Axminster M900 lathe - Noisy

[Glynne]

I started a separate thread last week when my starter capacitor blew up and thanks to CHJ (Chas), I've now managed to sort this.
However, when using the lathe today I noticed it is incredibly noisy. Given that it is a budget lathe it has never really been that quiet and add to that it is about 15 years old then I know I can't expect silent running. But now it is really noisy to the extent that it is off putting. Additionally, the motor gets really hot and whilst the manual suggest it can run at 60*C, I'm guessing it is probably hotter than that.
So I removed the headstock cover, motor front cover & fan and the the belt.
The headstock spindle spins virtually silently with negligible play but the motor spindle is very noisy even when turning, let alone spinning by hand. I can only describe the noise as sounding "dry".
So unless I have missed something, this sounds very much like the motor bearings have gone?

The main questions are: -
How easy / difficult is it to replace the motor bearings? The manual suggests they are sealed for life but I don't know whether that means the cannot be replaced?
It it a DIY or professional job and how much is it likely to cost?
Is it likely to be worthwhile given that the lathe is 15 years old is an old budget model?

I'm also thinking that I shouldn't use the lathe for the time being given that I'm only going to generate excessive heat and, apart from the safety consideration, I'm likely to burn out the whole motor if the spindle seizes.

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[chipmunk]

Hi Glynne,
Even if your motor is noisy, Reeves drive lathes like the M900 are noisy and usually most of that comes from the belt and adjustable pulleys.

Have you greased your Reeves drive recently? - there should be a grease nipple on the end of the cone pulley shaft. The other thing is that if the v-belt gets too long or worn it can also increase the noise and I think speed up the lathe from normal.

You could try aerosol white grease for your motor bearings to try and quieten them down along with your Reeves drive before you go down the route of dismantling. This stuff is dirt cheap and should help. http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p10203?table=no

HTH
Jon

 

[Glynne]

Thanks Jon.
The noise is essentially coming from the motor.
Accepting that Reeves drives are noisy, the motor makes a racket without the drive belt attached and whilst the lathe has never been that quiet, the increase in noise in the last week or so has really been noticeable.
I regularly grease the drive and the belt is OK but there is a completely different sound to the headstock now.

 

[Glynne]

I just thought I would answer my own post in case anyone is interested.
I contacted Axminster's technical department and: -

The noise is either the drive spindle or the motor spindle and as I've removed the belt and the drive spindle is silent.....then it's the motor.
The high running temperature is a further clue and they very diplomatically suggested that wood shavings and dust do not mix too well with metal at high temperatures!
Axminster only deal in complete motors rather than components within motors so they would not repair.
Unfortunately (well not really - see later) they no longer stock a suitable motor which could be a direct replacement. They can obviously supply other motors but that would involve a degree of engineering / modification which I don't have the time, inclination and more importantly the expertise to do.
Sealed for life bearings are evidently just that for most people although the suggestion is that a specialised motor engineer might be able to sort something but the likely cost of this against an old lathe wasn't thought to be justified.
So the suggestion was that probably a 15+ year lathe (and a budget one at that) was probably coming to the end of its days, or at least the motor was.

The better news is that I had promised myself a new lathe when I retired some 4 years ago and I never got around to looking for one. Without any prompting, my good lady suggested that perhaps I need a new one and so I think I need to treat myself and will see if anyone with some engineering know how wants my old one.

 

[CHJ]

Glynne, the new lathe option is not to be missed, as you say lathe is not in its prime of youth, although it may well be possible to locate a scrap lathe of that pattern ,there are several differently branded clones, and get the motor off it, the more modern ones may need a bit of work adapting the fixing holes.


For your information and education for future reference:-
Sealed for life bearings are nothing exotic and are the common denominator in the bulk of applications, removing them from the motor shaft and fitting replacements is not a major task but may need a bit of ingenuity if you don't have suitable pullers.

Without someone checking out the motor windings and its general health I suspect you are correct in assuming it may not be worth throwing money at it.

 

[Glynne]

Thanks Chas,
I'd just about worked out that the effort & cost involved in sorting the lathe out wasn't going to be worth it. Looking at it with objective rather than familiar eyes it is a bit of a brute and I think I've only ever once come close to using the 900mm centre to centre capacity. So something smaller and with variable speed seems favourite.
I'll put it out as FTAGH with caveats as to the motor just in case there are engineers out there befor I scrap it.
I'm looking at the Axminster 1416 so a quick trip to Nuneaton tomorrow is planned.
I was initially concerned as the M900 has a 1" x 8tpi thread but I see that Axy do a M33 x 3.5 to a 1 x 8 thread adaptor so I should be alright.
Thanks again for your help.

 

[CHJ]

You'll find the having electronic variable speed a step up in convenience and ease of use over the mechanical reeves drive, being able to tweak it just up to the balance/vibration point rather than having to move in fixed jumps.

 

[timber]

You'll find the having electronic variable speed a step up in convenience and ease of use over the mechanical reeves drive, being able to tweak it just up to the balance/vibration point rather than having to move in fixed jumps.

Hi
I have just sent you a private message
Regards
Timber

 

[timber]

Thanks Chas,
I'd just about worked out that the effort & cost involved in sorting the lathe out wasn't going to be worth it. Looking at it with objective rather than familiar eyes it is a bit of a brute and I think I've only ever once come close to using the 900mm centre to centre capacity. So something smaller and with variable speed seems favourite.
I'll put it out as FTAGH with caveats as to the motor just in case there are engineers out there befor I scrap it.
I'm looking at the Axminster 1416 so a quick trip to Nuneaton tomorrow is planned.
I was initially concerned as the M900 has a 1" x 8tpi thread but I see that Axy do a M33 x 3.5 to a 1 x 8 thread adaptor so I should be alright.
Thanks again for your help.

Hi
I have just sent you a private message
Regards
Timber