What would make my lathe to become slow to get up to speed? It was working
fine and then just started to start slowly. Its starting at the same speen
in forward or reverve. The motor is a double capacitor 240V. Any ideas?
Thanks

stu wrote:
What would make my lathe to become slow to get up to speed? It was working
fine and then just started to start slowly. Its starting at the same speen
in forward or reverve. The motor is a double capacitor 240V. Any ideas?
Thanks



If the lathe is belt drive, slip off the belts and turn the lathe by hand.
If its stiff you may just have a tight bearing somewhere.
If its free, run up the motor with the belts off, if its still slow it
could be a capacitor going down, or the centrifugal
contacts being stuck open all the time keeping the start capacitor out
of circuit.
No smell of magic smoke or hot amps?
Does the motor turn over easily by hand?
as you see it could be a number of things
Im sure youll find it.
Ted
Dorset
UK.

On May 28, 4:56*am, Ted Frater wrote:
stu wrote:
What would make my lathe to become slow to get up to speed? It was working
fine and then just started to start slowly. Its starting at the same speen
in forward or reverve. The motor is a double capacitor 240V. Any ideas?
Thanks

If the lathe is belt drive, *slip off the belts and turn the *lathe by hand.
* If its stiff *you may just have a tight bearing somewhere.
* If its free, run up the motor with the belts off, if its still slow it
could be a capacitor going down, or the centrifugal
contacts being stuck open all the time keeping the start capacitor out
of circuit.
* *No smell of magic smoke or hot amps?
Does the motor turn over easily by hand?
* as you see it could be a number of things
Im sure youll find it.
Ted
* Dorset
* UK.

The leather belt on mine shrinks from low winter humidity and
lengthens this time of year.

jsw

"Ted Frater" wrote in message
...
stu wrote:
What would make my lathe to become slow to get up to speed? It was
working fine and then just started to start slowly. Its starting at the
same speen in forward or reverve. The motor is a double capacitor 240V.
Any ideas?
Thanks

If the lathe is belt drive, slip off the belts and turn the lathe by
hand.
If its stiff you may just have a tight bearing somewhere.
It turns by hand just fine

If its free, run up the motor with the belts off, if its still slow it
could be a capacitor going down, or the centrifugal
contacts being stuck open all the time keeping the start capacitor out of
circuit.
I'll try this in the morning. I wasn't sure the there would centrifugal
contacts in there.

No smell of magic smoke or hot amps?
No magic smoke as yet. Nothing getting hot that I can find.

Does the motor turn over easily by hand?
Yes
as you see it could be a number of things
Im sure youll find it.
Ted
Dorset
UK.
Thanks

stu wrote:
"Ted Frater" wrote in message
...
stu wrote:
What would make my lathe to become slow to get up to speed? It was
working fine and then just started to start slowly. Its starting at the
same speen in forward or reverve. The motor is a double capacitor 240V.
Any ideas?
Thanks
If the lathe is belt drive, slip off the belts and turn the lathe by
hand.
If its stiff you may just have a tight bearing somewhere.
It turns by hand just fine

If its free, run up the motor with the belts off, if its still slow it
could be a capacitor going down, or the centrifugal
contacts being stuck open all the time keeping the start capacitor out of
circuit.
I'll try this in the morning. I wasn't sure the there would centrifugal
contacts in there.

No smell of magic smoke or hot amps?
No magic smoke as yet. Nothing getting hot that I can find.

Does the motor turn over easily by hand?
Yes
as you see it could be a number of things
Im sure youll find it.
Ted
Dorset
UK.
Thanks



Where if any centrifugal switch might be will depend on the motor age,
design, maker etc.

Generally tho there a set of spring return weights on the armature shaft.
Ive had them work fine on motors 40 yrsold , and be seized up on a 5 yr
old one.
Generally under the end cover non output shaft.sometimes you can
seethem on motors that have removeable inspection plates, on motors from
the 1930's to 60's. Later motors tend to be more enclosed and difficult
to work on.
keep us posted what you eventually find it is..
Good luck.
ted.

On Thu, 28 May 2009 12:24:33 +0100, Ted Frater
wrote:

snip
Where if any centrifugal switch might be will depend on the motor age,
design, maker etc.

Generally tho there a set of spring return weights on the armature shaft.
Ive had them work fine on motors 40 yrsold , and be seized up on a 5 yr
old one.
snip

Usually you can hear an audible click on spin-down when the
centrifugal switch resets. A bit late now for that maybe,
but you might possibly remember hearing/noticing that after
my mentioning it. It could still be clicking too, but not
really making any sort of electrical connection.

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI/Zone 5b
Remove no.spam for email

On 2009-05-28, stu no wrote:
What would make my lathe to become slow to get up to speed? It was working
fine and then just started to start slowly. Its starting at the same speen
in forward or reverve. The motor is a double capacitor 240V. Any ideas?

One of the capacitors has died. Double suggest cap-start
cap-run, and it is the start cap which is most likely to have died.

Good Luck,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

Thanks for the replies. The good news is the lathe is fixed. The supplier
came up with a new motor. Seems to have been a batch. The better news is I
get to keep the old one, so I'll still be trying to fix it.

I've have it open and the switch looks fine. So its most likely a bad cap or
bad soldering.
If I get it going it will go on the huge old pillar drill I have.


"stu" no where just yet wrote in message
u...
What would make my lathe to become slow to get up to speed? It was working
fine and then just started to start slowly. Its starting at the same speen
in forward or reverve. The motor is a double capacitor 240V. Any ideas?
Thanks