Well, I have suddenly run into an issue with my Wen lathe. It is a 14x20, and the one I do all my pen turning on. Since I bought it in 2020, its run very strong, and has served me very well. Just in the last week, it seems, something has happened to the morse taper on my headstock. It used to be perfectly round, and fit my centers perfectly. I was out trying to turn last night, and I was getting this loud sound from the headstock. So I started to investigate...
Two times in the past, the pulleys had started to come loose (set screw liked to back out), which caused an odd sound. I ultimately fixed that with some blue loctite, and haven't had a problem since...but that was the first thing I checked. All good. Next I wondered about the bearings, as that was what it sounded like, a bearing going bad. However every test I did seemed to indicate the bearing was just fine, and even with pressure from a live center in the tailstock, it seemed to spin quietly.
I only heard the sound when I had some kind of center in the headstock. So, I started looking closer at that, and noticed that my centers were in fact NOT STABLE when inserted into the headstock spindle. They were loose in one direction, though tight in another. I then started wondering if the center I was using was bad, but nope, it seems to happen with all my centers. Looking closer, I was able to see that the morse taper hole in the spindle itself, somehow seems to have become defomed... It is slightly (very, very, very slightly) oval, and it is clear that two sides touch my centers while two do not.
The sound I'm hearing must be the center rattling within the spindle's morse taper hole.
I haven't yet been able to find the proper replacement part for my particular lathe...the lathe is not even a full three years old, so I would imagine the part is out there, I just need to figure out what part it is. So the intention is to replace it...
That said, I am completely, utterly baffled as to what could possibly do this to a lathe. It seemed to be fine one day, then deformed another, and in the intervening time, I did not use the lathe. It just sat there. The last thing I did was to turn a pen. The next thing I did was to turn a pen. I certainly don't use much pressure when turning pens...just enough to avoid blank spin while I turn... Totally baffled...
Two times in the past, the pulleys had started to come loose (set screw liked to back out), which caused an odd sound. I ultimately fixed that with some blue loctite, and haven't had a problem since...but that was the first thing I checked. All good. Next I wondered about the bearings, as that was what it sounded like, a bearing going bad. However every test I did seemed to indicate the bearing was just fine, and even with pressure from a live center in the tailstock, it seemed to spin quietly.
I only heard the sound when I had some kind of center in the headstock. So, I started looking closer at that, and noticed that my centers were in fact NOT STABLE when inserted into the headstock spindle. They were loose in one direction, though tight in another. I then started wondering if the center I was using was bad, but nope, it seems to happen with all my centers. Looking closer, I was able to see that the morse taper hole in the spindle itself, somehow seems to have become defomed... It is slightly (very, very, very slightly) oval, and it is clear that two sides touch my centers while two do not.
The sound I'm hearing must be the center rattling within the spindle's morse taper hole.
I haven't yet been able to find the proper replacement part for my particular lathe...the lathe is not even a full three years old, so I would imagine the part is out there, I just need to figure out what part it is. So the intention is to replace it...
That said, I am completely, utterly baffled as to what could possibly do this to a lathe. It seemed to be fine one day, then deformed another, and in the intervening time, I did not use the lathe. It just sat there. The last thing I did was to turn a pen. The next thing I did was to turn a pen. I certainly don't use much pressure when turning pens...just enough to avoid blank spin while I turn... Totally baffled...