Problem with AL320G Lathe

[burraboy]

I've had the lathe for about 7 months and it has worked well until it started revving slowly when it was switched on. There is a sort of tumbling noise in the headstock which disappears when it finally revs up to speed. A good slap in the direction of rotation will help it to speed up and get rid of the noise too.
Of course Hafco aren't sending a repairman down past Nowra to have a look. They suggested having an electrician to look at the capacitor start on the motor to begin with. Past that, I'm looking for suggestions. Anyone had a similar problem? Know any engineers around this area that might have better experience than me?

[Stustoys]

Hi,
Its a pretty common problem on these machines
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/mi...-start-164290/

I'm guessing you made a typo and its an AL320G?(if it really is an AL30 then you do have problems because I dont think they have cap start motor)

Stuart

p.s. Or does "past that" mean you have checked the cap and are happy that its up to spec?

[burraboy]

Thanks Stuart,
it was a typo which I hope I have fixed.
I looked through the thread you suggested.
I have started the motor with the drive belt off and it goes fine. There is also that tumbling sound which I am wary of. I have tried the long screwdriver to the ear in various spots, to see if I can detect any bearing noise while it is working, but only getting the noise during the 'warm-up'. There will be a proper leco looking at it next week but I am pre-empting that the cap will be OK and looking for options if that is the case. I can probably start looking at things before the leco has his say. Very frustrating, having work to do with the machine not going properly.
I know patience is a virtue, but.....

[Gavin Newman]

Have you taken the top off the gearbox to have a look yet?
Does the problem exist in all gears in both gear ranges?
If you take the belt off and turn the chuck by hand does it feel rough?

Rgds - Gavin

[Stustoys]

When you say the noise is there during "warm up" you mean when getting up to speed with the belts on?
I think you might just be hearing the motor struggling to get up to speed?

Stuart

[Gavin Newman]

When you say the noise is there during "warm up" you mean when getting up to speed with the belts on?
I think you might just be hearing the motor struggling to get up to speed?

Stuart

Or noise from the backlash in the gears if the motor is "cogging" trying to get up to speed.

Does it make a difference if you have the leadscrew out of mesh or not?

[burraboy]

I've had the cover off, plenty of oil and nothing odd that I could see.
No noticable play in headstock spindle
With belt off it starts up fine.
With belt on, turning pulley spindle only (out of gear) starts up fine.
In gear, the faster the speed the worse the warm up time.
With belt off and turning by hand, turns about at what I would expect, not excessively rough or hard to turn.
During 'warm-up' noise comes from headstock rather than motor.
No difference with leadscrew engaged or not.

[barkersegg]

Just a suggestion, did you make sure that the drive speed handles are fully engaged in position on whatever speed you select before starting it up? ....with my AL320 unless they are set tight, it sometimes 'jumps' out of drive or won't engage on start up......quite often it's a matter of 'wiggling' the headstock spindle to enure they are locked especially for the middle speed ranges.....they aren't a high precision machine so it's possible the gears aren't meshing correct.............just a thought........Lee

[burraboy]

Thanks for the suggestion Lee. I am cognisant that gear changes need a little 'humouring' to get them right. It is not a sophisticated set up indeed!