In article ,
"DoN. Nichols" wrote:

On 2007-12-30, Joseph Gwinn wrote:
In article ,
"DoN. Nichols" wrote:

On 2007-12-29, Joseph Gwinn wrote:
In article ,
"DoN. Nichols" wrote:


[ ... ]

If you have the collet adaptor in the spindle, and the locking
ring around the spindle is not rattling loose, then it must be drawn up
on a nose protector. To eject the adaptor:

1) Remove any collet from the adaptor.

2) Start turning the ring to unscrew it from the protector. It
will start a bit tight (especially with your spooge), then get
loose, then as it move far enough to touch the flange of the
adaptor, will get tight again until you move it far enough so
the collet adaptor pops loose. (Keep a hand ready to catch it,
it may jump quite a ways, given how long it probably has been in
place.)

I'll try this.

[snip]

I have no idea what many of the knobs and handles on the lathe do, or
how to take it apart, and will order the manual from Clausing next week.

The manual will be a significant help. However, until it gets
there we'll see how much I can provide from my 5418 belt change lathe.

As it happens, I have a scanned 5418 manual. No idea how I got it or
where from.

Perhaps from me. (Perhaps through a roundabout path :-) If it
were not so late, I would dig it up and we could compare the serial
number on the front.

1) On the carriage you will find:

[ ... ]

d) A short lever which moves in a 'Z' shaped groove. Up
engages slow feed along the bed. Down engages slow
cross feed. It has to be slid along the center bar of
the 'Z' to switch from one to the other, so you are
unlikely to overshoot and go from longitudinal to
cross-feed or vice versa when you simply want to stop.
You should use this for feeds when cutting, and leave
the half-nuts only for use when threading.

This does not match, although something must perform a like function.

The lever sticks out of a cylinder which is mounted parallel to
the ways on the center of the front of the apron. The 'Z' is rather
square in shape -- but there is no other letter closer to it. The
center runs parallel to the axis of the cylinder, and the two crossbars
go up or down around the cylinder to allow the lever to rotate something
inside the cylinder.

I found it.


2) Below the bed under the headstock is the quick-change threading
gearbox. It has:

[ ... ]

b) A paddle lever on top which has three positions, left,
center, and right -- with center pointing out at you.

This selects one of three factors-of-two reduction
ratios before the lever just mentioned.

Must be there somewhere, but no paddle lever.

Looking at the photo which someone posted, the paddle lever has
been replaced with a black knob on the front. It either rotates to
select the three positions, or it pulls out and pushes in with detents.
Look for numbers on the front as a clue as to whether it rotates or
pulls.

I have the black knob, with three positions marked A, B, and C.


That also shows the lever which I mentioned above in the center
of the apron. look for a black plastic ball knob closer to the headstock
than the one for the half-nuts.

[ ... ]

Now -- we get to things in which yours will differ from mine, as
you have variable speed. Sometimes that is from a wheel with two levers
on top of the headstock, or sometimes a crank and a lever from the front
of the pedestal below the headstock. I've not used these, as mine has
belts which you change after opening the front of the pedestal and no
variable speed. So -- I can't guide you on these. Mine also has a
switch box on the front left of the headstock with a lever and knob for
selecting motor behavior.

Left is forwards.

Center is stopped.

Right is reverse.

Yours probably at least has a start-stop switch. I don't know
whether your variable speed also offers forward/reverse selection or
whether you need to switch the motor for that.

It has a three-position switch: forward-off-reverse. I will bypass this
switch, as the VFD will not approve of live switching of motor wiring.

Keep the switch -- but wire it to the control pins of the VFD
instead of the motor windings. There are enough contacts in the switch
so you can easily find a SPDTCO (Single-Pole Double-Throw, Center-Off)
section to run to the VFD's control pins. It is likely to be combined
with a second switch throwing the other way for the other side of a
winding which is normally reversed by the switching. Just ignore this
other side. :-)

It will certainly have enough contacts.

I would mention that one must use shielded wire from VFD to this switch.
Likewise, to any speed-control pot.


Of course -- you will have to dig through the manual of your VFD
to find the parameter which needs to be set to get it to pay attention
to the control contacts instead of the front panel buttons.

Not a problem. Already figured out how to do this for the Mill, when I
built a control pendant.


The mechanical variable-speed control does not reverse; this is
accomplished by the above switch.

O.K. So you *want* to wire the switch to control the VFD. Any
other arrangement is more awkward and develops the wrong muscle memory
for using other lathes.

Yes. My only worry is if abrupt reversal of direction through off will
cause a problem. I think it's OK to do this, because it's only a
command the the VFD, which can implement the command gracefully, without
sparks. But I'll be reading the VFD manual.


At a guess -- the one in the photo with the red knob is what
connects to the switch -- and the vertical moving lever to the left is
the one which reversed the direction of the leadscrew for cutting
left-hand threads or turning with power feed from outside to inside when
facing. (The default with right-to-left motion of the carriage is
cutting from the center out.) Never throw this switch with the spindle
turning.

All correct.

I've figured out all the controls on the headstock. The key was the
metal chart telling what combination of controls gives what thread pitch.

Joe Gwinn