Capacitors
 

Hello all,

I've been turning up a storm on my new midi lathe, and it's recently
developed a bit of a quirk. When I turn it on, the spindle stays
stationary, and the lathe makes a buzzing noise. A small twist in
either direction will set the lathe spinning in the direction in which
it was twisted, allowing the lathe to run in reverse, even though it
was not designed for that. After some looking around, it seems that
the most likely cause of this is that the capacitor on the motor has
gone out- but it's kind of nice to be able to get it moving the other
direction anyhow.

What I'm wondering is whether this is something I need to get fixed
up, or if it's fine to run as it is. The lathe is still under
warranty, and I'm sure Delta would be happy to send me a new part.
I'd almost like to keep it just how it is, but I'm concerned that it
could cause some damage in the long term. Anyone here have any
experience with this?

Thanks!
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

If under warranty, you should get it fixed. I believe your title pinpoints
the problem.

"Prometheus" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

I've been turning up a storm on my new midi lathe, and it's recently
developed a bit of a quirk. When I turn it on, the spindle stays
stationary, and the lathe makes a buzzing noise. A small twist in
either direction will set the lathe spinning in the direction in which
it was twisted, allowing the lathe to run in reverse, even though it
was not designed for that. After some looking around, it seems that
the most likely cause of this is that the capacitor on the motor has
gone out- but it's kind of nice to be able to get it moving the other
direction anyhow.

What I'm wondering is whether this is something I need to get fixed
up, or if it's fine to run as it is. The lathe is still under
warranty, and I'm sure Delta would be happy to send me a new part.
I'd almost like to keep it just how it is, but I'm concerned that it
could cause some damage in the long term. Anyone here have any
experience with this?

Thanks!
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

If the storm you've been turning included some dust clouds, you may have
another problem - dust buildup.

Give it a good blast with compressed air if available, or vacuum. Sometimes
the amount of buildup can overpower the slight capacitive boost.

Call Delta, they'll likely deliver a fresh capacitor.

"Prometheus" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

I've been turning up a storm on my new midi lathe, and it's recently
developed a bit of a quirk. When I turn it on, the spindle stays
stationary, and the lathe makes a buzzing noise. A small twist in
either direction will set the lathe spinning in the direction in which
it was twisted, allowing the lathe to run in reverse, even though it
was not designed for that. After some looking around, it seems that
the most likely cause of this is that the capacitor on the motor has
gone out- but it's kind of nice to be able to get it moving the other
direction anyhow.

What I'm wondering is whether this is something I need to get fixed
up, or if it's fine to run as it is. The lathe is still under
warranty, and I'm sure Delta would be happy to send me a new part.
I'd almost like to keep it just how it is, but I'm concerned that it
could cause some damage in the long term. Anyone here have any
experience with this?

Thanks!
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

It will not hurt the motor to leave it the way it is provided you don't let
it sit there and buzz very long.

--
If at first you don't succeed, you're not cut out for skydiving


"Prometheus" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

I've been turning up a storm on my new midi lathe, and it's recently
developed a bit of a quirk. When I turn it on, the spindle stays
stationary, and the lathe makes a buzzing noise. A small twist in
either direction will set the lathe spinning in the direction in which
it was twisted, allowing the lathe to run in reverse, even though it
was not designed for that. After some looking around, it seems that
the most likely cause of this is that the capacitor on the motor has
gone out- but it's kind of nice to be able to get it moving the other
direction anyhow.

What I'm wondering is whether this is something I need to get fixed
up, or if it's fine to run as it is. The lathe is still under
warranty, and I'm sure Delta would be happy to send me a new part.
I'd almost like to keep it just how it is, but I'm concerned that it
could cause some damage in the long term. Anyone here have any
experience with this?

Thanks!
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 06:10:15 GMT, "TBone"
wrote:

It will not hurt the motor to leave it the way it is provided you don't let
it sit there and buzz very long.

Nope, I get it spinning right away. I think I'm going to leave it for
a bit, and see if there's any noticable advantage to being able to
reverse it. If all else fails, it's still got another 23 months under
warranty!
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 20:13:51 -0600, Prometheus
wrote:

On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 06:10:15 GMT, "TBone"
wrote:

It will not hurt the motor to leave it the way it is provided you don't let
it sit there and buzz very long.

Nope, I get it spinning right away. I think I'm going to leave it for
a bit, and see if there's any noticable advantage to being able to
reverse it. If all else fails, it's still got another 23 months under
warranty!
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam
could be interesting for those bowls that just won't sand smooth
because of the grain direction..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

In article ,
Prometheus wrote:

Hello all,

I've been turning up a storm on my new midi lathe, and it's recently
developed a bit of a quirk. When I turn it on, the spindle stays
stationary, and the lathe makes a buzzing noise. A small twist in
either direction will set the lathe spinning in the direction in which
it was twisted, allowing the lathe to run in reverse, even though it
was not designed for that. After some looking around, it seems that
the most likely cause of this is that the capacitor on the motor has
gone out- but it's kind of nice to be able to get it moving the other
direction anyhow.

What I'm wondering is whether this is something I need to get fixed
up, or if it's fine to run as it is. The lathe is still under
warranty, and I'm sure Delta would be happy to send me a new part.
I'd almost like to keep it just how it is, but I'm concerned that it
could cause some damage in the long term. Anyone here have any
experience with this?

Thanks!
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

Either the Start Cap is defective or the centrifugal Switch that
disconnects the start cap after the motor is running is defective. The
only danger is forgetting to start the motor after applying power as
eventually it would trip the breaker. Realize that if the motor is not
running no counter EMF is genreated so the motor draws starting current
which could cause the field winding to fail if it didn't trip the
breaker. I don't believe that running the motor backward would hurt
anything but the airflow through the motor would be backwards. Then
again it is probably a sealed motor so it may not make any difference at
all.

--
To reply drop "spam" from the email address

"woodturning" The ability to turn useful material to sawdust

Floyd "Who"

The "fan" in almost every electric motor are straight finned and work
the same regardless of the direction of the motor

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

Floyd "Who" wrote:

In article ,
Prometheus . I don't believe that running the motor backward would hurt
anything but the airflow through the motor would be backwards. Then
again it is probably a sealed motor so it may not make any difference at
all.