Lathe bogging down, need help please

[Scott Brandstetter]

I have a Jet 14 inch VS lathe and was turning tonight and it bogged down as I was making cuts. I have never experienced this before. I had a piece of green wood, approx 12 wide by 4 thick. I wasn't making huge cuts, everything normal as I've done in the past, and as I would be in a cut, the lathe speed slowed significantly. I also noticed a bit of a clicking sound, as I turned it off and it slowed to a stop. One other weird thing, that happened tonight, that hasn't happened before (I give all this info because maybe it is linked somehow) is that when I was turning the speed up, thinking maybe I didn't have the speed fast enough, the whole darn lathe began to walk across the concrete floor. I have 300# on concrete bags to weigh it down, also.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[allan kuntz]

Is it an AC or DC motor. I had a DC motor on a Laguan equivalent mine was a a Craftex that did the same thing right down to the clicking noise. It is now sitting in pieces and am using an AC driven lathe
Sorry I am no help
Al

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

Take the cover off the lathe and check ALL the set screws that hold the pulleys to their shafts.

[Bruce Lewane]

Take the cover off the lathe and check ALL the set screws that hold the pulleys to their shafts.
That was my problem when I first got my Nova. I check them frequently now.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Scott - I am not familiar with your lathe but the first thing I would check would be belt tension. As far as your lathe walking across the floor - that will happen when you are dealing with an out of balance load, even with the additional weight. The clicking could be any number of things, including a loose jaw in your chuck, if you are using one. I do agree that the clicking is most likely a loose set screw somewhere. Good luck!

[Reed Gray]

I believe the Jet 14 inch variable speed lathe is a Reeves drive, which is an adjustable pulley. The pulley is known to go out of whack some times, and may need to be adjusted. It might have loosened up and your belt tension is not high enough. Yes, out of balance pieces can make your lathe walk across the floor.

robo hippy

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

yes, it is a Reeves drive.

I had one, I also had a Jet 1236 - I had similar problems as the OP and that's why I suggested to check the pulley set screws.

[Scott Brandstetter]

I really appreciate those who took the time to reply and give help. Tonight I went down to the shop and carefully reviewed the pulleys, belt, set screws everywhere, and I simply could not find a thing wrong. Everything seemed in order and was tight. Not sure where to go next. I think I will put a call into Jet customer service to see if they have any suggestions. I will say it was pretty cool to see how the Reeves drive works on the lathe. I wish I was one of those smart people that come up with this type of stuff. Seems very efficient now that I've seen the guts of the machine.

[David Heathcote]

That surprises me, Scott.

Like many who responded in this thread my instinct was to bet on something coming adrift in the Reeves assembly.
Can you run the lathe and change speeds up and down while carefully watching the Reeves drive do its thing to see if anything is jumping around or slipping?
Has that clicking sound gone now, either when the lathe powers up or down or when you change speeds?

Anyway if it's not something loose/binding in the Reeves drive or elsewhere in the driveline, about all that's left is the motor or the spindle bearings, so with that in mind I'd be looking to see if;
Can you find any play/looseness in the spindle, either radially or axially?
Does it rotate without any resistance and is it quiet when it spins? Have you noticed it (the spindle or the housing the spindle bearings are in) getting abnormally hot after extended running times?
Does running the lathe with no work mounted on the spindle sound/feel the same as running it with a workpiece mounted?
Does lateral pressure on the spindle from the tailstock make any difference at all?

How about the motor? If you remove the drivebelt does it run quiet and power up and down with no problems or oddball noises? Even though the set screw(s) on the motor pulley feel tight with an allen wrench or whatever, could the pulley still be slipping on the motor shaft?

You'll find the problem eventually I'm sure, and I for one will be interested to hear what it was. Is the lathe still under any kind of warranty? Even if it's not, a call to Jet service can't hurt anything.

Telephone service can be limited in what they can diagnose though, 'cos if you lose a finger during some testing process that requires running the machine with guards removed so you can see what's happening (and stuff like that has happened, so do be very careful. Wear safety glasses too) there could be horrendous liability problems if they're the ones who suggested you try it.

[Marvin Hasenak]

Is the belt worn or about to break? Belts can stretch a little, a loose belt will cause the bog down symptom..