Access panel to lathe

[Tiger]

I read on this forum about the idea of creating an access panel in order to get at the pulley. I find I often need to squirt some WD40 etc in the variable pulley so that the lever changes nicely but I have attached a handwheel to the outboard side so it's always a pain:~ to get the lid/panel off. Has anyone made a cut-out panel and if so did you hinge it to the lid/panel or did you use some other fixing method.

[OGYT]

Good question, Tiger. I have a Grizzly lathe that I was going to cut a quick access door in the removable panel. After I got my newer lathe I blew it off. I planned on using a piano hinge for easy opening, and innertube rubber attached on all sides of the door, and over the hinge with contact cement. The rubber would keep out most of the shavings, but the dust will get in other ways.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Access Panel? Access Panel? Now why didn't I think of that? :doh:

4334943350

Been lubing this ol' girl with WD-40 for years (and light machine oil in the oiler nipples) and haven't had a moment's problem with the belt. Still the same one I got with it! :2tsup: (Although the other, "top" belt has been changed once. :()

Never had any problems with dust gumming up the works either... [Phew!]

[joe greiner]

Nice setup, Skew. DIY relocation and replacement of the motor? (For rotation) My HF likely came from the same shop in China, or at least the headstock chamber. For some idjit reason, the motor projects beyond the headstock (as many others, it seems) and needs the deeper faceplate to achieve full swing. Chuck works OK, though. Spur center doesn't.

[Care to reveal how you flipped your signature?]

Joe

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Nice setup, Skew. DIY relocation and replacement of the motor? (For rotation)

To be honest, the previous owner did the conversion. It's a well-loved beasty. :) I think the original motor was only 1/2 or 1HP, this one is 1.5HP. A tad lower RPM as well, which is all to the good.


My HF likely came from the same shop in China, or at least the headstock chamber. For some idjit reason, the motor projects beyond the headstock (as many others, it seems) and needs the deeper faceplate to achieve full swing. Chuck works OK, though. Spur center doesn't.

Yes, one of my others is the same. I don't mind the faceplate so much (the green beast handles most of that work) but it annoys the hell out of me that with the motor hanging off the back the sawdust gets sucked straight through the cooling fan. :(


[Care to reveal how you flipped your signature?]

Photoshop can do wonderous things. ie. it's not text. :wink:

[Tiger]

Having had to remove the guard panel again to clean up the motor spindle so that the jammed pulley (on the motor spindle) could move again, I am going to have to make an access panel. Looking at this job again I think I'll just cut a rectangle from the top and replace it with a slightly larger piece of sheet metal, then hinge it to the guard panel. Then I will use a knob to close the new piece of sheet metal down. Can't take long to do this job, can it?