Recent posts
- drill wandering in the tailstock, 3/8 then 1/2
A twist drill will follow a bent start and make it worse as it gets bigger. Check the 3/8 hole before you blame the 1/2. Also the tailstock…
- quiet lathe in a rental, is that a real request
A sharp tool at a modest rpm is quieter than a dull one screaming. It will never be quiet. Rubber pads under the cabinet change the note mo…
- half nuts close, the thread still goes drunken at the end
If the pitch is right and the crest is torn only at the end, you're running into the groove with a tool that's still loaded, or the groove…
- motor hums, then the belt smells like a decision
A hum then a release is often the belt grabbing a pulley that's slightly glazed, or the accel on the drive set so low the motor sits at a s…
- compound creep, the depth changes when I lock it
The lock is pulling the slide as it clamps. Back the lock screw's shoe, or the gib on that side, until clamping doesn't shift the dial. If…
- center drill walks off the spot I punched
A punch mark on a part spinning in a 3-jaw is not a location. The center drill will follow the part's center, or it will try to and skate i…
- import 6 inch chuck, runout, am I the problem
Did you check one jaw at a time, or only the assembled runout? A single high jaw will look like this and the body will still clock true. If…
- chatters on the way back, fine on the way in
You're likely climbing with the insert when you reverse. A tool with rake wants to be fed so the cut loads it into the holder, not out of i…
- rotary or a vfd, garage, 3hp that already lies
If the motor is inverter-duty, or at least not ancient with questionable insulation, a VFD is the cleaner tool and you can actually use the…
- carbide on a 10 inch atlas, am I wasting inserts
Ken, a mirror you haven't shown isn't a data point. Delaney, what rpm, what depth, and how far is the insert hanging out of the holder? 'Go…
- carriage handwheel freewheels one direction
Look at the pinion where it meets the rack, under load, both directions. A key that fits the shaft and not the pinion will drive one way an…
- tailstock barrel has a flat, or I think it does
Squinting is not a measurement. Indicate the ram against a test bar in the chuck, locked and unlocked. A cosmetic flat that doesn't move th…