I posted this once but it doesn't seam to have shown up. If it does and this is a double post I'm sorry. Last night while turning my lathe started making a random clicking noise. With the chuck removed and the belt off I've narrowed it down to one of the bearings. When I was setting it up it had a noise but it was just a small piece of metal had stuck to the magnet for the speed sensor. But that always happened in the same spot and only happened going one direction. This is random and usually happens in reverse but will do it going in both directions. I'll call Grizzly tonight as it'll be covered under warranty but after doing a quick search it looks like I can replace both bearings with US made SKF for $20 with shipping.
It seams that I didn't realize that post could only be 1000 letters long so it didn't post. Here's the second half. I haven't looked at other top brands yet. I would expect that even the lesser priced Chinese brands should last for years but I would think the top tier brands should last a lifetime. The bearings are the metal shielding kind but I could switch to rubber sealed ones. The design of the spindle prevents all but the finest dust from even getting at the shielding. I would probably stick to the metal shield but it would be an option. What do others think? Is it worth the extra few bucks to never have to take it apart again? I wouldn't of thought too much about it but I read Harold Miller's thread about replacing his bearings which got me thinking about upgrading. I see there's a nut with a lock ring. Is that nut like the nut on a wheel bearing? Where it's tightened to put just enough thrust force on the bearings but not too much?
I could be wrong on this, Alex, but my educated guess is that it is not the bearing at all! Check these first. There is a spacer against the pulleys, and if the set screw has loosened a bit and allowed there to be the slightest play and the spacer is not bottomed out against the pulleys in the mortise for it, then ticking can result.....cannot hardly be seen by the eye, but it will show up! The second is the set screws on the pulley itself. Make sure they are locked down tight and it is probably a good idea to put some blue locktite on the threads to secure it in place, but find the source of the ticking before you do that. I am probably the oldest owner of the G0766, and mine still has had absolutely zero issues. I went through mine with a fine tooth comb, tightening every screw, bolt etc before ever powering it up for the first time...that is just how I do things.
I didn't check the nut to see if it was loose, I will do so. I did check all the set screws when I was setting it up. When it arrived the 4 screws holding the motor to the adjusting plate for the belt were loose (2 were loose, two fell out). So I when through everything that I could to make sure everything was tight. If I had to guess I would say it's a cage on a bearing. Before I do anything I'll remove the spindle to verify what the problem is. I did talk to Grizzly as the fan shroud on the motor was damaged during shipping from the screws loosening up. Since I don't feel any play in the spindle all they did was make a note so if it does become more of an issue they will cover it.
The pulley and the spacer are designed to mate together, and just the slightest bit of play or getting loose will produce a ticking sound. No longer than you've had your 0766, I don't think a bearing is the problem, but sometimes a bearing can be bad from the factory. Do get a premium bearing if you decide to replace them......no point in putting in anything that is not top quality! That lock ring is for snugging the nut tight and holding it at the correct tension. You want to fnd the sweet spot, with not too much pressure, and not too little.
So the nut felt tight but I removed it and the spindle pulley to get a better look. The first thing I noticed is that the bearing isn't the one listed in the parts diagram. It has the rubber seal not the metal shield, no big deal. The spacer could have been loose, there were some marks like it might have been slipping or even loose. But the big problem I found was one of the three magnets came loose. It actually had fallen out. I should have waited but I slid it back into place and it now sits too deep. I didn't pay attention before but now the max speed is only something like 800 so I'm guessing that the sensor is only reading the other two magnets. I'm going to try to use a power magnet to pull it back out. If I can get it out I'll put a little epoxy in the hole first and set it flush like the other two. If I can't I'll get a new one from Grizzly. The good news is the clicking seams to be gone so it's not a bad bearing.
good news. You'll get there, so keep at it with the magnet thing, and just make sure you get the polarity correct.
Roger the lathe whisper
I've had a few mystery noises. 1. The belt sometimes makes a slight squeek at low rpms and when ramping down. I've checked alignment (position of pulleys) and have removed the belt and hand rotated the spindle, without really uncovering any thing unusual. It changes with belt tension. But it comes and goes. 2. I have had a funny clicking sound when running in reverse. I checked the gap of the magnet assembly. Ultimately I traced it down to the motor pulley. The setscrew on the pulley appeared tight but when I tightened it a bit further the clicking went away. I think that this is the second time that I've done this. hmmm... 3. I had a motor knocking sound (could have been related to #2) and it went away when I retightened the rear bolt on the motor/belt tensioner. But these things are pretty minor. I'm the type of person that pays attention to funny sounds. If the machine is happy, then I am too. BTW, Roger, I appreciate your periodic advice on this subject.
Brice, I think your clicking sound is probably the spacer that Roger was talking about. The nut pushes against the pulley and sandwiches the spacer between the pulley and the bearing. When you tightened the set screw the pulley might have moved slightly and put enough extra pressure on the spacer. It would have been much nicer (but more expensive) if they had made the pulley and spacer one piece. I would never call the G0766 the prefect machine but I think we all knew that for what we paid. So far I'm very impressed with the lathe.
