Vicmarc Spindle problems

[TheBigBJ]

Hi Guys,
In november last year I received my Vicmarc VL 200SM and noticed no problems with it until recently. I purchased some long nose jaws for my chuck (VM120) and found that they did not seem to hold items (even drill bits) true. At first I was not sure what this was but then I started to notice a small amount of wobble in the chuck, it was then that I thought it was the spindle. To test this I slowed the lathe right down (250 RPM) and held a straight edge (small piece of aluminium angle) against the part of the spindle that goes straight into the headstock. Anyway, each revolution it would srape in one point and leave about .5mm gap the rest of the time. This might seem like a small amount but when turning larger items and re-chucking bowls it is a problem.
Does anyone know what could be the cause of this problem or how it could be fixed? I would like to exhaust all avenues before sending my lathe up to Queensland (I'm in Melbourne) so any input or your experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Has any one had this problem or any, for that matter, with Vicmarc?
I hope you can help with my problem.
Thanks
From
BJ

[BrianR]

You could confirm that the shaft is out of true by borrowing a dial gauge and a magnetic base and checking the runout on the shaft. I checked mine (VL175) the other day and it was less than 0.05mm out. If this shows it is out of alignment then it's possible there is some bearing problem but I suggest contacting Vicmarc.

[TheBigBJ]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for your replies they both came in very handy. I contacted vicmarc who told me to contact Carbatec where they told me that a Vicmarc spindle is vitually impossible to bend and that it was likely that I had unseated the bearing cups. Anyway, I bought dial indicator, removed the spindle, reseated the bearings and now the runout is .04mm. Is this within tolerance?
Thanks again!
From
BJ

[ubeaut]

Vicmarc sent you to CarbaTec. What a copout. Surely the manufacturer should take responsibility for this fault, not the reseller. It shouldn't be something that you have to fix..... It's their fault not yours. What has happened to taking responsibility for your actions. Vicmarc should have undertaken to fix it at their expense, or at least sent you new everything to affect the repair yourself, after all you purchased a new lathe that is supposed to run true.

Often things like this don't become apparent until you try to do something that requires a high degree of accuracy.

In hindsight it is always a good idea when purchasing a lathe to check out such things, however not always possible and really isn't something that most would even think of. Usually we rely on the manufacturer putting out a product that is pretty much perfect.

It seems that even the best have quality control problems or just don't care. I have seen cam locks that won't hold, tail stocks that don't line up with the head. bent spindles, chucks that won't open, chucks that are out of alignment, beds that are out of alignment, tailstocks that bow under pressure and a hole heap more faults that could be rectified with a proper inspections, a little more care and some genuine quality control.

It seems to be common practise today for manufacturers of lathes and turning equipment to sell sub standard machines and accessories. I realise that many people have no problems at all but I hear of and see more and more shoddy stuff. Even lathes recently supplied for demonstrators in NZ and Qld had problems with alignment and fittings. So much so that one demonstrator couldn't finish the piece he was working on due to inaccuracy of the lathe. He was told by the manufacturer who was there at the time, that there was nothing he could do to fix the problem and it was likely that all the others were the same. For a lathe worth in excess of $2,000 this is pretty poor.

Even worse the manufacturer didn't seem to be embarrased by the problem or even to care too much.

I think that many manufacturers are working on the Microsoft principal of sell it and if they complain about it long enough or loud enough fix it. They think that everyone else is a fool and won't even know it's broken and if they do they will usually reckon it's not a manufacturing fault but something they have done wrong.

My little bitch........ You really don't want to hear the big one.

Cheers - Neil.:)

[beiffe]

Good recommendation not to buy Vicmarc.

[ubeaut]

Firstly: I should clarify that Vicmarc weren't the lathes supplied for the NZ demo's.

Secondly: I am in no way saying don't buy a Vicmarc lathe, quite the contrary, I would be only too happy to have one and am more than happy to recommend them as a top class lathe.

Finally: My beef is that most manufacturers of of the more popular lathes are letting themselves and their customers down with a lack of quality control. Usually minor things like a slipping cam lock or slightly misaligned head stock etc. But these really are problems that shouldn't occur in a new lathe.

Cheers - Neil.:)