Just wondering if anyone else has this problem.....?

[odie]

I occasionally have shavings and dust go up underneath, and into the interior of the banjo and hang up between the sliding sleeve and the off-center bar. It causes the banjo to not operate smoothly when the sleeve needs to slide. The usual fix is to remove the banjo, flip it over, and give it a blast of air right on the sliding sleeve. On occasion this doesn't work, because the debris gets squashed and sticks there, making it very difficult to remove without completely disassembling the banjo.

Not sure other lathes have this problem, unless the space between the bedways, close to the headstock, doesn't have an escape route downward, for when using a blast of air to clear away the shavings and dust. Because of this, when I use air to clear away the shavings and dust, some of the particles are directed up into the interior of the banjo.

Anyway.......A couple months ago, I fabricated a piece of wood that fits between the clamp that bears against the underside of the bedways, and the gap between it and the bottom portion of the banjo that slides on the top side of the bedways. This blocks the access of the shavings and dust from entering the banjo. The size and shape of this piece of wood has to be perfect, so that it successfully blocks the access, but slides with the mechanism easily.

I've never heard of anyone else having this problem before, but they might. Probably other owners of Woodfast lathes will likely have this issue, though.

I'll try to get a photo of this later on......just so others understand what I'm talking about.......as I'm sure I've probably done a decent job of confusing the issue.......

(Bill, this would probably be better in the "tutorials and tips" section, so you can move it over there if you'd like......)

ko

 

[hockenbery]

I have not had this problem. My woodfast and General can both trap shaving close to the headstock.
Over time the area does collect chips especially on spindle work. I brush them out with my fingers if I need to lock the banjo in that area for small spindles.

When I work on the tailstock side of bowls and hollow forms I tend to have the banjo angling toward the tailstock so it is not locking over the trap area.
Turning platters and shallow bowls might make me have to lock the banjo over the trap area but a lot of platters were turned on the woodfast without the problem. I have the 20" woodfast

Maybe it is a difference in turnin style. I don't shoot chips toward the trap area on bowls or hollowforms.

I do routinely squirt Baliistol on the underside of the banjo to include the locking rod whenever I am cleaning the ways.

 

[odie]

As can be seen in the photo, the trapped area extends about a foot in front of the headstock. Quite a few shavings get hung up there......until I blast it away with a shot of air. I do shoot air in there about a hundred times while turning a bowl.

As you can see, the improvised piece of wood is pretty easy to make, and after a couple of months of not having to deal with the problems associated with shavings and sanding dust getting up in there, I guess I can assume the problem is now solved.

ko

 

[hockenbery]

As can be seen in the photo, the trapped area extends about a foot in front of the headstock. Quite a few shavings get hung up there....

Another endorsement for the pull cut

A weakness in design of the Craft supply cabinets for the woodfast.
Our woodfast got a lot of hours until 2006 the chips were at most a slight annoyance.
If the chip build up is a big problem, You could add some riser blocks between the cabinet and add a ramp for the chips to fall free.

 

[odie]

Another endorsement for the pull cut

A weakness in design of the Craft supply cabinets for the woodfast.
Our woodfast got a lot of hours until 2006 the chips were at most a slight annoyance.
If the chip build up is a big problem, You could add some riser blocks between the cabinet and add a ramp for the chips to fall free.

Hello Al........

Actually, the CSUSA cabinet has been designed very well, with an "exit strategy" for shavings over the full length. Maybe your memory isn't serving you well, or your Woodfast lathe is different than mine, but the area where the shavings can accumulate is the result of being entrapped by the casting of the Woodfast bedways near the headstock.

I'd agree there is a design flaw in there, but it's with the basic Woodfast lathe, and not the CSUSA cabinet. However, it's not much of a problem to get rid of the shavings if you have an air supply handy, and use it frequently........well, with the exception of the residual problem being pointed out in this thread. That seems to be resolved at this time......even though it took me many years to figure out how to deal with it.......

ko