HF 34706 Lathe died

[GaryMc]

After 19 years, this ol' lathe suffered the dread stuck-sheave malady about a month ago, so it would not shift from the lowest speed.  After numerous applications of PB Blaster and some rather gentle push-pull, those pot-metal sheaves began to crack and break up.  Finally got them off the motor shaft, and the outer one off the spindle shaft. The inner one refuses to budge, and the current state of affairs is attached.  The speed control still will not budge, so the mechanism behind that sheave remains stuck.

Rather than hammering on things to the point of destroying the bearings, I'm wondering whether mounting a multi-step pulley on the spindle shaft, with a corresponding one mounted backwards on the motor shaft might be the way to go, like the old lathes with multi-step drives.  The motor shaft is 5/8-inch diameter and the spindle shaft appears to be 24mm diameter.  The pulleys are reasonably priced at Amazon.

You should know that I am basically a flatlander but two decades ago, watching Anthony Yak, Grumbine, and others work their magic, I decided to jump aboard in a small way with the HF lathe.  Collected the requisite tools, chucks, a slow-speed grinder, Wolverine/Veritas jigs, new belts, etc., in a start down the slippery slope.  Did a number of spindle projects, tried unsuccessfully on a bowl or two, then decided to get back to flatland except when I really needed something round.

So here is where I need some help: (1) Am I wasting time fiddling with this old machine, (2) ideas on how to get that last sheave off, and (3) what you think about the multistep pulley approach.  Opinions would be much appreciated.

[Arlin Eastman]

Gary

That is a Reeves drive and not been very popular with it having so many problems.  You can check on ebay for a replacement or google the make and model so see who much make a replacement part but that old I do not know.

It depends on what you use it for and how often I would replace it with a mini, midi or large lathe depending on your intent and needs.
Also check out youtube videos like Lyle Jamieson and others on how to use the tools you have for each project like spindle or bowl turning. Also look and see if there is a turning club around you to maybe be a tutor for you.

[GaryMc]

Gary

That is a Reeves drive and not been very popular with it having so many problems.  You can check on ebay for a replacement or google the make and model so see who much make a replacement part but that old I do not know.

It depends on what you use it for and how often I would replace it with a mini, midi or large lathe depending on your intent and needs.
Also check out youtube videos like Lyle Jamieson and others on how to use the tools you have for each project like spindle or bowl turning.  Also look and see if there is a turning club around you to maybe be a tutor for you.

Arlin - I researched many past posts on several forums about this issue, some many years ago when the Chi-com belt died and I needed to replace it.  The HF model is a knock-off of the Jet 1236 and also a Grizzly model - the Jet stuff fits but is no longer available - no indication whether Grizzly stuff fits exactly.  The crappy "pot-metal" sheaves seems to be common among the brands, so I would rather not go there.

I must admit the primary reason for reviving the beast is so as not to admit defeat at the hands of a mechanical contrivance.  Everything else about the machine is in good working order, and I would hate to just resign it to use as a 200-lb. boat anchor.  And I have no intentions of upgrading to better equipment.

You should know that my first foray into "turning" was with a Craftsman Rotary-Crafter back some 40 years ago.  I actually did some decent work with that device, rigging it up with a multispeed drive from an old strip chart recorder.  I gave that away to HFH a few years ago and someone scarfed it up immediately.

[JDuke]

Couple of options,

Look around on local marketplace of choice for a 3 phase motor thats between 1 and 3 horsepower, and pair it with a variable frequency drive.  You will still need to put pulleys on both the motor and the lathe to transfer power, but as you said you can find those.

The other lower cost option, is look to the same marketplaces and see if you can find an old treadmill, the older the better.  Older treadmills usually had DC motors and many of the older ones just had a Rheostat(dial) to adjust the speed.  When you find a treadmill like this, frequently (not always) the motors are a standard Nema 56 mount.  Not all treadmills are standard mounts, many are proprietary that make adapting to your lathe more of a challenge.

The benefit of both these options, is continuous variable speed.  With the 3PH motor and VFD you will lose quite a bit of Torque at low speed, which isn’t ideal on a lathe.  With the DC motor, you have very good torque even to low speed, but may run into cooling issues if you run for long periods at low speed.

I have a mini lathe with extension that has a 3PH motor and VFD, also several other machines that I have configured this way as well.

My drill press was converted to DC treadmill motor within a week of purchase when new 15 years ago and I haven’t looked back, its really nice to be able to turn RPM of a DP from 33 all the way to 1200 without moving a belt, just turn the knob.

[Bill Holt]

Gary, I am no expert.  I started turning, like you, for furniture parts, with a used Jet 1442-Reeves Drive.  When it became difficult to change speeds, I learned to do maintenance.  At some point the maintenance became too much and I had a chance to upgrade.  The Jet went to a nephew, who was equipped to rebuild the drive system.

The stepped pully system works great on my drill press.  Obviously, you will have to find correctly sized pulleys, or have new pulleys machined to fit your lathe.  I commend your commitment to salvaging the old lathe.  When I faced that challenge, I asked myself what could go wrong next and how much trouble was worth the savings?

As it turned out, I enjoyed the upgrade so much, I have become an avid turner.  It might have been Arlin, someone suggested finding a turning club...without a doubt, that may be the best advice you're going to receive here.  The guys in my club have metal lathes and are eager to help when given a chance.

Sorry for the long-winded response, good luck.

[Stwood_]

If you have all the specs to the broken pulleys, give Griz a call and they generally give out some help with need parts.
And if all else fails, the 3-step pulleys is a good way to go. I'm still running those on a craftsman lathe that is older than dirt.

[lkomroff]

If you have all the specs to the broken pulleys, give Griz a call and they generally give out some help with need parts.
And if all else fails, the 3-step pulleys is a good way to go. I'm still running those on a craftsman lathe that is older than dirt.

Also try Harbor Freight customer service number. I believe they still sell parts for this lathe if you just want to replace pulleys.

[GaryMc]

Also try Harbor Freight customer service number. I believe they still sell parts for this lathe if you just want to replace pulleys.

Thanks, everybody, for the responses.  As to the DC motor idea, some time ago our old treadmill motor died (not repairable) and I looked for quite a while for a used one, to no avail.  And a new one was quite expensive, so that option may not be feasible.

HF or Griz replacements may be possible, but only if I can get that last pulley half off there.  It is up tight against the rear gear-change mechanism (which is also stuck tight) making something like a gear puller difficult because of nothing to grab onto.  If anyone has any ideas (heat, maybe - the zinc pulley should heat faster than the steel arbor?), let me know.

Gary

[JDuke]

Gary 

Where are you located roughly?

I know whether your in a metro area is going to really effect availability of used treadmills, but they really are worth keeping an eye out for so you have one available when you need a new motor for either a lathe or drill press.

Someone else mentioned checking into a local club for turning either metal or wood.  Someone like myself but local to you may have a treadmill motor and control laying around that they wouldn’t mind letting go of, but aren’t listing for sale.

Might even be worth listing a wanted ad for an old treadmill.

I am a believer in 3ph and DC motors that I have pulled the single phase motor off my metal lathe and replaced with a 3PH and VFD bought the motor from surpluscenter online.  

Whatever you decide good luck.

Duke

[kurt18947]

Talking to HF or Grizzly seems like a good idea. Maybe try to get as many dimensions as you can before calling. The VFD idea is a nice one but you'd have to pay attention to what it would cost versus buying a replacement lathe, new or used. There are some pretty cheap VFDs on Ebay but I'd want to have some experience with VFDs or know somebody who does before going that route. I have a VFD setup on a drill press replacing a step pulley setup. It works well but it needs about 8 Hz to develop reasonable torque, high end is around 80 Hz iirc. I'm able to get about 250 RPM to 2100 RPM, don't recall the pulley sizes.