Routine Lathe Maintainance

[mvande21]

I have had my lathe for over a year now, and I am wondering if there is any type of maintenance that has to be done to those. I do regularly polish the bed with johnsons wax and do the same to the tool rest. Is there any type of oil for the motor or gear tracks that need to get done??
I have a rikon 12" vs

 

[dogcatcher]

The best maintenance is to upgrade every year. Start small, and move up through the ranks, one lathe right after another.

 

[randyrls]

I have had my lathe for over a year now, and I am wondering if there is any type of maintenance that has to be done to those. I do regularly polish the bed with johnsons wax and do the same to the tool rest. Is there any type of oil for the motor or gear tracks that need to get done??
I have a rikon 12" vs

Matt; I would also remove the tail stock and tool banjo. Mark the locking plates under both with a sharpy before you remove them. Some locking plates are not symmetrical and only go on one way. Make sure both operate smoothly and easily. Clean off any saw dust. Apply the wax to the bottom of the tool banjo. Clean the lathe tapers on the head stock and tail stock with a taper cleaner. The taper cleaner looks like a plastic handle with a Morse Taper with a spiral flute cut into it. You may also want to eject the tail stock ram and make sure it is lubed.

 

[monophoto]

Rather than the plastic taper cleaner, you can also use a 20ga. bronze shotgun bore brush. These are much less expensive (I bought one yesterday for $2.99), but you have to make your own handle.

 

[MichaelD]

I've got the Rikon 70-100 and there is no special maintenance. Keep it wiped down, don't let it rust, etc. That's according to the 12 page booklet and a discussion I had with Rikon when I called to order some spare belts and ask a few questions. Your VS may have something else but I don't see much else you can do with these.

I did find that keeping tailstock base wiped down more regularly was an extra benefit. Seems to be a real grunge scraper.

 

[Swagopenturner]

I have a Rikon also, and couldn't be happier with it! I do spray dry lube on the bed (including the extension), under the banjo, and tailstock monthly. I also take the tailstock apart and spray the threads there, too.

 

[maxwell_smart007]

Rather than the plastic taper cleaner, you can also use a 20ga. bronze shotgun bore brush. These are much less expensive (I bought one yesterday for $2.99), but you have to make your own handle.

Does that work for MT1 or MT2 lathes?

 

[monophoto]

A 20ga brush is what AAW recommended for MT2. For MT1 you would need a different size. But I was amazed that the selection of sizes available at the store where I purchased mine (Dick's Sporting Goods).

An MT1 taper is about 12.065mm at its maximum diameter. You would want a brush that will fit all the way into the taper with compressing so much that the bronze wires are permanent deformed. But this isn't rocket science, and I think it would be OK (and possibly even preferable) for the brush to be slightly smaller than the mouth of the taper - the idea is to insert the brush and spin it a bit to dislodge any crud that has accumulated inside the taper, so looser is better than tighter. The key point is that you want a brush made with bronze wire since bronze won't scratch the hardened steel of the taper.

So if I were shopping for a brush for an MT1 taper, a couple of options to consider are brushes intended for either 45 calibre guns (bore diameter of 11.43mm or for a 410 gage shotgun (bore diameter of 11mm).

 

[dbarrash]

Great Lathe Maintenance article!

http://jlrodgers.com/pdf/keeping-your-lathe-in-tip-top-shape.pdf

Dave

 

[Curly]

Nobody has mentioned the motor's brushes.

You should check to carbon brushes in the motor. There are 2 little plugs, on the side of the motor, on the end away from the pulley. A small slotted screwdriver fits the plug, make sure the screwdriver fits the slot exactly, and carefully unscrew the plug. A spring and brush assembly should come out and if worn too much need to be replaced. On our Grizzly's, when worn to 6mm or 1/4" is time to replace them, other brands may be different. If the brush assembly is good it must go back in exactly the same way it came out as it is worn to match the armature. If the brushes wear out bad things happen to the motor. :frown: