Thread: Which way is CCW?

Originally Posted by Machtool

Any of these machines that run backwards, are they 3 phase? Any chance they are wired wrong?

I’m in the “lever should move in the same direction as the chuck will turn” camp.
Forward at the top of the chuck, is Clock Wise (CW). You should always look from the L.H end of the head stock. I remember that by picking up a twist drill bit. That’s C.W is your looking at it from the shank end. If your looking at it towards the cutting tip, to make it cut is CCW, but they are called CW or right hand drills.

Inversely, if you have a CW / right hand dill bit in the tailstock. Although the drill bit is stationary, the chuck must be rotating CW to make it cut yes? So that’s only true when working looking at it from behind the headstock. I forget the convention, it came into play with production lines and working out which stations were left or right hand.

But it always came down to looking at the direction of part flow.


Any one else notice the other direction in workshops that gets reversed. Side shift on Fork Lifts. Vast majority are forward for left shift, backwards for right shift. Occasionally when I’m out and about in my travels, I’ll leap onto a fork, and its the other way. It FREAKS me out.

Phil.

Phil,

I should have been clearer - some say look from the tailstock, others say look from the headstock.

When the level is pushed down, looking from the tailstock, the chuck is rotating CCW, looking from the Headstock, it's rotating CW.

Given there doesn't seem to be a standard on this sort of thing, i guess RTFM before use always comes in handy

Cheers
Jon

Both of my big lathes the handle goes down to make the chuck spin towards me. I am going to have a look tomorrow, I think the headstock oil pump works whether they are in forward or reverse. Bryan, I think I am right in saying that your Graziano has a clutch? where my Takisawa and CY don't they are straight start and stop with a brake as well.
Will

Will, yes, 2 clutches actually. The motor always spins the same way.

There must be some kind of convention or standard. Not sure what it is or who wrote it. But it seems to be adopted universally in CNC. The code M3 is always referred to as Spindle - On Clock Wise, M4 is Spindle - On C.C.W. M5 for Spindle Off.

In a standard configuration like a centre lathe, M3 / C.W, would be looking from behind the head stock, with the top of the chuck coming forward.

Regards Phil.

Phil, on that basis Stuart has wired his lathe by the book. I hope that makes him feel better.

Originally Posted by Jon_77

RC - isn't that what the foot brake is for, if so equipped?

Cheers
Jon

No footbrake.. Lathe is from the 1950's.... It has a brake but is incorporated into the lever... down disengages the clutch, then down further applies the brake which is in the headstock..

Hi Bryan,
I didn't wire the lathe, I was reading the book and the whole CW/CCW had me scratching my head. Boats sorted it out left and right years ago, as did stages.
The fact the book agrees with the way my lathe is wired is a bonus I guess, but like you I dont think I would have been changing it if it hadnt. I have a brake pedal so getting it off in a hurry its an issue(I'm surprised just how much I use the brake and how much time it saves)


Hi Phil,
Makes sense to me. I think that clears up the CW/CCW issue, I think the up/down issue will have to go into the "something to watch out for if you are using someone else's lathe" pile.

Stuart