hello! (edit) My lathe: a 7x14" micromark lathe http://www.micro-mark.com/ i was turning something on the lathe today, and Poof! 1) first, a old shabby light next to me made a loud "pop" and went out.(not sure if this is relavent, the light was very old though...) 2) 5 minutes later, the lathe stops, it had been doing this when the copper kind of moves, due to my tools not being sharp, and it shuts down. So i thought it had just shut down, so i check the copper im turning and its fine. I turned everything off, and went to turn it back on. i take off the emergency switch, and the green light comes on but the tachometer does not come on. So i proceed to start up the lathe, and nothing spins! i am completely baffled... i have tried a lot. I would think its the house power, but i am getting the green power light. Does this screem "fuse" to you guys? would it be my hosue fuse or a fuse in my lathe? i am not really sure, and i know this is a terribly noob question (do houses even have fuses? lol or are they all in the appliances...) So how would i go about changing fuse? i believe the lathe came with another fuse, but am completely lost on how to change it. Help appreciated guys, the sooner i solve this the sooner i can get back to what i need to do. (ironically, a lot of metal i had ordered came in mail not 15 minutes after it died.... like stock to spin) Thanks so much guys. Quick answers apprecaited. Reed
Well, first plug something into the socket the lathe was in and see if it works. If so, then turn your attention to the lathe.
will do, my thinking was that the power light came on... but perhaps not enough amps or too much resistance. ill check it out, brb
Hello,Teyber Look on the back of the motor, it am have a button on it that pops out when overloaded just push it back in. But if the light is green you do have power to it and if there is no reset it may be the motor. Good luck with it. btw i've read a couple your projects keep up the great work,i also have a lathe 70"x192" 460v 3 phase 50hp
thanks mate! appreciate the compliment. your lathe is just a little bigger then mine. 50hp? i will try that thank you.
Alright! im 99% sure i found the problem. I found the fuse, and well, im no fuse expert but if its not blown im going blind. The fuse that, i lost (omfg) that came with it was clear with two metal "caps" on each end. The fuse i pulled out's insides are all burned up and discolored (combination of black and a goldish/ copperish color). Tomoro i am going to buy a grip of new fuses, i have a feeling i will keep blowing them XD So where do you guys usually go to buy fuses and things? only place i can think of is fry's, but thats pretty far from me. Is online best? thanks so much. Reed
Any auto parts or hardware store,be sure to get the correct fuses. And you dont want to ever jump the fuse with a wire or something. I saw the earlier post with the pic of the lathe, looks like a nice lathe.
thank you! i got it for my 16th birthday last week. Its just a mini-lathe, but ive been happy with it so far. What do you mean by jump the fuse with wire? you mean somehow start lathe without fuse? The fuse is a average 5amp 250volt so shouldn't be too hard to find. Thank you so much for your help JTM
Yes,bypassing the fuse with a wire. Also when you get back in business you do want to keep your tools sharp with the cutters edge just a little below the centerline of the part. One more thing is to use a little oil on the cutter and maybe a machinist's handbook would be very helpful. Good luck and wear those safetyglasses
i actually am wearing facemask, i problably should wear glasses due to small chips but i don't want anything being spun into my face at 800rpm or so... Good advice on machinist hanbook: i really need some general info... like what rpm's for what metals, et cetera... This tool bit was the first one i have ever made. i have done some improvements to it. I bought a really nice grinder, imo, that performs awsome, for how much? new it was 20$... not sure why so low, but i have been enjoying making my bits. For oil: i have been using oil, but am finding it very inconvinient to get my hands near the metal being spun as i have generally been spinning short things... therefore getting my hands to close to the chuck for comfort. I am thinking of buying a cheap pump on ebay, get a cheap harbor freight router control, a empty milk jug, and making my own coolant device. I could afford my own, but i love projects once again thank you so much for your time and for your knowledge. Kindest regards, Reed
I'd also suggest checking the circuit box of the lathe. Some mini-lathes have a problem with chips short-circuiting the circuits. Just pop the lid open and check if any chips are on the circuit surface. Especially if you keep blowing more fuses.
Make sure the fuse you replace is with a slow blow fuse, otherwise the initial surge of current from getting the spindle up to speed will just blow the fuse.
good point... I did completely take it apart and re-wire it before i knew it was the fuse. Good suggestion though... Alright, i will remember that... you just saved me a lot of trouble Regards
Blowing fuses is not good! The fuse is there for a reason!!! Tyber... you need to double check and recheck all the wiring, get a multimeter and check the ground (bare wire or green)... not only check it at the lathe but from the wall too. I would recommend you get a GFI extension cord to run the lathe from. I would imagine that lathe is pulling more than 15 amps... most household circuits are only rated to 20 amps. If you have other stuff running you can quickly over load a circuit... Never by-pass a fuse! not on a fairly expensive piece of machinery. Your begging for trouble! The possibility of a short from a metal chip or cutting fluid is a real possibility. Fix this the right way! hagatha
thanks for posting. I have not been using it at all, removed the fuse and its sitting idle and unplugged. Its not on a on a extension cord, but should i get one anyways? Once i get it up and running, i have a kill-a-watt, i can test voltage, amperage, wattage, and hz from it. Why can't we have 220v.... I will double check wiring, I grounded the wires myself, i screwed it into the lathe... as told in directions. Is it possible that its not screwed into metal but plastic? or perhaps my house doesn't have true ground but only neutral, would this do the trick? Thanks hag. Reed
My first guess would be the ground... My second would be an overloaded circuit. First. check the continuity of the ground... rough up (no paint... only bare metal) the contact area where the ground is connected. You can even run a second ground from any point on the lathe to the ground in the outlet...If the ground is good replace the fuse and try it again. If it blows again, the problem is deeper... It is definitely a short! It could be a bad switch or even a bad motor winding... Put that multimeter to work... but NEVER by-pass the fuse! As for 220... you'll need a special outlet... for that I would recommend someone that knows what they are doing. If you have room in the breaker box for (2 slots) another breaker... then it can be done. hagatha
thanks for reply. I went to radioshack and got the fuses. Im not sure how i would test the ground, im not very good with my multimeter First im going to test the watage draw, amperage draw, and voltage coming from wall. Thanks man
Hello Teyber I think you just tried to take to big of a cut overloaded the motor and popped the fuse. Many cncs have load meters.I would check the specs. of the motor amps specific (label on side of motor) and use the kill-a-watt meter to watch amp draw. Also the ground wire (green or bare) grounds the lathe in case it shorts any one who touched the lathe and was grounded would not be shocked.
