L Plater needs help...

[Steebs]

Hi everyone,

Well this is my first post (Applaud if you like)

I have a bit of a problem. I bought me a second hand MC900, and in general, its ok for me as a learner. But I have struck one problem, or rather the timber I mounted on my faceplate did - The Motor!! It would appear that whilst there is a good 150mm over the bed, as outlined in the manual, this is not the case when the timber is on the faceplate (the one provided)

My enquire is, does anyone know of a way to get around this. Can I buy extensions for the drive, or do other brands of faceplate take this into consideration, and are manufactured with a longer threaded section before the actual plate?

Once the initial work on the faceplate is complete, the problem no longer exists, as I transfer the piece to my scroll chuch, which is large enough to clear the motor.

I did try the screw attachment (and I use the term "attachment" very loosely - pardon the pun) but it fails to remain secure in my scroll chuck (Supernova 2)

Any help would really be appreciated...


Cheers


Steve

[thefixer]

Welcome to forums

You must have been given the wrong face plate. I just checked my MC1100 which is much the same setup as the MC900 and there is 25mm clearance from the back of the motor to front of the face plate. A solution in the meantime would be to mount your timber between centres using the spur drive in the head stock and live centre in the tail stock and turn a tenon to fit your scroll chuck. I must admit I don't think I have used the faceplate since I got a scroll chuck:rolleyes:.
Hope this helps.

[thefixer]

Second thought.:oo: As it a second hand lathe perhaps the motor is not the original and is a bit longer than it should be.

[Steebs]

Second thought.:oo: As it a second hand lathe perhaps the motor is not the original and is a bit longer than it should be.

I struggle with the tenon idea, probably because of the way I was taught to create the mount point for the scroll chuck in the base of my bowls etc. I guess this is a tenon - right?? See image 74 attached

I use the scroll chuck in 'expansion' rather than 'compression' to hold my piece. To acheive this, the only way On know how to create the mount point is to hold the timber with a screw chuck, a faceplate, or for smaller items, a cup chuck.

I've tried creating the mpounting thingy between centres, but my live centre gets in the way.

What else can you suggest

Sorry to be a pest, but we 'l-platers' gotter learn somewhere


Cheers

Steve

[thefixer]

I nearly always make my tenon so I can use the scroll chuck in compression mode, Much safer. Then once the inside and outside are finished reverse mount the piece and remove any evidence of how it was mounted by using a longworth chuck or cole jaws or even a jam chuck made from a scrap piece of timber. A donut chuck also comes to mind but I have never used one. I only did this though after acquiring a fair bit of practice. Most of my early stuff still has the tenon visible.

[Ed Reiss]

Hi Steve...welcome to the forums:U

can't be of help with your model lathe issues, but would like to recommend finding out if there is a turning club in your area of Melton...also, a lot of good, knowledgeable blokes on this forum that are happy to help out.

Good luck

[tea lady]

I did try the screw attachment (and I use the term "attachment" very loosely - pardon the pun) but it fails to remain secure in my scroll chuck (Supernova 2)

Any help would really be appreciated...


Cheers


SteveHi Steve! Welcome to the forum.:cool: With the screw attachment, you need to have the flat faces one the back "fat" part aligning with the flat faces on the scroll bits of the scroll chuck, and behind the actual jaws (Which kind of act to stop the screwing coming forward. ) Anyway, sometimes if I find my screw isn't staying tight I make sure I have the flat faces aligned and it seems to work OK. I must admit, I don't like it as much as just using a screw chuck.

Would also second the idea of getting into a local club. Good to have someone to show you the ropes. Might also be able to find someone to fix the "motor in the way" problem.:cool:

[Claw Hama]

You could always just pack out the face plate with a piece of ply or the like which should push the job further out away from the motor.

[colhu]

Hi Steve

I have the Hare & Forbes version of the MC900 (designated WL18). With the faceplate in place there is about 10 or 12 mm clearance past the back of the motor. It sounds like you might have a non-original motor or face plate.

A way to use your scroll chuck right from the start (if you have a drill press) is to buy a forstner bit a few mm bigger in dia than the closed jaws of the scroll chuck, drill a recess into the waste on the top side of the bowl, then expand the scroll chuck into the recess. With my Vicmark chuck with shark jaws, I use a 47mm forstner bit (1 7/8 inch).

Another way would be to make up a disk of say 20 or 25 mm plywood, screw it to the waste part of the bowl blank, then screw through the face plate into the plywood disk.

For smaller bowl blanks that are reasonably well balanced and have a fairly smooth face, you could hot-glue a temporary wooden mounting disk to it that already had a spigot or recess to suit your chuck. I use the aluminium rings out of a VCR for this on smaller pieces.

cheers,
Colin

[tea lady]

For smaller bowl blanks that are reasonably well balanced and have a fairly smooth face, you could hot-glue a temporary wooden mounting disk to it that already had a spigot or recess to suit your chuck. I use the aluminium rings out of a VCR for this on smaller pieces.

cheers,
Colin Oh yes! Just remembered those faceplate rings you can get. Screww them on and expand the jaws into them.

Forgot to applaude before. :clap: Welcome again!:cool:

[joe greiner]

Most likely, the faceplate is aftermarket, and the seller retained, or lost, the original. The stock faceplate for HF34706 (MC900 twin sister) has a long enough hub to clear the motor.

Your picture illustrates a socket, not a tenon, and forming one between centers is a PITA. Shorty has steered you right about turning a tenon between centers; the little nub remaining can be cut off with a hand chisel if necessary, or it may fit within the scroll chuck.

Another way to mount the blank to turn the tenon, is to drill a socket in the top of the bowl with a Forstner bit, sized for expansion mode of the scroll chuck. There are optimum diameters for each using the same jaws. Substantially what Colin advises.

Here are some threads relating to relocation of the MC900 motor:

http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/access-panel-lathe-47550/
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/fix-lathe-i-got-66283/
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/mc900-modifications-102036/

And welcome aboard.:clap:

Cheers,
Joe

[Tornatus]

My enquire is, does anyone know of a way to get around this. Can I buy extensions for the drive, or do other brands of faceplate take this into consideration, and are manufactured with a longer threaded section before the actual plate?

Steve

G'day Steve, and welcome to the asylum. I'm coming in late on this, but no-one seems to have suggested the obvious solution to your clearance problem (if the budget allows) - Vermec make an excellent spindle extension. See http://vermec.tripod.com/PDFs/spindleextension.pdf

I purchased one of these for my MC900, and it was so handy for giving me plenty of working space behind the faceplate or chuck that I kept it to use on my Vicmarc VL175. :2tsup:

[Jim Carroll]

Everybody has missed the easiest fix for this . BUY A BETTER LATHE

Sorry got carried away there now to the problem.

Nova produce faceplate rings (http://www.cws.au.com/shop/item/6000-faceplate-ring-50mm) that go directly onto your chuck. Vicmarc also have the same type of rings.

As you mention when the chuck is in place you can clear the motor.

If you have the standard jaws get the 50mm one if you have the 100mm jaws get the 100mm face plate or if you have 130mm jaws you can use the 130mm faceplate rin

Mount your chuck as normal and use the faceplate ring to hold the blank on the chuck, you have 4 screws now holding the blank.

You can now turn the bottom of the bowl to the shape you want preferibly with a spigot to get a better grip in your chuck.

One problem you may have with the woodscrew is you are drilling the hole just a bit too big, 5/16" is all you need and if the wood is a bit soft just go a smidgin smaller or if denser go a smidgin bigger.