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View Full Version : A few problems regarding MC900



Auzzie turner
12th July 2006, 03:46 PM
I have had a few problems regarding my Mc900 lathe. Yesterday I had a large piece of Camphor Laurel on the lathe, and there was a funny smell coming from the motor, and then it quit all together, It was also very very hot. I cannot get it to start again. And of course it had to happen yesterday, because I am having a huge load of bowl blanks coming up from manjimup this afternoon. Will the whole motor have to be replaced? Any help will be much appreciated,

Regards...............Joash

blackwoods
12th July 2006, 03:54 PM
I had an MC900. Like many others the capacitor burnt out. What was recommended to me when it was fixed was to spin the lathe freehand before turning it on to minimise capacitor workload. This was most important for larger pieces. Also start on slow speeds regardless of weight or size.
Hope you lathe is still under warranty.
No guarantee this is your issue though!

Auzzie turner
12th July 2006, 04:05 PM
I had an MC900. Like many others the capacitor burnt out. What was recommended to me when it was fixed was to spin the lathe freehand before turning it on to minimise capacitor workload. This was most important for larger pieces. Also start on slow speeds regardless of weight or size.
Hope you lathe is still under warranty.
No guarantee this is your issue though!


Thanks, So the capaciter is in that seperate compartment on top of the motor? I'll use those hints from now on thanks,

Regards...........Joash

TassieKiwi
12th July 2006, 04:32 PM
Some motors have a thermal cutout embedded in the windings. It may go once cooled.

D

reeves
12th July 2006, 04:33 PM
mm interesting, i adunno where the capacitor is but i have seen the motors for like 90 $. Mine goes weird when i turn it on, specially with somehting heavy on it, wont pick up speed, just goes slow, then slowely speeds up...
u should be able to get the capacitor replaced at at any auto electrical type of place.

cheeeeers

Auzzie turner
12th July 2006, 04:35 PM
As I said, it happend yesterday, it has all last night to cool, and it still wont work.

Thanks Regards..............Joash

Auzzie turner
12th July 2006, 04:36 PM
u should be able to get the capacitor replaced at at any auto electrical type of place.

cheeeeers


Thanks, I'll try it

ss_11000
12th July 2006, 05:56 PM
sorry to here your lathe died.

Skew ChiDAMN!!
12th July 2006, 06:36 PM
Sadly, from your description I think it's more than the cap. They don't normally just "stop working," they tend to fade away... which means you can start the lathe by giving the shaft a spin by hand.

Heat & a bad smell... well that's typically either burnt-out windings, a siezed bearing or something similar that's not as quick or easy a fix as swapping a cap and will probably cost more than a new motor is worth. :(

If I were you, while looking for a replacement cap I'd be keeping an eye out for another motor as well. I've seen them available 2nd-hand at about the same price as a new cap!

Good luck getting her going again, it's no fun when your favourite toy is broke.

Tassie Boy
12th July 2006, 08:06 PM
Sorry to here your lathe died Auxxie..
Mine got fired up today for the first time...

cedar n silky
13th July 2006, 10:18 PM
I have had a few problems regarding my Mc900 lathe. Yesterday I had a large piece of Camphor Laurel on the lathe, and there was a funny smell coming from the motor, and then it quit all together, It was also very very hot. I cannot get it to start again. And of course it had to happen yesterday, because I am having a huge load of bowl blanks coming up from manjimup this afternoon. Will the whole motor have to be replaced? Any help will be much appreciated,

Regards...............Joash
Sorry to hear about that motor, Joash! Sounds like youve been giving her a workout!
I have a 14 inch Tiawanese band saw, and the motor did a similar thing years ago (I used to give it a caneing) So i replaced it with an Australian made motor, and it goes like a charm now. Ifyour happy with your lathe, why not see if there are some better quality motors to throw int it. Specialy if you are doing a lot on the lathe, and not planning on upgrading soon!
Cheers!:)

Terry B
13th July 2006, 11:13 PM
I have had a few problems regarding my Mc900 lathe. Yesterday I had a large piece of Camphor Laurel on the lathe, and there was a funny smell coming from the motor, and then it quit all together, It was also very very hot. I cannot get it to start again. And of course it had to happen yesterday, because I am having a huge load of bowl blanks coming up from manjimup this afternoon. Will the whole motor have to be replaced? Any help will be much appreciated,

Regards...............Joash Very sad.
Unfortunately smoke seems to be an important part of any electrical or electronic equipment. Once it has come out it is very hard to get it to go back in :(
Check out how much new motors are.

Auzzie turner
13th July 2006, 11:17 PM
Hi, Thanks Cedar........, for the info. I am thinking of upgrading in the next year or 2 to this (http://www.timbecon.com.au/assets/popup/productimages.aspx?ProductID=13029) lathe or somthing samiliar to that. Till then, I might try and find a stronger motor, and upgrade the stand, so when I turn those huge 7 foot width burls, I don't get eny wobble:p Tell me if you know of any lathes that are like the lathe above, and have spefications like or near to that,

Thanks so mouch for the info,

Regards........Joash

ss_11000
13th July 2006, 11:46 PM
looks like a good lathe to upgrade to....only ones i know of that would be similar would be woodfast, stubby, and vicmarc

Auzzie turner
14th July 2006, 12:11 AM
Vicmarcs your just paying for the name. They are excellent quality though

cedar n silky
14th July 2006, 07:38 AM
Hi, Thanks Cedar........, for the info. I am thinking of upgrading in the next year or 2 to this (http://www.timbecon.com.au/assets/popup/productimages.aspx?ProductID=13029) lathe or somthing samiliar to that. Till then, I might try and find a stronger motor, and upgrade the stand, so when I turn those huge 7 foot width burls, I don't get eny wobble:p Tell me if you know of any lathes that are like the lathe above, and have spefications like or near to that,

Thanks so mouch for the info,

Regards........Joash
Hi Joash. I would check out the JET lathes if your after that style of lathe, only because they have cast iron legs, and you seem to do a fair bit of heavy turning. Compare prices. Check out the Gary Pye website for Jet specs. I bought a Vicmarc VL 175, because I had the money. I don't regret it one bit, having checked out all the lathes on the market. You might be paying a bit for the name? but everything about the lathe is well finished with lots of attention to detail, and very robust. Designed and built to go the distance. Also made in Aus which keeps a family company alive in this world of globalisation, where all the small operators are being swallowed up by whichever country can provide the cheapest labour.
Try buying Aus where you can. It keeps someone in a job here!:rolleyes:

TimberNut
14th July 2006, 11:11 AM
Quote "Vicmarcs your just paying for the name."

Careful there Joash!! That sounds like a comment made by someone who's never used one. Don't let your youthful exuberance lead you to believe your knowledge/skills exceed your age.

I may not have used every brand on the market, but enough to know a decent lathe when I use it.

There's one reason that Vicmarc have the name that they have - it's called quality.

Many a discussion has been had on this forum regarding the various merits of different brands, but I'm yet to see ANYONE post negative comments on a Vicmarc.

Tell you what - You keep your MC900 with stuffed motor, and I'll keep my 2HP Vicmarc VL300.

I might have paid (much) more for mine than you did for yours but you don't see me complaining about burnt out motors, loose bearings, wobbly headstocks, misaligned tailstocks, dud capacitors, lightweight stands, worn belts, stripped threads.... need I continue??

Hope you enjoy whatever brand you upgrade to, but I'll buy Vicmarc again, and pay the price. Word of mouth goes a long way in business. Why do you think these forums are so popular? People are looking for other end-users points of view. The 'name' they have came about cause they produce awesome lathes, people like me buy them, and when we've used them, we tell others how good they are, because they ARE that good.

My 2 cents - they're worth it.

Auzzie turner
14th July 2006, 11:40 AM
Quote "Vicmarcs your just paying for the name."

Careful there Joash!! That sounds like a comment made by someone who's never used one. Don't let your youthful exuberance lead you to believe your knowledge/skills exceed your age.

I may not have used every brand on the market, but enough to know a decent lathe when I use it.

There's one reason that Vicmarc have the name that they have - it's called quality.

Many a discussion has been had on this forum regarding the various merits of different brands, but I'm yet to see ANYONE post negative comments on a Vicmarc.

Tell you what - You keep your MC900 with stuffed motor, and I'll keep my 2HP Vicmarc VL300.

I might have paid (much) more for mine than you did for yours but you don't see me complaining about burnt out motors, loose bearings, wobbly headstocks, misaligned tailstocks, dud capacitors, lightweight stands, worn belts, stripped threads.... need I continue??

Hope you enjoy whatever brand you upgrade to, but I'll buy Vicmarc again, and pay the price. Word of mouth goes a long way in business. Why do you think these forums are so popular? People are looking for other end-users points of view. The 'name' they have came about cause they produce awesome lathes, people like me buy them, and when we've used them, we tell others how good they are, because they ARE that good.

My 2 cents - they're worth it.
Hi, thanks for the FRIENDLY reply. I have seen every vicmarc in action, and they all say the same thing, QUALITY. The reason I said your paying for the name, is because they are a bit more expensive. The l;athe that I am thinking of upgrading to, has all the same good specs, but at 1/3 of the price.

Thanks for all the nice FRIENDLY comments,

Regards......Joash

TimberNut
14th July 2006, 01:49 PM
Joash, I'm not intending to appear UNfriendly, simply offer a different point of view. Don't take it to heart, it wasn't meant to upset, just be aware that these are public forums, and hence any comment you make is open to interpretation and comment. Mine, as much as yours, and I'm sure many will disagree with mine - that's life (and one of the many reasons these forums are so good) - Many differing points of view.

To clarify - your comment - Quote "Vicmarcs your just paying for the name."

This suggests that your dollars pay for just the name, and hence nothing else. That is the only point I disagree with you on.

Yes the Vicmarcs are more expensive and most can't afford the cost so consider alternatives. If your assessment is that the Sherwood is of equal quality at 1/3rd the cost, then by all means spend your dollars that way. Some guys will be happy with an MC900 or equivalent and never feel a need to change. More power to them - it would leave a lot of money for other 'toys' :p

I'm not going to say the Sherwood isn't a good lathe, but that I personally would pay the price for a Vicmarc. Personal choice. Would I like Vicmarcs to be cheaper?? Hey, who wouldn't? But would I buy another brand whilst these are on the market and within my budget? No.

At the end of the day - get the best lathe your budget will afford. Have fun, indulge your passion, and enjoy!

Good luck with the demo at the Perth wood show.

Gil Jones
14th July 2006, 03:18 PM
Well said, TimberNut.

Auzzie turner
14th July 2006, 08:35 PM
Yeah, I know you wernt meaning to be angry, but at first your post sounded a bit drastic, and angry.

EG:


Tell you what - You keep your MC900 with stuffed motor, and I'll keep my 2HP Vicmarc VL300

All other was sound advice,

Regards.......Joash:)

Fireman sam
14th July 2006, 11:23 PM
Hi All
I have had a teknatool tl1500 lathe for about 11 years and still have it as i can not sell it because I bought a new vicmarc vl300 lathe because it had a lot of the features that I wanted . All my freinds like the lathe and want to come around and use it so we made it one night every fortnight to use the lathe and nut out any problems that we are having with different projects :)
Andrew

Tassie Boy
14th July 2006, 11:36 PM
Thats a nice new lathe to aim for Auzzie...comes with a hefty price tag too!!! I guess you will have to sell some more vases!!

Still sorry to hear about the lathe..dieing

dazzler
15th July 2006, 10:11 AM
hey Auzzie

Mine does the same not wanting to spin up to speed trick and it has had very little use.

It seems to do it more when cold.

I take it back to medium speed before turning off and give the wood a spin when turning on. (I think richard raffan does this sometimes on his sooooper doooooooooper lathes so maybe good habit.)

cheers
dazzler

Auzzie turner
15th July 2006, 12:18 PM
Thats a nice new lathe to aim for Auzzie...comes with a hefty price tag too!!! I guess you will have to sell some more vases!!

Still sorry to hear about the lathe..dieing
No, not to many more vases

Auzzie turner
15th July 2006, 12:19 PM
Lathe is now back in action. Never had a sweeter sound when that motor started up

ss_11000
15th July 2006, 12:52 PM
so what was the problem:confused: ....good to here its back up:) now you can use your cheap wood:D .......

:)

Gil Jones
15th July 2006, 02:18 PM
Glad your lathe is spinning again, Auzzie, what was the defugalty?

Skew ChiDAMN!!
15th July 2006, 05:31 PM
Mine does the same not wanting to spin up to speed trick and it has had very little use.

It seems to do it more when cold.

Dazzler, these are the signs that the capacitor is growing weary. It'd be a good idea to start looking for a reasonably priced spare now, so that when(if) it does end up saying "enough!" it can be swapped over quickly.

It also saves you from running around trying to find one quickly without spending an arm and a leg. :rolleyes:


I take it back to medium speed before turning off and give the wood a spin when turning on. (I think richard raffan does this sometimes on his sooooper doooooooooper lathes so maybe good habit.)

I always drop back to minimum speed before switching off. It's a good habit, for safety reasons as well as less strain on the lathe at startup. Spinning the wood, well... that's a debatable habit, some consider it unsafe. But I do it, too. ;)

Groggy
15th July 2006, 06:15 PM
I just bought an MC900 (pics over here (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?p=337744#post337744)). I agree with Skew about the capacitor; but if replacing it make sure you get an American capacitor, the Chinese type are just junk.

Auzzie turner
15th July 2006, 08:08 PM
Your new lathe looks good. I had to replace the whole motor, Tuned a large plain tree salad bowl, and a vase. Tuned out well.

Gotta go

Regards.........Joash

Tassie Boy
15th July 2006, 08:25 PM
Sweet thats good to hear mate!!!
Why no more vases???

How much may i ask was the new motor?

Auzzie turner
15th July 2006, 11:22 PM
I meant, that i dont need to sell many more vases before I will be able to buy the lathe.

Tassie Boy
16th July 2006, 12:16 PM
ohh ok mate your going alrite then!!!
keep up the good work..