Thread: Hafco Lathe - Problems with chuck spinning off when stopping lathe

Some variable speed lathes can be programmed to brake, or coast down, or ramp down to stop when stop is pressed. Check to see if yours can be changed to coast down. In the photo of a Hafco WL-14 I see a knob, which I assume is the speed control. You may have to turn down to zero before shutting off as a last resort.

You could put some Loctite The Difference Between Red, Blue, Green and Purple Threadlockers - Henkel Adhesive Technologies Blog on the threads between the the adapter and chuck if it is only used on this lathe. If you change lathes the Loctite bond is broken by heating.

Carefully clean and lightly oil the threads on the spindle nose and the adapter, mount chuck and grip a 3/4 to 1 inch stick of wood in the chuck sideways with about a foot sticking out toward the top and back of the lathe. Hold the hand wheel on the outboard side of the lathe and give the stick 2 - 3 good whacks with another piece of wood. This will snug up that connection as much as you want.

If you have a stepped pulley in addition to the variable speed, running the belt from the smallest motor step to the biggest spindle step will cause a braking action when shut off. A large blank on the large pulley will want to make the motor spin fast. Friction, mechanical disadvantage, and inertia will cause braking. Moving the belt to one step smaller on the spindle will help. At the same time it will make the lathe work harder to spin up a large heavy blank. "There ain't no free lunch."

Thanks Paul. I'm new to the forum and have now done a bit more searching since I posted. There are some other threads on the forum that indicate this is a technical problem with the EVS control on this particular lathe which causes it to stop very abruptly with absolutely no spin down. Scary when you think it also has a reverse which can engage just as abruptly. Apparently the distributor is installing a new motherboard to resolve the issue. Problem is I haven't been contacted by them so I am chasing them today.
I was going to drill and tap for grub screws on the chuck (there is room when I remove the indexing ring) and insert but I'll hold off for now until I run down the motherboard replacement issue.
I'll post an update when Iget to the bottom of this.
Chris

If you drill and tap for a grub screw, put a slug of brass in the bottom to bear on the spindle, or use a brass grub screw.

Good advice. Thanks Paul.

I emailed Hare & Forbes about this last night and got a response this morning - very quick!. They will replace the circuit board on Friday. Wonder what would have happened if I hadn't chased them? I would never have known about this if I hadn't got onto this forum so thanks to all those who posted on the issue.
Chris

I believe H&F should be made to recall the lathes and forced to contact owners. Same for any "clone" versions using the same EVS board. To their credit they appear to be the right thing by affected customers. I sincerely hope no turners suffer any injuries due to the faulty board.

Yes Moby. They were very quick to react when I contacted them. Lightening speed - I emailed Sunday night and had a response by 10:00am Monday saying they would update the board. I had asked fhem about the dead stop back in December last year and they told me it was normal for this lathe. Obviously they have had Hafco working on the problem since then. I sense that this might be a sensative issue for them because of the safety issues involved. The point is I only found out about the update from this forum, not from H&F, and you have to wonder what will happen with all the others who have purchased the lathe.
Chris

Chris, I too brought this to their attention and actually went in to the shop and showed them a video, including sound. They said, yes were in the process of contacting people, but I guess there's a lot out there that haven't been contacted. I would've thought the priority for H&F would be to minimise risk, I guess not. My thread about a small burl block coming off the lathe, including the chuck certainly caught their attention. I had a catch and the whole thing wobbled and unwound whilst in motion (hard to believe I know) and hit the bed, then rolled on to the floor and circled around behind me. My cousin from England was with me and I was making her a little something to take home. she came running into the shed, when I yelled an expletive, and said "well, that ain't supposed to happen".......

Anyhow, I took it back and the replaced it and pointe out the new way it should operate and I haven't had an issue since.

Originally Posted by Fumbler

Chris, I too brought this to their attention and actually went in to the shop and showed them a video, including sound. They said, yes were in the process of contacting people, but I guess there's a lot out there that haven't been contacted. I would've thought the priority for H&F would be to minimise risk, I guess not. My thread about a small burl block coming off the lathe, including the chuck certainly caught their attention. I had a catch and the whole thing wobbled and unwound whilst in motion (hard to believe I know) and hit the bed, then rolled on to the floor and circled around behind me. My cousin from England was with me and I was making her a little something to take home. she came running into the shed, when I yelled an expletive, and said "well, that ain't supposed to happen".......

Anyhow, I took it back and the replaced it and pointe out the new way it should operate and I haven't had an issue since.

A few disgruntled owners contacting the Office of Fair Trading in each state about the potential of this defect to cause serious harm to users will expedite their efforts on a recall.

Originally Posted by Mobyturns

A few disgruntled owners contacting the Office of Fair Trading in each state about the potential of this defect to cause serious harm to users will expedite their efforts on a recall.

I have had two bowls spin off because I forgot this problem Too dumb to learn from my mistakes. In both cases there was no catch just stopping the lathe from around 1500rpm. Still had the tool rest up for one so just a bit of rim damage. The other missed everything as it went for a run around the garage.
What really annoys me is that I raised the problem with H&F as soon as I started to use the lathe back in December and, other than indicating the lathe was operating normally, I heard nothing from them until I initiated contact this week.
I must emphasise again that I only found out about the upgrade from this forum so, unless other owners are watching on here, they are unlikely to know about the fix. Looking at the Hafco lathe range from H&F it seems there may be other models that have the same issue.
Chris

- - - Updated - - -

Originally Posted by Mobyturns

A few disgruntled owners contacting the Office of Fair Trading in each state about the potential of this defect to cause serious harm to users will expedite their efforts on a recall.

I have had two bowls spin off because I forgot this problem Too dumb to learn from my mistakes. In both cases there was no catch just stopping the lathe from around 1500rpm. Still had the tool rest up for one so just a bit of rim damage. The other missed everything as it went for a run around the garage.
What really annoys me is that I raised the problem with H&F as soon as I started to use the lathe back in December and, other than indicating the lathe was operating normally, I heard nothing from them until I initiated contact this week.
I must emphasise again that I only found out about the upgrade from this forum so, unless other owners are watching on here, they are unlikely to know about the fix. Looking at the Hafco lathe range from H&F it seems there may be other models that have the same issue.
Chris

Will recently bought lathes have the updated system? I can't say I've noticed abrupt stopping but I've only been doing smaller things so far.

Originally Posted by Redbeard

Will recently bought lathes have the updated system? I can't say I've noticed abrupt stopping but I've only been doing smaller things so far.

Hi Redbeard. When did you get your lathe? I got mine December last year and it has the problem. I think I read somewhere on this forum that the lathes being supplied now already have the update. If your work keeps spinning down after you push the stop button you probably already have the fix. If it stops dead you probably haven't.
Chris

Originally Posted by doragus

Hi Redbeard. When did you get your lathe? I got mine December last year and it has the problem. I think I read somewhere on this forum that the lathes being supplied now already have the update. If your work keeps spinning down after you push the stop button you probably already have the fix. If it stops dead you probably haven't.
Chris

Only picked it up new last week. I think it's running pretty smooth, I'll give it a careful workout this weekend. Fingers crossed.

Originally Posted by Redbeard

Only picked it up new last week. I think it's running pretty smooth, I'll give it a careful workout this weekend. Fingers crossed.

Should be OK if it's that new. Good luck.