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Catch

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I am relatively new at this. Is it possible for a catch to damage a bearing?
Depends on the severity of the catch and the lathe (quality , size, robustness, etc) among other factors, but entirely possible to have a catch so bad as to bend the spindle (if it doesn't bend the tool or tool rest first) , or in the case of my Harbor Freight lathe, the prior owner evidently had a catch so bad he literally bent his (admittedly el-cheapo no-name) Spindle roughing gouge to 90 degrees, and actually caused the headstock to warp (as well as a little chunk broken out of the mounting cup that rotating headstock clamps to) - That's actually why I got the whole shebang (including scroll chuck) for so cheap (all I could afford anyway), I think.

But I can't honestly see a catch causing such catastrophic damage to a machine like a Robust or One Way.. I could see it causing damage to bearings on some of those mini or midi lathes but again , it'd have to be a seriously nasty catch (as in change your underwear after checking you didn't damage yourself otherwise)
 
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It's hard to say precisely. I was using a powermatic 2014. I had a catch but nothing earth shaking. Enough to loosen the hold of the bowl in the chuck but not a OMG moment. It's difficult to say exactly when but sometime thereafter I noticed some increased vibration. I was just curious. I would have guessed it would require something pretty violent as described.
 

Michael Anderson

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Without actually knowing anything (ie this is pure speculation) I would say it is extremely unlikely. The worst catch I ever had resulted in my tenon breaking. This was because I was being too aggressive with some oak, and I hit a knot with my flute pretty wide open. I can’t imagine anything so extreme that my lathe’s spindle/bearings would be damaged. If anything, I feel like the belt would slip before that would happen.
 
Joined
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It may not be a bent spindle, but something else got jostled and loosened from the catch. A bent spindle would show run out or 'wobble', in my limited experience.

Seems like we've had some posts about a grub screw on the headstock part of the spindle getting loose on the 2014. The 3520 has a couple of parts on the spindle in the headstock that can get loose and need tightening, and perhaps the 2014 does too.
 
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It would be incredibly, incredibly rare to damage a bearing from a catch. The catch would have to be so dramatic, you probably wouldn't be here to ask. The most likely damage would be the slightest brinelling which would result in a slight noise difference, not anything more. So many turners think bearings are fragile and have short lives. That is far from the truth! If your catch went all the way through the drive, the belt should slip on the pulley. If it doesn't, the belt is too tight. I was a farm boy and retired from Caterpillar were I designed belt drive systems on track type tractors. I have a lot of engineering experience if it makes any difference to anyone.
 
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It's hard to say precisely. I was using a powermatic 2014. I had a catch but nothing earth shaking. Enough to loosen the hold of the bowl in the chuck but not a OMG moment. It's difficult to say exactly when but sometime thereafter I noticed some increased vibration. I was just curious. I would have guessed it would require something pretty violent as described.
Take a close look at the tenor (or recess) that the chuck was gripping and make sure you haven't cracked it. That could cause the vibration and it could allow the piece to come off the lathe if you don't do something about it. It's not impossible but I highly doubt you damaged a spindle bearing. But very likely you damaged the wood holding the piece in the chuck.
 
Joined
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That is good advice and will keep in mind for the future. I dont think thats what happened here. I was inquiring about the catch mostly out of curiosity and to learn for the future. In my case, as I previously described, the spindle collar set screw fell out, the collar got loose and was out of place. Since catches are inevitable - at least for me! - one would expect a quality machine is built to withstand all but perhaps the most extreme cases. Btw, I had previously posted I was having a difficult time with Powermatic service. In fairness, I should note that they are going to take care of the problem as the unit is still under warranty. It took quite a while to get to the right person but ultimately I did and she could not have been more pleasant and understanding.
 
Joined
Aug 14, 2007
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If you did have a catch big enough to damage the bearings, you would most likely have a broken tool as well. With the catch being big enough to loosen the grip of the bowl in the chuck, I would say that maybe, you may need to return the tenon/recess in worse case, and just true up the bowl again for a more simple solution. That is always possible. Some times the set screws in the chuck jaws do loosen up.

Have you put another piece on to see if things are still running true? Is your chuck still running true?

robo hippy
 
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Mar 21, 2023
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Thanks. The chuck appears fine but as you get further out from center the problem becomes more apparent. I put a different chuck with a different piece and the problem is still there.
 
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Are you turning between centers? You might want to check the alignment of your tailstock to your headstock spindle. A heavy catch could have moved your headstock out of alignment with your tailstock. Put a spur drive in the headstock and live center in your tailstock and slide them together and check to see if the points align.
 
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