new lathe arrived, but problem

[Russianwolf]

Got it home and put together:

Came in two boxes. One with the legs and the other with everythng else. Assembly was 8 screws to attach the legs. Took about 10 minutes by myself.

Quickly set it up with a spindle and turned it nice and round. I love the speed control even if the speed range isn't optimal.

decided to try turning a piece of fresh cut Willow on my chuck. Part of the reason I went with this model was the 1x8 TPI which matched my little PSI Tunrcrafter Pro. My chuck went on and had this little cup turning in no time. I stopped the lathe after doing a little sanding to check my progress. Turned it back on and it won't get up to 200 rpms now

The motor is very hot and the lights dim everytime I flip the switch. I'm going to let it cool off and try again later. I will be pissed if the motor is dead inside of 15 minutes of turning. I can turn it by hand without a problem so the bearings seem fine and it doesn't seem to be binding.

Anyone have an experience like this before?

 

[ed4copies]

OK, the obvious!

You sure there is not packing material (Peanuts or something) inside the motor or supporting the drive shaft, or someplace else not readily visible, but will cause enough friction to create a problem???

 

[Russianwolf]

as far as I can see, the motor and headstock are sealed. no opening for anything to get in. There is nothing in the instructions about removing any panels to remove stuff.

 

[Jarheaded]

Is there any place to grease it that isn't obvious?

 

[mwenman]

indexing pin get broken off inside that might be binding??

 

[Russianwolf]

not really. I just tried to remove the panel that covers the belt/pullies. It's not designed to come off without taking more off so I put it back on.

There is the hole that you use the knock-out bar through but that's it.

When I just tried it again (motor is warm but not hot) the motor won't turn at all. I can still spin it freely by hand. I have an email into their customer service. They better be able to send a fresh motor, as I don't want to break this thing down and send t back.

 

[mwenman]

definately sounds like windings on motor burnt. regardless, they should overnight a new motor to you.

 

[GaryMGg]

You're not running off an extension cord are you?

If so, that'd likely burn the capacitor, overheat the motor (although not likely burned out) and cause it to fail to start.

When you flip the power on, see if you can hand roll the headstock spindle to `kick start' it.
Could be the centrifugal switch adjustment or contact points.
This is extracted from communication I had with Grizzly's tech support wrt my lathe:

... To check the contact points and the centrifugal switch you will first want to remove the fan cover and the fan from the motor shaft. The centrifugal switch is the next piece on the shaft; loosen the bolt that holds the centrifugal switch to the shaft and pull it off the shaft. The contact points will be right behind the centrifugal switch you will want to inspect the contact plate and the contact points for any signs of wear or burning. If they show signs of either, please clean them with a fine file or a piece of emery cloth. Be careful not to file the points away just clean them up. Now slide the centrifugal switch back onto the shaft so that is just closes the contact points; then slide it 1/16†more towards the motor to preload the points. Retighten the bolt on the centrifugal switch and reinstall the fan and fan cover. Now plug in the machine and restart the unit, wait until it comes up to full speed. Then shut off the unit and listen to see you hear the contacts close.

Your lathe is brand new and I personally wouldn't do any filing on it BUT I'd check to make sure the contacts are opening and closing. Failing to do so could cause the heat and subsequent no start.

 

[DocStram]

Some of this is a repeat, but here goes:

Take a deep breath. Then another one.

Read thru all of the printed crap instructions ... especially the ones about unpacking. Look real close for any bands, wires, cardboard, bolts anything that you might have missed seeing. (This is from experience with my new lathe)

No extension cord, right?

You have it on a circuit that can handle the load ... with nothing else drawing from the amps?

Still doesn't work. Take another deep breath and call their tech support people in the morning. It's hard being patient at times like this, but the reality is ... you may not have it running until after Christmas when the new headstock arrives. Sorry.

 

[DocStram]

Wait ... one more thing ... are you switching on the power with the speed already turned up? The problem might be that it has to turn on with the speed on the lowest setting. Know what I mean??

 

[Russianwolf]

I'm only slightly pissed. More disappointed than pissed really. CS is working on it, but it's annoying to spend nearly $500 and have it give up the ghost in 20 minutes.

no extention cord. Only run those when in dire need as they hurt the motor on anything if run on them too long. 20Amp circuit with just the lathe on (14Amp). The lights are on a different circuit even though they are dimming when I turn it on. It's drawing alot of power and not doing anything with it. My DC and My Tablesaw pull more Amps than the lathe and are on similar/same circuits.

Don't think this model has an indexing pin, if so I haven't found it yet. But as I said, I can spin it by hand and there's no obvious binding.

First thing I did was try to sppol it up by hand. I can get it to about 150-170 rpm by hand, but no further. The mototr has stopped turning it at all by itself.

It has the variable diameter pullies, so you can't adjust the speed without it spinning. It came out of the box set at about 1700rpm, but should I slow it down each time I want to stop it?

emailed CS, and they are already getting a new unit (motor or headstock, I'm hoping headstock) ready to ship. Hopefully I can get it by Saturday (I'm not that far away).

 

[Rifleman1776]

Too bad about this experience, Mike. But, I don't see anywhere in the posts where you said what make this lathe is. It might be helpful to know that. However, with anything mechanical, stuff happens. You were unfortunate to get the one in a zillion lemon. From here, service from CS is what is important.

 

[GaryMGg]

It's a G0462; it was in an earlier thread.
The fact that the lights dim when you turn it on says something's wrong with wiring somewhere.
Lights on a different circuit shouldn't dim.
I know the specs state it's supposed to be a 110 circuit motor, but is it possible the motor was 220 running on 110? That'd burn baby burn.

NB: You can start a VS lathe at any speed; manuals and many folks recommend turning the speed down for safety reasons -- loading up a big rough bowl blank and starting at 3000 RPM could get hairy -- but from a mechanical standpoint it shouldn't matter.

 

[Russianwolf]

oops. It's a Grizzly G0462. Great lathe except for it not turning and all.

 

[Rifleman1776]

OK, that puts a different light on things. I thought you meant Craft Supply with the "CS" comment. You mean customer service at Grizzly. No doubt, Griz will take care of you. Do call and give your receipt number, etc. Something is definitely amiss with the motor or capacitor, or as suggested, the cooling fan and centrifugal switch. My old G1067Z also had the totally enclosed fan cooled (TEFC) motor. In the six years I had it, I had to remove the fan cover once and clean the centrifugal switch because of a situation like you describe. When I did, I suspected that the 'dirt' I cleaned out was from the machining/manufacturing process and not wood dust. It worked flawlessly after that. And, yes, the speed control for the Reeves drive should be put to slow after each use to prevent heavy objects from becoming flying missiles when you turn on. It is a work habit I had to develop with my 1067.

 

[Russianwolf]

New headstock will be on it's way as soon as they can locate one in another warehouse

It looks like I won't be doing any turning on this lathe until the new year.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by Russianwolf

New headstock will be on it's way as soon as they can locate one in another warehouse

It looks like I won't be doing any turning on this lathe until the new year.

The delay is unfortunate. But Griz good service did come through for you. I have a friend whose (very expensive) Nova head had to go back several times before they got it right. 'stuff' happens with mechanical things.

 

[Ron in Drums PA]

Grizzly usually has good service.

Ok, dumb question time...
Is this a 220v lathe and are you plugging it into a 110v outlet?

 

[DocStram]

Originally posted by GaryMGg


NB: You can start a VS lathe at any speed; manuals and many folks recommend turning the speed down for safety reasons -- loading up a big rough bowl blank and starting at 3000 RPM could get hairy -- but from a mechanical standpoint it shouldn't matter.

Gary .... Not when it comes to a ShopSmith. You make the mistake of turning off the power when in a fast speed .... you're going to have to hand turn the motor to a lower speed with the machine unplugged. Been there ... done that.

 

[Russianwolf]

Originally posted by Ron in Drums PA

Grizzly usually has good service.

Ok, dumb question time...
Is this a 220v lathe and are you plugging it into a 110v outlet?

fortunately, I can answer that it is a 14amp 2hp 110v 60hz motor.

 

[Rifleman1776]

As far as the comments about turning on a variable speed lathe with it set on high speed, the response is 'yes and no'. Basically there are two kinds of variable speed lathes (or other shop machines), electronic variable speed and Reeves drive. (BTW, for now we won't talk about belt change machines) The Reeves drive uses pulleys that expand and contract as the lever is moved. This change can only be done while the machine is running. Therefore, if a large, out of balance block of wood is mounted while the lever is set at high speed, you have a potentially dangerous situation once the power is turned on. With my old lathe, I made it a habit to turn down to slow at the end of any turning operation. I did this for safety. Now, with an electronic variable speed a/k/a EVS, most, maybe all, have what is called a 'soft start' feature. Meaning, the speed builds up slowly. Therefore, if you do have an out of balance hunk on the lathe, there is the opportunity to turn down the speed dial or turn off the lathe before bad things happen. My new lathe has this and I love the feature. It even has a big red emergency button to stop things right now if problems are about to happen. The Reeves drive is disliked by many but it works and provides convenience now available in most lower price ranges.

 

[W3DRM]

Originally posted by DocStram

Originally posted by GaryMGg


NB: You can start a VS lathe at any speed; manuals and many folks recommend turning the speed down for safety reasons -- loading up a big rough bowl blank and starting at 3000 RPM could get hairy -- but from a mechanical standpoint it shouldn't matter.

Gary .... Not when it comes to a ShopSmith. You make the mistake of turning off the power when in a fast speed .... you're going to have to hand turn the motor to a lower speed with the machine unplugged. Been there ... done that.

Sorry, not a true statement. You can start a ShopSmith (in any configuration) at any speed without damage to the equipment. The ShopSmith policy to go to the slowest speed before shutting it down is solely to elminate the liability issue if someone gets hurt while starting it up in a higher speed. Of course common sense should tell us all never to start up any tool in a high speed mode with a heavy and potentially unbalanced object such as a bowl blank in a chuck or on a spindle. That information came directly from a SS instructor in a class I took a couple years ago.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by DocStram

Wait ... one more thing ... are you switching on the power with the speed already turned up? The problem might be that it has to turn on with the speed on the lowest setting. Know what I mean??

Shouldn't be. EVS has 'soft start' features that prevent going from 0 to launch speed instantly.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Took a while to remember this is an older thread. I agree with the "common sense" statement. And variable speed machines that use a Reeves drive do require due diligence to avoid problems or accidents. The electronic variable speed (EVS) units do have a safety feature built in with the 'soft start' feature. Still, they will wind up to full speed if the operator is not awake and ready to hit the off button if necessary.

 

[Randy_]

As Frank pointed out, this is an older thread.

How about a follow-up from Mike. I assume you are back up and running by now. Tell us about the Grizzly response to your problem and what was involved in getting it resolved.