Going into Orbit?

[OSCAR15]

I had purchased a 60 deg live center from Little Machine Shop, and had been using with no problems at all for several months. Now, when I engage tailstock, and turn lathe on, it seems that either the live center isn't moving, or sometimes it turns Very Slowly....
When lathe isn't in use, it spins freely, so I do not think it is a bad bearing in the live center.... I do not overtighten tailstock, or nut on mandrell.
The sound is somewhat a chatter, but extremely loud......
Has anyone else run across this

I would appreciate any advice...

Thanks in advance....OSCAR

 

[ctEaglesc]

It sounds like you sir have a bad bearing.It sounds like the race is worn.
It spins with no pressure on it but won't with the slightest pressure.
Maybe Mudder will chime in, he's great at that stuff.

 

[kenwc]

I'm beginning to be a little suspicious of the LMS LC. I have two and one gets very hot and the other doesn't. Both of them take quite a bit of effort to spin the center with your fingers even when new. It makes me think that I'm having to draw up the tailstock more than I should to get them to spin at speed. I don't have anything else to compare them too except my std JET LC's though.

 

[Randy_]

I'm a bit puzzled by your description. Specifically with regard to the sound. Do you have this chattering sound even when the LC is not turning??

Under normal circumstances, if the bearing is going bad, you should probably be able to turn it while holding it in your hand and feel some roughness when rotating it. Hold the arbor in one hand and twist the point with the other while applying some pressure to the tip and see if you feel any roughness or resistance to turning. If you feel any roughness or scratchiness, the bearing is almost certainly on its last legs.

Another possibility is that you do not have enough pressure on the LC. Too little is as bad as too much. There has to be enough pressure on the tip from the tailstock to create enough friction on the tip to overcome the internal friction of the LC and spin it. Otherwise, the mandrel will spin; but the LC won't and you will hear some noise from the tip and the mandrel rubbing against each other.

When I first got it, my LC was very stiff. It turned smoothly but not freely. It required a lot of pressure from the tailstock to make it spin. I had to soak it in kerosene to flush out some of the excess grease so it would turn more freely.

It's awfully hard to diagnose a problem like this from just a few written notes; but it is a little hard to imagine a bearing would fail after only a few months of use unless it was being used almost 24/7.

Let us know how this turns out.

 

[jrc]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=38573

 

[OSCAR15]

Thanks to all of you for all the input...
Randy, it is a "chattering" kind of noise, hard to describe. The LC turns freely without making noise when the lathe is off. This seemed to happen after a cleaning where I sprayed WD=40 into the bearings of LC.
I cannot see how that should cause any problems, but I think I will try cleaning out by soaking in kerosene as you did. If that fails, I will
break down and get another LC. It may be (as ctEaglesc said) a bad bearing.
I too after reading what kenwc said will avoid the LMS center if I need to purchase another. I have not used it more than a few hours before this happened. Like the old adage "you do indeed get what you pay for".

Thanks to all of you ! Oscar[]

 

[Pikebite]

Originally posted by jrc
<br />

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=38573

Interesting that the maximum RPM stated for this centre is 2500. I usually turn faster than that upto 3700rpm.

 

[Blind_Squirrel]

I have been very happy with my Woodcraft Pro Live Center Set http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=3727

 

[mrplace]

That sounds just like a bearing. I have had two go out on mine. I think it has to do with the way the bearings, and then the arbor is pressed in to the back.

 

[ctEaglesc]

Cleaning with WD 40 or the kerosene may be your broplem if it is a sealed bearing.
I may be wrong but the lubricating properties of Kero or WD 40 which is like Kero + a perfume are minimal.
Would you lubriacte an engine with Kerosene?
Do you spray WD40 on the LC on a regular basis?It is a very light "oil"

 

[TellicoTurning]

Eagle,
I don't have any problem with my LC.. it is the original that came with my Jet mini.. but I have sprayed WD40... would a machine oil be better.. maybe "borrow" wife's sewing machine oil (3 in 1) or like be better..[?]

 

[Jerryconn]

My LMS live center will get hot as well, no noise yet (fingers crossed) been using it for maybe three months. I engage mine until I feel a little resistance on the tailstock crank.

 

[TBone]

LMS had to replace my first one due to runout. So far second one is fine. I turn on the lathe and advance the tailstock until the center makes contact and spins, then lock into place. Not sure if that's correct but I think I read that here.

 

[ctEaglesc]

Originally posted by ozmandus
<br />Eagle,
I don't have any problem with my LC.. it is the original that came with my Jet mini.. but I have sprayed WD40... would a machine oil be better.. maybe "borrow" wife's sewing machine oil (3 in 1) or like be better..[?]

I read in your original post:
" it seems that either the live center isn't moving, or sometimes it turns Very Slowly....
When lathe isn't in use, it spins freely,"

That indicates to me there is a problem with the bearing.
OR
I have a GROZ LC which is much larger than the stock center and due to its mass sometimes won't spin if I don't have the LC engaged enough.It may be the tip of the LC doesn't cause enough contact surface for the mandrel to drive it or the mandrel depression is worn so that it does not "mate" with the lc.

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by jrc
<br />

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=38573

Note that the max. RPMs listed for that LC is 2500. A lot of the lathes we use for turning pens run faster than that.

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by OSCAR15
<br />.....I too after reading what kenwc said will avoid the LMS center if I need to purchase another. I have not used it more than a few hours before this happened. Like the old adage "you do indeed get what you pay for"......

Dave: If you have seen the posts about the LMS LCs over the past year or more, there have been quite a few satisfied customers. But there have also been several "RECENT" post about problems. Maybe LMS has just gotten a bad batch of centers, recently?? First thing I would do is email them and advise them of you problem after so few operating hours. I don't remember what kind of guarantee they offer; but it has been reported that they have been very good about replacing defective units.

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by ctEaglesc
<br />Cleaning with WD 40 or the kerosene may be your broplem if it is a sealed bearing. I may be wrong but the lubricating properties of Kero or WD 40 which is like Kero + a perfume are minimal.....

Eagle, of course, is 100% correct!! Kerosene and WD-40 are not good lubricants. Using them lightly on the surface of a bearing for the purpose of cleaning should not be a problem; but soaking will remove the grease from the bearing and cause you serious problems. Just to clarify my earlier comments, my LC apparently had excessive grease in it from the manufacturer as it was very difficult to spin. It was not seized up, just extremely stiff from too much grease or maybe the grease was too thick?? Anyway, I soaked my LC in an effort to remove or thin out the grease. I "WOULD NOT" recommend soaking on a regular basis unless you also disassemble the bearing and repack it with the proper grease. After the soaking, the LC turned much more freely and I have used it lightly; but regularly, for more than a year and had no further problems.

 

[OSCAR15]

Thanks for all the responses! I will contact LMS and see if they will replace.... Oscar

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by Jerryconn
<br />My LMS live center will get hot as well, no noise yet (fingers crossed) been using it for maybe three months. I engage mine until I feel a little resistance on the tailstock crank.

All bearings will warm up if run them for a while. Don't know exactly what you mean by hot and can't tell you what is too hot. I wouldn't worry about it unless the bearing starts making noise or unless you start feeling roughness when spinning the thing by hand.

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by TBone
<br />LMS had to replace my first one due to runout. So far second one is fine. I turn on the lathe and advance the tailstock until the center makes contact and spins, then lock into place. Not sure if that's correct but I think I read that here.

That is essentially how I do it.

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by ctEaglesc
[br.....I have a GROZ LC which is much larger than the stock center and due to its mass sometimes won't spin if I don't have the LC engaged enough.It may be the tip of the LC doesn't cause enough contact surface for the mandrel to drive it or the mandrel depression is worn so that it does not "mate" with the lc.

That was the point I tried to make earlier; but eagle said a little better than I did. Try a little more pressure on the LC from the tailstock and see if that helps.