Leo Van Der Loo wrote:
Hi robo

It's probably the quality of the components used, but if all the
things
gone wrong is a set of bearings you shouldn't complain, replace with
some quality bearings and your set for a number of years again, or
you
could upgrade to a Oneway, that would be the end of any problems imo.

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

robo hippy wrote:

I recently wore out the bearings on my five year old PM lathe. I
don't
know if I should get a merrit badge for using it so much or if the
bearings aren't up to the amount of abuse that I heap on my lathe.
I do
turn a lot of bowls from chainsawn blanks, and core almost all of
them.
Is it just me or has anyone else had this problem?

After talking to anyone who would listen, including an older technition
at powermatic who actually owns the same lathe, it could have been a
bad bearing, or I could have worn it out (I do turn a LOT of bowls), or
a combination of the two. PM did recomend that I release pressure on
the bearings by loosening the nut slightly when turning spindles and to
check to see if the bearings are heating up. I had never thought about
tightening the bearings on a regular basis. Before I switch to a One
Way, I'll have to wear out this next set of bearings. Of course it
would be a challenge to see if I could do the same thing to the One
Way. I haven't had the chance to try one yet. The one advantage the PM
has over the One Way is the sliding headstock, which allows me to stand
up straight no matter what I'm turning, and not having to bend over the
bed. This helps the old back a lot on those 6, 8, 10 hour turning days.
Also, I could get 2 PM's for the price of a One Way. If nothing else,
the PM is the best bang for your buck in it's price range.