Help Needed with Stark brand mini-lathe
Hello:
I’m new to the forum and need some help. My 15 year old son would like to make conductor batons for his school orchestra and we bought a lathe. It’s a Stark brand that we bought from someone at a moving sale. Generally I have major inconsistencies with the wood not spinning at all, or moving so slowly that you can see each side as it spins.
My first problem is trying to move the belt on the pulleys to adjust the speed. You have to manually loosen the pulley or the motor mounts so the belt has enough slack to move. Is this normal?
The second problem I have is with the tail stock assembly. It has a nut on it that I don’t fully understand it’s purpose. If I tighten the assembly too tightly into the stock then the stock won’t spin at all. But the motor will hum.
Thirdly, if I loosen the tail stock assembly just enough I can get the stocking spinning at a decent speed. But when you try to put a tool to it, the entire stock stops spinning completely.
I’m not sure which of the problems to solve first…or even how to solve them at this point.
This is the closest thing I’ve found to a match: https://starkusaindustrial.com/product/40-inch-4-speed-1-2-hp-120v-wood-turning-lathe-machine-14-x-40-new/
I’m happy to upload pics or videos and my own email and phone for personal contact if that would help.
Thanks in advance.
Sincerely,
Joel
Replies
Wow. That is the lightest weight lathe I have ever seen. I wouldn't even consider turning something on that.
This is your lathe: https://mengmat.en.alibaba.com/product/60785459028-803546701/wood_lathe_machine_wood_turning_lathe_MCS1000_1.html
http://www.good-machinetools.com/WOOD-LATHE-MCS500-MCS1000-MC940-pd6488035.html
We will assume it’s in working order and start troubleshooting from the power source down to the adjustments. Firstly can you confirm the power provided matches the markings on the motor nameplate ie. 120 or 240 v, 60 hz, 1 phase. ?
Not to be unkind but, buy something worthwhile like a Jet or a Grizzly brand lathe.
Working order? Ish. I can get the spindle to spin but have no way to accurately gauge the speed so I don't know if it's 1000 RPM or 3400 RPM. And to adjust the belt I basically removed and reattached the entire motor housing.
We only paid $25 for the machine and a set of tools so even if it's junk we're not out a lot of money.
Any opinions on the Wen machine from Home Depot?
If you are either a novice at woodturning, or it's been a long time, I suggest you look at the American Association of Woodturners' website at http://www.woodturner.org. They have a lot of good free resources, and they offer a "trial" digital membership (for about 2 months). Their digital "FUNdamentals of woodturning" newsletter is excellent, and they have a curated list of video links.
From what you're describing in the original post, it sounds like either your drive center is not seated properly in your workpiece, and you have a dead center in your tailstock, rather than a live center. I'm familiar with the style of lathe that you have, and there should be a lever screw that you loosen (by hand) to move the motor a bit, which allows you to change the pulleys on the belt.
Your next tool, by the way, should be something to sharpen all the tools you got :-)
I have no personal experience with the Wen, but it looks like a Turncrafter clone. The Turncrafters are a bit underpowered (especially if they have an electronic speed control), but if all you want to do is conductor batons, may be adequate. But if you are a novice at turning wood, I recommend you find a (real live) mentor--or be prepared to spend a lot of time with sandpaper :-)
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