My bigger import lathe is not bad. I can dial stuff in by hand to about
3 tenths. The problem is under power the indicator needle turns into a
blur about 1.5-2 thousandths wide. For 99% of what I do that is fine,
but that other 1% is growing. Is the only answer to install a 3 phase
motor? I'm not completely against it, but its a bit of a job to move
the lathe, swap the motor, and reconfigure the controls. Not something
I can do in an afternoon.


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"Bob La Londe" wrote in message ...

My bigger import lathe is not bad. I can dial stuff in by hand to about
3 tenths. The problem is under power the indicator needle turns into a
blur about 1.5-2 thousandths wide. For 99% of what I do that is fine,
but that other 1% is growing. Is the only answer to install a 3 phase
motor? I'm not completely against it, but its a bit of a job to move
the lathe, swap the motor, and reconfigure the controls. Not something
I can do in an afternoon.

---------------------------------

Can you disconnect the motor from the drive train?
If you can, and the needle still vibrates, the motor may be unbalanced.

On 2/2/2021 1:18 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Bob La Londe"Â* wrote in message ...
My bigger import lathe is not bad.Â* I can dial stuff in by hand to about
3 tenths.Â* The problem is under power the indicator needle turns into a
blur about 1.5-2 thousandths wide.Â* For 99% of what I do that is fine,
but that other 1% is growing.Â* Is the only answer to install a 3 phase
motor?Â* I'm not completely against it, but its a bit of a job to move
the lathe, swap the motor, and reconfigure the controls.Â* Not something
I can do in an afternoon.

---------------------------------

Can you disconnect the motor from the drive train? If you can, and the
needle still vibrates, the motor may be unbalanced.


Been busy at the computer on design work, but my next thought was to try
a "coast" test first. Spin it up to speed, and then shut it off to see
if the vibration persists when costing. If it vibrates when coasting
then "something" is out of balance. If it doesn't its probably single
phase motor pulse.

I was surprised to find Surplus center sells a 3HP 3 phase 4 pole motor
pretty reasonably. Its a Marathon, but it is rated as continuous duty.
Now whether or not that would drop onto the current mount I don't
know... Some of those imports seem to have odd ball motor frames. I
can certainly make anything I need, but I am not sure I want to spend
several days int he shop without my big lathe. I hate doing anything
but the simplest light work on the smaller lathes anymore.





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On Tue, 2 Feb 2021 13:40:07 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 2/2/2021 1:18 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Bob La Londe"* wrote in message ...
My bigger import lathe is not bad.* I can dial stuff in by hand to about
3 tenths.* The problem is under power the indicator needle turns into a
blur about 1.5-2 thousandths wide.* For 99% of what I do that is fine,
but that other 1% is growing.* Is the only answer to install a 3 phase
motor?* I'm not completely against it, but its a bit of a job to move
the lathe, swap the motor, and reconfigure the controls.* Not something
I can do in an afternoon.

---------------------------------

Can you disconnect the motor from the drive train? If you can, and the
needle still vibrates, the motor may be unbalanced.


Been busy at the computer on design work, but my next thought was to try
a "coast" test first. Spin it up to speed, and then shut it off to see
if the vibration persists when costing. If it vibrates when coasting
then "something" is out of balance. If it doesn't its probably single
phase motor pulse.

I was surprised to find Surplus center sells a 3HP 3 phase 4 pole motor
pretty reasonably. Its a Marathon, but it is rated as continuous duty.
Now whether or not that would drop onto the current mount I don't
know... Some of those imports seem to have odd ball motor frames. I
can certainly make anything I need, but I am not sure I want to spend
several days int he shop without my big lathe. I hate doing anything
but the simplest light work on the smaller lathes anymore.
Put a big torsional ramper - or even just a flywheel on the motor or
the primary drive

Clare Snyder wrote:
On Tue, 2 Feb 2021 13:40:07 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 2/2/2021 1:18 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Bob La Londe"? wrote in message ...
My bigger import lathe is not bad.? I can dial stuff in by hand to about
3 tenths.? The problem is under power the indicator needle turns into a
blur about 1.5-2 thousandths wide.? For 99% of what I do that is fine,
but that other 1% is growing.? Is the only answer to install a 3 phase
motor?? I'm not completely against it, but its a bit of a job to move
the lathe, swap the motor, and reconfigure the controls.? Not something
I can do in an afternoon.

---------------------------------

Can you disconnect the motor from the drive train? If you can, and the
needle still vibrates, the motor may be unbalanced.


Been busy at the computer on design work, but my next thought was to try
a "coast" test first. Spin it up to speed, and then shut it off to see
if the vibration persists when costing. If it vibrates when coasting
then "something" is out of balance. If it doesn't its probably single
phase motor pulse.

I was surprised to find Surplus center sells a 3HP 3 phase 4 pole motor
pretty reasonably. Its a Marathon, but it is rated as continuous duty.
Now whether or not that would drop onto the current mount I don't
know... Some of those imports seem to have odd ball motor frames. I
can certainly make anything I need, but I am not sure I want to spend
several days int he shop without my big lathe. I hate doing anything
but the simplest light work on the smaller lathes anymore.
Put a big torsional ramper - or even just a flywheel on the motor or
the primary drive

I rigged up a 4 cycle engine to a motor as a fake generator, with no extra
flywheel. The 15Hz flicker was real visible, even with incandescent bulbs.
Sort of surprised me, but it makes sense with engine speed of about 1800RPM.

On 2/2/2021 10:20 AM, Bob La Londe wrote:
My bigger import lathe is not bad.Â* I can dial stuff in by hand to about
3 tenths.Â* The problem is under power the indicator needle turns into a
blur about 1.5-2 thousandths wide.Â* For 99% of what I do that is fine,
but that other 1% is growing.Â* Is the only answer to install a 3 phase
motor?Â* I'm not completely against it, but its a bit of a job to move
the lathe, swap the motor, and reconfigure the controls.Â* Not something
I can do in an afternoon.


Are sure the problem is the motor and not the gears driving the spindle?
Paul

"Paul Drahn" wrote in message ...

On 2/2/2021 10:20 AM, Bob La Londe wrote:
My bigger import lathe is not bad. I can dial stuff in by hand to about
3 tenths. The problem is under power the indicator needle turns into a
blur about 1.5-2 thousandths wide. For 99% of what I do that is fine,
but that other 1% is growing. Is the only answer to install a 3 phase
motor? I'm not completely against it, but its a bit of a job to move
the lathe, swap the motor, and reconfigure the controls. Not something
I can do in an afternoon.


Are sure the problem is the motor and not the gears driving the spindle?
Paul

-----------------------

The motor may be the easiest potential cause to confirm or eliminate.

On 2/6/2021 3:37 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Paul Drahn" wrote in message ...
On 2/2/2021 10:20 AM, Bob La Londe wrote:
My bigger import lathe is not bad. I can dial stuff in by hand to
about 3 tenths. The problem is under power the indicator needle turns
into a blur about 1.5-2 thousandths wide. For 99% of what I do that
is fine, but that other 1% is growing. Is the only answer to install
a 3 phase motor? I'm not completely against it, but its a bit of a
job to move the lathe, swap the motor, and reconfigure the controls.
Not something I can do in an afternoon.


Are sure the problem is the motor and not the gears driving the spindle?
Paul

-----------------------

The motor may be the easiest potential cause to confirm or eliminate.


I'm not 100% sure of anything anymore. I may just not have dialed it in
as close as I thought. Just for the heck of it I turned a piece of
medium hard pin stock and slapped an indicator on it as cut and only got
a couple tenths runout with the motor turning the chuck at 300 RPM.
Now I am thinking I must have shifted the chuck at some point when I was
adjusting the set tru part. Either that or there was a bad spot on the
first dowel I used that was making the indicator jump when running.

Either way I'll have to loosen it up and reset it when I need to do a
job that has to be flipped in the middle.

Anyway, a motor swap is probably not needed at this point.

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On 2/6/2021 5:57 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
On 2/6/2021 3:37 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Paul Drahn"Â* wrote in message ...
On 2/2/2021 10:20 AM, Bob La Londe wrote:
My bigger import lathe is not bad.Â* I can dial stuff in by hand to
about 3 tenths.Â* The problem is under power the indicator needle turns
into a blur about 1.5-2 thousandths wide.Â* For 99% of what I do that
is fine, but that other 1% is growing.Â* Is the only answer to install
a 3 phase motor?Â* I'm not completely against it, but its a bit of a
job to move the lathe, swap the motor, and reconfigure the controls.
Not something I can do in an afternoon.


Are sure the problem is the motor and not the gears driving the spindle?
Paul

-----------------------

The motor may be the easiest potential cause to confirm or eliminate.


I'm not 100% sure of anything anymore.Â* I may just not have dialed it in
as close as I thought.Â* Just for the heck of it I turned a piece of
medium hard pin stock and slapped an indicator on it as cut and only got
a couple tenths runout with the motor turning the chuck at 300 RPM. Now
I am thinking I must have shifted the chuck at some point when I was
adjusting the set tru part.Â* Either that or there was a bad spot on the
first dowel I used that was making the indicator jump when running.

Either way I'll have to loosen it up and reset it when I need to do a
job that has to be flipped in the middle.

Anyway, a motor swap is probably not needed at this point.

Good to know. Good luck.
Paul