Thad Niles
05-11-2014, 7:12 PM
Hi all,
I just bought and set up the Harbor freight 12 inch wood lathe with reversible head. It doesn't seem to be running true and I'm curious if there's an obvious fix (I'm not a pro turner by any means) before I lug it back to the store.
Basically, when i turn facework I get a 'high' side and 'low' side. If I put a pencil to a bowl blank, the mark goes 50-75% around the circle. When I engage a tool, I feel it oscillating harshly towards me and away from me--following that high/low pattern. This occurs whether I'm using the faceplate or my chuck.
My guess is that the head, which can be loosened and spun around for outboard turning, may be at the core of the problem. I say this because the spur centers seem to line up, and a dial indicator doesn't show that my spindle is bent (and as i lurk through the forums a bent spindle seems very unlikely). The wood screw at the end of my chuck doesn't seem to wobble, it seems to spin nice and tight. If I put a marker to the "face" of my chuck, that circle seems good. Process of elimination is pointing me towards thinking that the rotating headstock is causing problems.
What if the headstock/spindle is pointing a little up or down in relation to the bedways? That's an idea I'm kicking around right now.
Sorry to bother you guys for thoughts on a cheapo tool that's not behaving. But in a way, I almost can't fathom how even an inacaccurate lathe could produce a high and low side? My last lathe was a 1940's crafstman with brass bearings and it would click and wobble if you applied lateral pressure with your hand, but performed admirably in practice. If something is spinning, and I apply a tool at one single point, how on earth could there be high and low points--it's hard for me to imagine in my mind's eye how the tool would oscillate in and out instead of just cutting that "high" point.
So I'm a little stumped.
I just bought and set up the Harbor freight 12 inch wood lathe with reversible head. It doesn't seem to be running true and I'm curious if there's an obvious fix (I'm not a pro turner by any means) before I lug it back to the store.
Basically, when i turn facework I get a 'high' side and 'low' side. If I put a pencil to a bowl blank, the mark goes 50-75% around the circle. When I engage a tool, I feel it oscillating harshly towards me and away from me--following that high/low pattern. This occurs whether I'm using the faceplate or my chuck.
My guess is that the head, which can be loosened and spun around for outboard turning, may be at the core of the problem. I say this because the spur centers seem to line up, and a dial indicator doesn't show that my spindle is bent (and as i lurk through the forums a bent spindle seems very unlikely). The wood screw at the end of my chuck doesn't seem to wobble, it seems to spin nice and tight. If I put a marker to the "face" of my chuck, that circle seems good. Process of elimination is pointing me towards thinking that the rotating headstock is causing problems.
What if the headstock/spindle is pointing a little up or down in relation to the bedways? That's an idea I'm kicking around right now.
Sorry to bother you guys for thoughts on a cheapo tool that's not behaving. But in a way, I almost can't fathom how even an inacaccurate lathe could produce a high and low side? My last lathe was a 1940's crafstman with brass bearings and it would click and wobble if you applied lateral pressure with your hand, but performed admirably in practice. If something is spinning, and I apply a tool at one single point, how on earth could there be high and low points--it's hard for me to imagine in my mind's eye how the tool would oscillate in and out instead of just cutting that "high" point.
So I'm a little stumped.