REVO 1836 - Part 2 (Rating: 5)
My shop was designed to house a heavy lathe and has a 6' x 6' x 20" slab which has the main beam for the crane sunk down 18" into the slab. The lathe is set directly under the path of the crane to help load heavy objects onto the spindle. This has proved over the years to be invaluable.
I decided not to use the leveling feet but used shims to level the machine and then bolted the head stock end to the main beam of the shop and also bolted the tail-stock end to the floor after leveling. I built the outer foot out of a slab of Heart pine. This steadied the whole outboard end of the lathe.
Now that the lathe was in place I made a close inspection of the spindle. There were some burrs at the beginning and ending of the threads which I removed with a triangular diamond file. I screwed on the face-plate and it seemed rather loose but seated snugly up against the shoulder. I also discovered that it is necessary to use the set screws when turning a large object as it tried to unscrew itself when I turned off the machine. Make sure to unscrew the set screw all the way before taking off the face plate as they will damage the threads of the spindle.
So far I am happy with the machine. I am a little concerned about the spindle threads being rather loose and would like some feed back about this from other lathe owners. My old Powermatic 3520A had more beefy threads and held up for over 10 years without a problem, so I will be taking more care with this machine. There was no mention of a run in period in the manual. The ONEWAY manual suggests running below 2000 RPM for the first 30 hours which I intend on following. The large table top was turned beginning at 200-and finished at 600. The live center which came with the lathe made a funny ticking sound. I changed it out with my Oneway center and the sound disappeared. Went back to the other center and ran it for a while. The sound went away.
What I like is the outboard set-up. This opens up a whole new world for me. I also like the controls at the top of the headstock which allows access from the back of the machine. I may install a remote on/off switch later.
Still thinking about an American Beauty in my future…LOL
My shop was designed to house a heavy lathe and has a 6' x 6' x 20" slab which has the main beam for the crane sunk down 18" into the slab. The lathe is set directly under the path of the crane to help load heavy objects onto the spindle. This has proved over the years to be invaluable.
I decided not to use the leveling feet but used shims to level the machine and then bolted the head stock end to the main beam of the shop and also bolted the tail-stock end to the floor after leveling. I built the outer foot out of a slab of Heart pine. This steadied the whole outboard end of the lathe.
Now that the lathe was in place I made a close inspection of the spindle. There were some burrs at the beginning and ending of the threads which I removed with a triangular diamond file. I screwed on the face-plate and it seemed rather loose but seated snugly up against the shoulder. I also discovered that it is necessary to use the set screws when turning a large object as it tried to unscrew itself when I turned off the machine. Make sure to unscrew the set screw all the way before taking off the face plate as they will damage the threads of the spindle.
So far I am happy with the machine. I am a little concerned about the spindle threads being rather loose and would like some feed back about this from other lathe owners. My old Powermatic 3520A had more beefy threads and held up for over 10 years without a problem, so I will be taking more care with this machine. There was no mention of a run in period in the manual. The ONEWAY manual suggests running below 2000 RPM for the first 30 hours which I intend on following. The large table top was turned beginning at 200-and finished at 600. The live center which came with the lathe made a funny ticking sound. I changed it out with my Oneway center and the sound disappeared. Went back to the other center and ran it for a while. The sound went away.
What I like is the outboard set-up. This opens up a whole new world for me. I also like the controls at the top of the headstock which allows access from the back of the machine. I may install a remote on/off switch later.
Still thinking about an American Beauty in my future…LOL
