway.

There will always be some controversy on whether it's best to bolt a lathe to the floor or not.

Wally