Replies

1. 
   Don01 | Jan 29, 2010 11:12am | #1

   You will have to replace the motor or take it to a motor repair or machine shop to see if it can be straightened or balanced.

   Not really a do it yourself project unless you want to find the high point of the shaft rotation, rotate the shaft so that point is high, hit it with a dead blow hammer. Not real hard - you don't want to damage the bearings or put an extension on the shaft to try and straighten it using leverage.

   Doable, but not for the faint of heart.

   Your Sears service center can also give you an estimate.

   Don

2. 
   JerryPacMan | Jan 29, 2010 01:21pm | #2

   Try moving the shaft laterally. If it moves you have bad bearings, if not maybe a bent shaft.

1. 
   harold12 | Jan 29, 2010 01:36pm | #3

   Thank you both for your responses. I guess taking it to an electric Motor Shop is the answer. If it were the bearings, wouldn't it make a sqeeking sound? Is replacing the bearings a DIY project?

3. 
   JohnWW | Jan 29, 2010 02:23pm | #4

   With a few rare exceptions, the shaft in the headstock on a lathe is not part of the motor. On most lathes the motor is behind or below the headstock and drives the headstock shaft through a belt.

   From your description the problem is in the headstock and sounds like a bent shaft, typically bearings don't cause a wobble. Did something happen such as the lathe being hit while being moved, or a chisel catching the workpiece badly, that could have bent the shaft?

   Having the model number of the machine would help.

1. 
   oldusty | Jan 29, 2010 03:11pm | #5

   Hello John ,

   Like you I thought the head stock , not the motor shaft .

   But as far as a bent shaft , you mean the morse taper being bent coming out of the head stock ?

   The head stock bearings do go out , and can cause wobble and noise .Been there .

   regards , dusty

4. 
   SawdustSteve | Jan 29, 2010 05:40pm | #6

   'When the motor is spinning
   'When the motor is spinning the shaft wobbles' Which shaft, the moror shaft or the headstock?? If you're talking about the motor shaft, replace the pulley which is usually a cheap die-cast piece. Sometimes the set screw that anchors the pulley to the motor shaft loosens up and the hole in the pulley becomes oval, giving you a vibration.

   If you're talking about the headstock to morse taper wobble, take a good brush and make sure that there is no dirt/crud build-up in the headstock (female) taper. Be sure there are no nicks or dings on the male tapers that go into it either. I've seen an almost invisible piece of sawdust/pitch flattened in the female taper that was almost invisible, but big enough to give a mean vibration. Make sure all surfaces are CLEAN before ripping anything apart or investing $$$ in a motor repair.

   SawdustSteve Long Island, NY (E of NYC)

5. 
   harold12 | Feb 01, 2010 12:21pm | #7

   The Model number is 351.217170, thank you all for your help. It is greatly appreciated. I've been having a hard time turning anything I think this is the cause of the problem. Not even sure its worth fixing.