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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default 1236A lathe Too good to be true

    Hi guys,

    Well the lathe purchase had to turn to crap sooner or later and it has.
    Trying to be a prudent sod ,I undid the fill caps on the head stock gear box and the auto feed box and dipped a telescopic magnet thingy in.

    A little bit of CI swarf came out on the headstock box dip but the much smaller auto feed box seems to have a lot.
    I dipped it half a dozen times and each time get what you see on the photo.

    The dealer has been emailed and the copy of this picture sent. The ball is in their court.

    Grahame

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Melbourne
    Age
    65
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    316

    Default

    Hi Grahame,

    Sorry to hear (and see) about the swarf. However, I'm curious to know why you checked the boxes - was there some funny noises come from them?

    Regards
    David

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default Swarfmaster Lathe

    Hi Metalhead
    I searched for 8 or nine months and looked at many Lathes as I could. I viewed many more on the web and read every bit of info re lathes I could.
    I was following advice from those elsewhere on other boards who have experienced this same problem.

    I only wish i had thought to do this first up before running the lathe.

    I have only run it a minute or two to check that everything worked so maybe this ???? is not through the bearings yet.

    One of the guys on the school P&C is a mechanical engineer who repairs and services lathes mills etc at Tafe and businesses around town.
    I"ll chase him up and get his advice.I'd guess it will involve drain the oil, flushing the boxes and hoping that that bearings are ok.

    I have a really powerful disc drive magnet which I'll mount on a stick and cover with a plastic bag I want to use on it..

    If I can get the ok from the dealer (so I'll not lose warranty) I'll strip the off covers and drag my magnet around then flush the crap out.

    I can some how feel it in my water that the dealer will want me to pay for freight (about $300) if I return the bastard for a warranty claim.

    If he won,t play ball I have nasty behavior involving phone calls to the Tafe that the same machines allegedly have been sold to.

    Advice I have been offered lately after buying the lathe ( naturally) is that the Taiwanese make very much better and more costly lathes.

    Anyway I'll see what the dealer says first.

    Grahame

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    melbourne
    Age
    53
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    Default

    Hi mate sorry to hear of your problems sticking a magnet in to the gearbox may not be a very good idler if you magnetize anything In there you will make the sworf stick to the gears ide go with a flush but only after all warranty clams are dun and dusted and yes the Taiwanese machines are so much better than the Chinese stuff it is just not funny

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Melbourne
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    65
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Grahame Collins View Post
    Hi Metalhead

    I was following advice from those elsewhere on other boards who have experienced this same problem.

    I only wish i had thought to do this first up before running the lathe.

    I have only run it a minute or two to check that everything worked so maybe this ???? is not through the bearings yet.
    Grahame
    Hi Grahame,

    I apologize for sounding so ddduuummbbb but I still cannot make out what was the problem?

    Did you NOT read the instructions and put in additional oil or something like that?

    Whatever it was you can see you are rightly p----d o-- about it. So the moral of the story is for others who are thinking of buying machinery is to leave CHINESE made stuff alone?

    I hope you get a satisfactory outcome to this problem(s).

    Regards
    MH

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    melbourne
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    53
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    Default

    I know of a company that dealer in second hand machinery and new that sent over a dean smith and grace lath to be copied as thy are very good machines the Chinese made a heard of thees machines the only problem was the one thy sent Had a problem with the gearbox and so thy all did morel of the story is go Taiwanese or go home

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Australind , WA
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    1,277

    Default

    Sorry to hear about this Grahame. Makes me think I should have done the same on my lathe.
    I am thinking that it may be be as bad as it sounds? ( just thinking out loud ) I am thinking that the swarf is from the manufacturing process and not from bearing damage and so long as none of the gears are magnetic, the swarf will just sit at the bottom of the housing and do no damage. Also,the fact that there is no oil pump to circulate the oil and swarf, it seems to me that you may be ok.....maybe.
    Don't get me wrong, I'd get the offending material out as soon as possible, but it does not seem to me to be a complete disaster.
    What do you think?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
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    Default

    Hi Metalhead
    Why did I check the gearboxes for swarf.Because it has happened to other people and could happen to me.
    Why now ? Because a replacement set of headstock bearings may cost $1000 or more.If I had of carried on and not checked the results could have been far worse.

    This figure is not hype or exaggeration on my part.It is quoted by the lathe repair fitter who was looking at our school lathe which is a similar dimension to mine.This particular lathe headstock sounds like a washing machine full of ball bearings.It had fought a brave fight but was no mact for apathy and ignorance.

    For about the first time in my life,I read the instructions before I did anything else.

    The single phase 15 amp plug was fitted on Sunday.

    The gearbox dip was only just part of an overall procedure I thought i should do before I got stuck into any machining.
    Also at the same time I thought I would set up my work area and lighting adjacent bench with a bench grinder.
    The other checks were marking off the supplied items of gear against what the manual said I should have.

    With the plug fitted and power available,the operation of the motor, it's operation in each of the nine gears and the auto feeds were checked.

    My contact to the supplier has not been responded to.

    I have chased up the lathe man and he advises no further use until the boxes are opened flushed and de greased.

    De greasing will pull the oil out of areas that may be harboring any swarf. As the de greaser is free running and non viscous the swarf should flush out with it.

    Still waiting for the supplier to phone back. I will keep you posted.Nothing can be done as yet,as I don't want to give them an escape door with the warranty.

    Grahame

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2005
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    melbourne
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    Default

    Pretty bad state of afars when you have to dismantle a brand new machine to make it right do you know how the manufacture is and send them an email to they probable wont do anything but you never know

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    brisbane
    Posts
    245

    Default

    Unhappy times. I have no idea on how much work it is to flush the cases out?? Is it a bad thing....why would it void your warranty?

    I can't see a problem in suspending a decent magnet inside away from the gear set, afterall all my diffs and cases on the cruiser have a magnetic drain plug.

    Keep us posted - and boy this makes it hard for me to buy a chinese lathe - looks like I will keep haunting the auctions until I find something I can afford and fit in the shed
    Cheers

    Craig
    Brisbane

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2004
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    Epping.Vic
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    Default

    Sorry to hear about your problem with your new lathe Graham, its not the sort of thing you would expect from something thats brand new. I hope it all works out for you mate
    Regards
    Al .

    You don't know, what you don't know, until you know it.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
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    Default

    Hi Al B,
    The signature line on your post
    You don't know what you know until you know it" prompted me to think if you are buying a lathe only seen as per web photos :

    " You don't know what you can see until you can see it (closely)."

    After the protective gunk has been cleaned away.

    Hmmm! I am starting to look hard now or perhaps am I just being too nitpicky

    • I am confusing the paint job with sandpaper as it has so much grit in it.
    • Plastic gasket material hanging out of top gearbox cover.It may not affect function but it just looks tacky.
    • Where the moisture absorbent bag was fixed the glue has eaten into the only bit of reasonable paint on the cross slide.
    • The change gear cover was fouling on the drip tray.Why? Because the tapped hole for the stud is about 10 degrees downwards off a right angle.
    • The areas around the holes for the hold down bolts started to crumble and break up as I torqued down the bolts. Why because the hole top surfaces are covered in bog .I kid you not folks. Makes it a tad hard to get even tension for leveling if you pulling down on bog.


    I get to try my dial indicator tomorrow.That should be interesting.

    Grahame

  13. #13
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    May 2005
    Location
    melbourne
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    Default

    Onestley ide try to get rid of the thing get your money back you have all these problems now and you haven't machined anything yet. i wonder how accurate it isn't when you Finlay get to machine something

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Northen Rivers NSW
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    57
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    131

    Default

    I take it the lathe hasnt been run yet or am i missing something.

    Why not just drain and replace the oil, run it and see if any more comes develops. You could also put a magnet in the bottom of the box to catch any more.


  15. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Australind , WA
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    Default

    Sorry to highjack your thread somewhat Grahame, but I did the same check( pulled the top cover off) to my lathe today and found similar things, although I have only checked headstock so far.
    I am not that concerned at the moment but I will be keeping an eye on things.
    I rang the supplier ( H&F) and asked about the type of oil to use and he said 'Hydraulic 46' so I will go hunting for a 20L drum of this. I will use it in my HM-45 Mill as well.

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