I am considering buying a used 13x40 Chinese lathe that has occasional 'skipping' of the longitudinal travel of the carriage when using the handwell. The rack looks fine. I have never taken a carriage apart and when I look at a parts diagram for the lathe it is very difficult to determine the gear layout from the handwheel to the rack (probably just one spur gear. but not sure). I have two questions. First, how difficult would it be to repair? Second, has anyone ordered parts from Enco, MSC or the like for their lathe? Finally, what would cause the 'breakage' in the first place? thanks, rick
skipping on carriage handwheel
Aug 22, 2003
1 Replies
The carriage is not hard to remove or disassemble, but finding parts might be problematic. If the lathe was sold by a national supplier, you might have a chance at getting a replacement part. I replaced the carriage oil seals and the pinion gear on my 13 x 36 Jet several years ago and was still able to get parts from Jet, but the part numbers were completely changed in the 10 years since I bought the lathe. Fortunately, Jet was able to make the cross reference. Anyway, the parts are pretty simple and could be made from scratch in a regular machine shop if need be. Check your pinion gear( the one that meshes with the rack) and see if it has all it's teeth. You should be able to see it with a mirror.
Randy
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