The new lathe is up and running! I bought this 18″x42″ lathe from a fellow member of the Northwest Georgia Woodturners club because it was dead. I ordered and installed a new motor and 3 phase 220v inverter but the lathe still didn’t work. When I opened up the control panel and tested the switches I found that the emergency stop switch’s contacts were welded together (apparently this happened when the original inverter shorted out with the previous owner) and when I jumped across the switch, bypassing it, the lathe ran so I ordered a new switch. The brown van dropped the package off today and five minutes later she’s working like a champ! Now I need to get the older lathe out of the shop to make room for the new one and start on the several larger bowls I’ve been waiting to do when I got the requisite equipment, I already have one, maybe two tentative offers to buy my old machine and that money will go toward a new chuck and bowl gouge. On the subject of new tools, I also took the plunge this week and ordered a McNaughton Center Saver bowl coring system so I can turn more than one bowl from the same blank. I’m looking forward to it being delivered Monday. In an answer to several requests, I also ordered materials for about fifteen more inlay pens so I’ll be able to fill those orders as well as build more stock next week.
Come back in a day or two and I’ll try to update on how well the new (to me) lathe works!
