I don't have a schedule myself, but I do vacuum up and air off my lathe everytime I'm done on it for the day. I've had my lathe for a little over a year now and decided to go ahead and take off the banjo, tailstock and pully cover to clean and inspect. I definately don't use my lathe as much as most, so everything looked pretty good. I cleaned and oiled the tailstock base and quill, banjo base and threaded lock pins, cleaned the lathe bed and topped that off with a little turtle paste wax. I have a couple spare belts but the original still looks pretty good. It was a good time to re-familiarize myself with all the working/moving parts again.
Do you regularly schedule lathe maintenance?
- Thread starter bsshog40
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WriteON
Member
I vacuum and brush it after a turning session. That's about it. When it's out of use for few months I oil the bed, clean/check everything.
wolf creek knives
Member
I do monthly routine maintenance i.e. cleaning, checking belts and lubricating where needed. Annually I do a big inspection on all my equipment. I look for tell tale signs of wear or corrosion, belt condition, verify everything is tight and ready to operate including TS and BS blades. I also do a safety inspection of my shop to make sure I have everything I need. That includes the fire extinguisher is charged, first aid kit full, carbon monoxide and smoke detector batteries changed and that all my shop tool wiring is in good shape. I'll start my annual inspection next month and it takes 2-3 days. It's also a good time to clean out all the junk you don't need and do some vacuuming on the shelves to get rid of all that accumulated dust that the shop vac missed.
WriteON
Member
Good post...Just read and purchased a 1st aid kit.
jttheclockman
Member
It breaks I fix it, is my schedule. Tidy up after a project to get ready for next one.
I'm with you Tom, I have a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher in the shop also. I usually clean the BS and TS every couple months. Check the blades for alignments and tension and vacuum out. I don't have smoke alarms but my shop is about 100' from the house so I wouldn't hear them anyway. I never leave anything on in there after I close up anyway.
WriteON
Member
Eye wash included?
penicillin
Member
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- Feb 27, 2019
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I reserve the mornings of New Years Day and 4th of July for checklists of six month and annual chores. Not much happens in the morning on those days, and I don't watch parades on TV.
Thanks to @bsshog40 for bringing this to our attention. I will add tool inspection and maintenance to the checklists.
Thanks to @bsshog40 for bringing this to our attention. I will add tool inspection and maintenance to the checklists.
wolf creek knives
Member
I don't have an eye wash station but that's a great thing to have inside the shop too. Thanks for the reminder.
JimB
Member
Since I turn green wood for bowls fairly regularly on my Powermatic that dictates my maintenance schedule. Every time I turn something green I thoroughly clean off the entire lathe with a brush and compressed air to avoid rust. I also put a fresh coat of wax on the bed. If I haven't waxed the bed in a while I'll do that before I start turning the green wood.
My mini lathe only sees dry wood so that just gets cleaned 'as needed'.
My mini lathe only sees dry wood so that just gets cleaned 'as needed'.
pshrynk
Member
I vacuum and wipe down after each session, sometimes after each pen, depending on the mess. I have taken the tail-stock apart on occasion and re-lubed as the case is called for. I recently tightened the holder thingy on the bottom because it wasn't staying stead. I also inspect the drive and tail-stock holes (I'm lousy with naming things) pretty much every time. I need to wax the rails soon. My shop is next to my bathroom in the basement and there is a shower there for eye emergencies. I can also go there if I catch on fire. 
pewitmer
Member
I don't have a set PM schedule but I vacuum and wipe down my lathe daily. I look over the belts regularly and replace as needed as well as lubrication. I do have a fire extinguisher on hand in the shop and I have a wash room adjacent, so that would work as my eye wash station. I also check the tools I use daily.
PBorowick
Member
I have one of these in my shop, its a very inexpensive piece of insurance. I've been told eyeballs don't grow back.
Woodchipper
Member
Routine maintenance is a good idea. We do this with our cars, etc. I did my lathe a while back.
Murphy's Law- You will throw away what you will need in two weeks. AMHIK
Woodchipper
Member
Adding to PB's post- That's where safety glasses with side shields or full face shield come in handy. Example- This past summer my wife was trimming in the yard. She wears Rx glasses. Her eye was irritated for a couple of days with no relief. She went to the optometrist for a quick check. He put some kind of drops in and used an instrument to look at her eye. He found a teensy weensy piece of plastic embedded in her eyeball. Sprayed something in, anesthetic, I guess. Took out the intruder. He also told her that an ER or walk-in clinic wouldn't have that instrument to check. Now...she wears her glasses with safety glasses with side shield. Lesson learned.
Dieseldoc
Member
To add to long list is your air compressor. Drain tank , check oil level monthly and service air cleaner. Annual, drain and change oil.