Heastock turning issue

[Georgia Glunt]

Hi! I'm new to the forum and somewhat new to turning. I just purchased a Penn State VS 10" midi lathe. I am having an issue with it not turning properly. I works for a while, then when I shut it off, it turns on and the display lights up, but doesn't turn. When I turn the spindle by hand I can feel a small catch, then it frees up. It then may or may not work again.
I've called Penn State and they have told me there is a screw inside the pulley housing that I can adjust the pulley..I have looked, but I don't see any screws that look like they would allow movement. Can anyone point me to this screw? Or shed more light on what might be the problem? I told them the spindle is not locked, I've checked that and I made sure the belts were on properly and the motor is snugged down in place, but not too tight. He is sending me a new circuit board, but to me that doesn't seem to be the issue. Any advise would be welcome! Thank you.

 

[john lucas]

Strange problem. Hard to diagnose without seeing it. Not sure what screw they are talking about unless it's the setscrew that holds the pulley's in position. You have to remove the belt and rotate the pulley to find the setscrew. They will be in the bottom of a hole. You might also check the spindle lock. I don't know how that machine locks the spindle to remove chucks but some lathes have a pin that can hit the spindle pulleys when it's loose or out of adjustment. This would make a noise like you describe and could stop the machine from starting up. Hang on to that circuit board. If it's not the issue it could be later on.

 

[Richard Coers]

All troubleshooting is about the process of elimination. First, take the belt off the motor and turn on the motor. Listen for noise and smooth running. Then before putting the belt back on the motor, turn the spindle by hand and feel for free and quiet spinning. Then you can relay that info to Penn State.

 

[Georgia Glunt]

All troubleshooting is about the process of elimination. First, take the belt off the motor and turn on the motor. Listen for noise and smooth running. Then before putting the belt back on the motor, turn the spindle by hand and feel for free and quiet spinning. Then you can relay that info to Penn State.

Thank you. I have done that now. Removed the belt. The motor appears to run fine and turns the lower pulley. The spindle turns fine by hand. No catching. Then putting the belt back on, I have the same issue. But will report this to Penn State this week.

 

[Georgia Glunt]

Strange problem. Hard to diagnose without seeing it. Not sure what screw they are talking about unless it's the setscrew that holds the pulley's in position. You have to remove the belt and rotate the pulley to find the setscrew. They will be in the bottom of a hole. You might also check the spindle lock. I don't know how that machine locks the spindle to remove chucks but some lathes have a pin that can hit the spindle pulleys when it's loose or out of adjustment. This would make a noise like you describe and could stop the machine from starting up. Hang on to that circuit board. If it's not the issue it could be later on.

Thank you. I've taken the spindle lock completely off and the cover where the wire connections are and I don't see where anything is rubbing the spindle.

 

[Richard Coers]

Thank you. I have done that now. Removed the belt. The motor appears to run fine and turns the lower pulley. The spindle turns fine by hand. No catching. Then putting the belt back on, I have the same issue. But will report this to Penn State this week.

Now try to wiggle and slide the pulleys on the shafts.

 

[Gary Beasley]

Sometimes a bearing will turn easy when unloaded then under load you can feel a bump where it hits a bad spot.