monophoto
Member
So spoke William of Ockham back in the 14th century.
The basic message is 'don't make complicating assumptions', or better yet, the simplest answer is usually the best answer.
Yesterday, I noticed that my 12" Turncrafter (purchased new in 2013) was acting up. The workpiece would stall in response to any pressure from the tool. And it got progressively worse, to the point where the lathe simply woulldn't. I replaced the speed control box a few months ago, so I was pretty sure that wasn't the problem. The belt was relatively new. So I concluded that it was likely the brushes.
So today, my project was to remove and replace the brushes. The first challenge was getting to them - the brush on the front of the lathe was relatively simple, but the one on the back was a challenge since my lathe is bolted to a workbench, and there is not enough room between the cap and the bench for a screwdriver. Eventually, I removed the motor entirely so that I could rotate it out to get to that brush holder.
And the old brushes were only about 1/16" shorter than the new brushes. Clearly, the problem was not brushes. (Incidentally, 1/6" of wear in about 8 years of use is amazing - I use my lathe a lot, so I expected a lot more wear.)
So what's the problem?
Turn out that the plug on the cable to the motor was loose where it plugs into the receptacle on the back of the speed control.
So once again I have to remind myself - don't overlook the obvious!
The basic message is 'don't make complicating assumptions', or better yet, the simplest answer is usually the best answer.
Yesterday, I noticed that my 12" Turncrafter (purchased new in 2013) was acting up. The workpiece would stall in response to any pressure from the tool. And it got progressively worse, to the point where the lathe simply woulldn't. I replaced the speed control box a few months ago, so I was pretty sure that wasn't the problem. The belt was relatively new. So I concluded that it was likely the brushes.
So today, my project was to remove and replace the brushes. The first challenge was getting to them - the brush on the front of the lathe was relatively simple, but the one on the back was a challenge since my lathe is bolted to a workbench, and there is not enough room between the cap and the bench for a screwdriver. Eventually, I removed the motor entirely so that I could rotate it out to get to that brush holder.
And the old brushes were only about 1/16" shorter than the new brushes. Clearly, the problem was not brushes. (Incidentally, 1/6" of wear in about 8 years of use is amazing - I use my lathe a lot, so I expected a lot more wear.)
So what's the problem?
Turn out that the plug on the cable to the motor was loose where it plugs into the receptacle on the back of the speed control.
So once again I have to remind myself - don't overlook the obvious!
