Shop Fox 1704 issue

[InkyMike]

Hello everyone

Just curious if anyone has encountered this. I have a brand new Shop Fox 1704. I've turned one pen and one small change dish on it. I was in the middle of a project this evening and all of a sudden I heard a grinding/rattling sound coming from drive shaft. At first I thought a bearing had gone south.

I pulled the cover off and discovered that one of the lock nuts from the end of the shaft cad come off and was rattling around inside the plastic cover. I tightened it back on and it seems to be up and going again. Just wondering if this is something that periodically needs to be inspected/tightened.

Thanks!
Michael

 

[jttheclockman]

Probably not but thanks for mentioning it because now there is a recording of this problem for future use if need be. That is what makes this site great. If you need something somewhere there probably was an answer and if not we keep adding to the achieves.

 

[monophoto]

My first lathe was a ShopFox 1704. One of the first things I learned after buying it was that it didn't have a handwheel on the outboard side of the headstock. So I made one out of a scrap of red oak. There are two nuts (right-hand threaded) on the left end of the spindle shaft, one locking the other. I removed the plastic cap and the outer nut, and glued it into a recess that I turned in the handwheel, and then screwed it back onto the shaft. Worked like a charm. I eventually sold the lathe, but I think I still have that plastic cap somewhere.

 

[InkyMike]

My first lathe was a ShopFox 1704. One of the first things I learned after buying it was that it didn't have a handwheel on the outboard side of the headstock. So I made one out of a scrap of red oak. There are two nuts (right-hand threaded) on the left end of the spindle shaft, one locking the other. I removed the plastic cap and the outer nut, and glued it into a recess that I turned in the handwheel, and then screwed it back onto the shaft. Worked like a charm. I eventually sold the lathe, but I think I still have that plastic cap somewhere.

That's an interesting idea - any issues with dust our shavings getting inside the housing?
Michael

 

[monophoto]

That's an interesting idea - any issues with dust our shavings getting inside the housing?
Michael

Not really.

The handwheel didn't completely cover the hold in the metal headstock shroud, but there wasn't enough dust accumulation to cause a problem in the two years I owned the lathe with that hack.

It just occurred to me that I vaguely recall that the plastic cap had a hole in it. I found this picture on the internet. While the bap between the handwheel and the metal shroud was significant, I suspect that it wasn't all that much different from the opening in the cap.

(Hate to admit it, but that cap may still be in the shavings under my lathe stand. It's been about ten years, and we don't want to go overboard with cleaning the shop - - -)

 

[InkyMike]

Not really.

The handwheel didn't completely cover the hold in the metal headstock shroud, but there wasn't enough dust accumulation to cause a problem in the two years I owned the lathe with that hack.

It just occurred to me that I vaguely recall that the plastic cap had a hole in it. I found this picture on the internet. While the bap between the handwheel and the metal shroud was significant, I suspect that it wasn't all that much different from the opening in the cap.

(Hate to admit it, but that cap may still be in the shavings under my lathe stand. It's been about ten years, and we don't want to go overboard with cleaning the shop - - -)

Ha. You should see my "shop" at the moment….

And you're right. I just checked mine - there is indeed a hole in the cover