AWGB Woodturning Forum
General Category => Tool tips & reviews => Topic started by: Beezie on February 07, 2020, 06:24:54 AM
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Hi All, has anyone had trouble with a sticky tail stock on the Axminster AT 2030 wood lathe.
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Not got that lathe, but the smaller version is the same mechanism. Two simple things you probably already tried, first back off the cam lock nut underneath a small amount. Second Liberon lubricating wax on the bed helps a lot.
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Hi Twisted trees, thanks for replying when i turn the wheel on the tail stock its stiff the lathe is under warranty Axminster have already had the tail stock but i sent it back as the wheel had a wobble and when i tightened the wheel stub screws the the wobble reduced but everything stiffened up its back at Axminster but i am just losing faith in them, i just wondered if anyone with the same lathe had the same problem.
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I just looked up that lathe. At a cost of £3000 I would not expect to be finding a problem like that. Quality control should have found that before it was sold . . . .
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Hi Mike, the lathe is just over a year old and used for hobby work i have only been turning for two years so the lathe is well under used there is a digital clock on the top of the tail stock i have found wood chips entering the arm through this clock and jamming the movement but i just blow it out and all works again its a nuisance to do but i just do it and carry on but the arm started to seize up i tried dry lub and everything else but eventually sent it back to Axminster i got it back after a two weeks only to find the wheel running with a wobble the stub screws were just lose so when i tightened them but everything just seized up again so i returned the head stock back to Axminster that was about 2 weeks ago it is so annoying as i have went down the Axminster road and bought a lot of kit from them so now i have a new expensive lathe that i have not been able to use for a number of weeks and dont know when i will.
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That's shame. I can understand you losing confidence. Please keep us posted as to how things go . . . .
All the best :)
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Will do.
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I have a trade lathe which packed up within the guarantee period and was sent back, came back with the problem fixed but the switch housing damaged and put back upside down, also a trade pillar drill the motor burnt out shortly after the guarantee ran out,. May be not typical of them but enough to make me wary of purchaisn any higher priced things from them again.
pegt
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Hi Beezie,
I don't have any 'hands on' experience with this particular lathe but I have come across this type of problem with other lathes so this may apply to yours. I have also looked at the parts listing from the Axminster manual download but it's not clear enough for me to sure about this either. I have used the parts listing to highlight the bits.
On many lathes the quill locking screw (18) engages in a slot in the quill (13). This serves two purposes - it stops the quill rotating as you wind it in and out, and it prevents damage to the surface of the quill, which needs to slide freely iin the housing. Unfortunately the parts diagram shows a flat/slot on the top of the quill but no slot on the side adjacent to the locking lever.
If this locking screw has been taken out or even just undone a long way, it could be that the quill has rotated slightly so now, each time you tighten it, you damage the surface, causing it to bind. Another possibility is that the quill doesn't have a slot but would have a plug of soft metal between the quill and the locking lever to prevent damage. If that's not there, the quill will suffer. It would be easy to check this, just remove the quill completely and look for any surface damage. If that is the case some careful use of abrasives might fix the problem or you could ask Axminster for a replacement quill.
Hope that makes sense and, whatever the cause, that you get it sorted quickly.
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Thanks all for replying, i will keep what you say in mine Paul hopefully when i get the tail stock back it will be fixed but the experience has unsettled me and i am not so sure of Axminsters repair side of things i will says that they are quick at replacing bits for items bought new that are faulty as i have had a few thing replaced i too have bought a pillar drill but so far it works ok fingers crossed it stays that way when i took wood turning up i started from scratch so all my kit is new.
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Hi Beezie,
Further to my earlier post, I have just found a picture of the quill/locking lever (see Fig 36 on page 11 of their manual). It shows the quill does have a slot into which the locking lever engages, but there is also an adjustable grub screw nut just in front of that. If the grub screw is too close to the bottom of the slot, it may be binding on it. They don't bother with precision for that part so the depth could vary. Just back the grub screw off a bit, so is still prevents the quill rotating, but does allow it to move freely the whole length of travel.
Please let us know what is the eventual fix as this type of thing is useful to pass on to students and club members.
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Hi Paul i know the parts you mention the first time the tail stock was returned to me from Axminster these parts were lose sadly they are not the cause of the problem the engineer said it was dust but when i got the tail stock back it was worst so i returned the tail stock as i got it without being used so that killed the dust angle to me something is bent as the wheel or crank runs with a wobble.
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Hi Beezie,
I am a little confused by your one posting you were talking about the tailstock but then you said you returned the Headstock ? I would suggest you ask to speak to Mr Ian Styles.I must say I have never had a problem with Axminster Tools.
Regards John
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Hi John, its the tail stock the head stock is ok.
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Hi John, its the tail stock that is the problem the head stock is fine.
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Hi all, i got my tail stock back today and to my surprise it is working a few bits were again replaced and all is well but what caused it is still a mystery which makes me think it will return to haunt me my thoughts are its to do with the digital clock on the top of the tail stock as wood chips were going through the recess the clock sits in and on to the arm inside the housing causing the arm to stick but that is just my opinion. Thanks for your comments.
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Hi Beezie
Out of interest, what did Axminster say was the cause the problem(s)?
If not done already, for your peace of mind are you able to seal the gap that you're concerned about around the digital readout with some mastic sealant or similar to prevent further ingress but allow easy removal if necessary?
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Hi Sandy, i asked them if the digital clock was the problem but they could not tell me the cause but the digital clock has came back from them sealed into the recess, the clock was one of the reasons i bought the lathe now i dont know if i should totally seal the housing up and lose the use of the digital clock in order to prevent the problem occurring again.
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Don't see the need to remove the readout, just ensure it's sealed to prevent dust and debris ingress. From what you've said, it sounds as if that's what Axminster has already done now. As long as the seal has been done well then it should be effective and so I'd say you can now rule that possible cause out of the reckoning?
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Hi Sandy, thanks for your reply i have been away for a few days, i have been using the digital clock fingers crossed the tail stock works ok.