Harbor Freight Lathe Dead out of the Box.

[termitedave]

I took the plunge after reading about the Harbor freight 7x10 (or 7x8 as some said it measures) I Cleaned it all up did everything it said to do and NOTHING!! It has NO power I checked the outlet got power. Next check the fuse its good. I think it is the switch maybe I made sure the guards were on and that the pin was in the detent. Packed it back up and its going back tomorrow I just bought it yesterday going to get money back and just wait awhile. Has anybody had this happen to them Thank You for your Time and any Thoughts David!!

 

[its_virgil]

Yes, with tools from Craftsman, Jet, Porter Cable, DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Bosch, Dremel and Rigid. And, yes, once with Harbor Freight.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Has anybody had this happen to them Thank You for your Time and any Thoughts David!!

 

[termitedave]

Thanks for the imput Don I may give them another try. David!

 

[plantman]

I would give it a second try. You can always get your money back without a problem from HF. I have bought things from them for many years, and can't remember ever bringing something back that did not work. One of my lathes is a Harbor Freight lathe, and it works perfect. Jim S

 

[termitedave]

Thanks for the imput Jim.

 

[DaveVW]

I took the plunge after reading about the Harbor freight 7x10 (or 7x8 as some said it measures) I Cleaned it all up did everything it said to do and NOTHING!! It has NO power I checked the outlet got power. Next check the fuse its good. I think it is the switch maybe I made sure the guards were on and that the pin was in the detent. Packed it back up and its going back tomorrow I just bought it yesterday going to get money back and just wait awhile. Has anybody had this happen to them Thank You for your Time and any Thoughts David!!

I bought that HF lathe 2 years ago. Have turned about 200 pens and have had no trouble with it. I haul it around in my camper so I can both enjoy the woods and turn some wood.

 

[termitedave]

Do any of you think it's good to purchase the exstended warranty?

 

[maxwell_smart007]

How much extra for the warranty? If it's half the cost of the lathe for only another year or two of 'protection', it's not my cup of tea...

However, I always figure that with the right parts, I can fix it myself if it breaks out of warranty, or else buy a different one if a design flaw appears...

 

[plano_harry]

No problem with mine. Very happy. It is heavy and a pain to return, but your experience is not typical of HF.

 

[plantman]

Having been in retail for many years, I can tell you that the extended warranty is one of the bigest money makers for retail stores. If something goes wrong after your warranty is up, ask the company if they will work with you on fixing the problem. Many will to keep your business. If you are the least bit handy, you should be able to fix or replace most parts yourself. Check the internet for best prices. The only time I have ever bought an extended warranty was on a used Cadillac Sevile I purchased. Paid for itself ten times over when the water punp failed. Any car with all that electronics in it is worth looking into an extended warranty. If you had to replace a VS speed control on a lathe, you could probably buy a new lathe for not much more. Just my slant. Jim S

 

[Smitty37]

Extended Warranties are a mixed bag - it depends a lot on the length of the initial warranty and the price of the extended warranty. I bought and used them on a washer (three times), dishwasher, refrigerator, Big Screen TV (4 times), microwave (twice). But, mostly I stay away from them if the original warranty is more than one year. Once the item is a couple of years old the cost of the warranty usually exceeds the value of the item - right now if I had them on all my appliances, the cost would be what it would take to replace an appliance every year.

I do have contracts on my heating and air conditioning though but that includes a normal servicing and doesn't cost a lot more than the annual service call would run.

I have had a number of HF tools and they were always better than same price (and sometimes more expensive) low end tools from other sources.

 

[termitedave]

Well I went and traded out for a new lathe. This one fired right up. After I cleaned on it I noticed as you turn the hand wheel to move the whole carriage assy. the length of the lathe it felt like there was a tooth missing on the gears. VERY rough. I adjust and checked everything as far as gibbs and bolts nothing helped It is just Not meant for me to have this Metal Lathe.I work in the maint dept at work and work have to fix everything. But this little lathe is something else it just doesn't like me.I guess I could try the Grizzly someday. I know from reading that all of the minis or almost all are made in the same factory in China. I had a Grizzly wood lathe I used for years before I got my Jet 1642 and had great luck and customer service with them. But for now back to the other lathes in the shop they feel neglected. Thank You all for all the input! You all are VERY HELPFULL here on this site Thanks Again David Seaba!!!

 

[plantman]

Dave; On my metal lathe there is an oblong sleeve on the shaft of the hand crank. There is a small set screw that holds this sleeve in the position you set it at. What it does is set the amount of clearance between the rack and the small gear on the end of the hand crank shaft. To tight, and it turns hard, to loose and it may jump teeth. Look in your manual and see if you have this type of adjustment on yours. It may be called a backlash adjustment. Jim S

 

[termitedave]

Thank you for the imput Jim.I tried all the set screws with no luck.Read the manual a few times tried everything I could think of.IT took it back tonight the first one I took back the guy was very rude.And no help with unloading it.Tonight had another very rude manager.I sent harbor freight a email letting them know of rude and unhelpfull there store was. This was the first time I have ever done this.

 

[rherrell]

Sorry to hear about your ordeal...read my signature, a creed that I live by.:biggrin: