oneway 2436 question

[Woodscaper]

I have just purchased a Oneway 2436 3HP lathe and experienced an overheating of the headstock. I had it on the slower belt speed a but had the RPM'S cranked up doing some finishing cuts and sanding. I had been turning for an hour and I touched the headstock with my arm and was guite surprised at the heat that had been generated. No blisters but some redness from an overly hot headstock. Anyone else experience that?

 

[Dario]

Contact Oneway...FAST!

I have much cheaper lathes (Jet and Powermatic) and none have that problem.

 

[Claude]

You just have to loosen a little bit the hand break wheel.
When I say "just a kittle bit" it is realy very little, quite symbolic

 

[Valkyrie]

Excessive Heat on 2436

A friend of mine, Ken Regenthal, purchased a new 2436 last year and has the same issue. We contacted Oneway technical support and they told us that this was "normal". I disagree, even more now since your post. Dissipation of heat in a ball bearing setup like this means there is friction, and friction leads to premature bearing failure. Friction is caused by improper loading of the bearings or rough surfaces on the balls or races. Oneway should have the proper clearances designed into that headstock to allow for axial, radial, and even thrust load. Ball bearings are designed for some, but not a great deal of thrust load which is the force applied when the tailstock pushes against the workpiece along the turning axis. My 2436 is a 1999 model and has never felt warm to me even at high RPM. I also noticed that his spindle does not spin as freely as mine. Does yours spin freely or is there some resistance? Can you hear any noise as your spindle turns? You should hear the belt turning but nothing else. Contact Oneway and let them know your issue and that you know there are other people with the same concern.

 

[Steve Worcester]

Brand new, there would be a break in period. Mine (5 years+ old) doesn't get that warm, but does get warm to the touch.

Having a temp probe may help to determine warm vs WARM.

 

[Vernon Oberle]

Kevin@oneway

If in doubt post to the Oneway forum. their tech support monitors this forum and will answer your question. My is a little over a year old and it got mildly warm at first but does not now. Of course I rarely run very fast and normally use the middle belt position.

Vernon

 

[Kevin Clay]

In the last 2 maybe 3 years (time flies when you are not paying attention) we have switched from a bearing that uses a non-contact seal to a bearing that uses a full contact seal. It is the seal rubbing that creates the heat. It is not improper clearance in the bearings or roughness of the races. Since the tolerance on a rubber seal cannot be held really tight some bearings will run warmer than others and some bearings with tight seals can take a long time to break in. The seal on a new bearing is so tight that it is difficult to turn the races holding just the bearing in your hand. It really is not an issue.
regards
Kevin Clay
Oneway Mfg.

 

[Valkyrie]

My apologies to Mr. Clay and Oneway

It seems that I was not as clear as I should have been in regards to the bearing arrangement on the 2436, and offended Mr. Clay at Oneway. Let me re-state this a little better....

As a former machine designer for a high speed gravure printing operation, I have designed several drives that are not all that different from the drive on a lathe such as the Oneway 2436. Friction and heat buildup in a drive assembly that is in close proximity to very flammable solvents is not a good thing, just so you know where my theory came from. Oneway produces one of, if not the best, lathes on the market today. I am SURE Oneway has the proper design as to not allow their bearing arrangement to be compromised and generate improper conditions. I have had bearing failure here caused by what I had stated in my previous post. Now that I know there has been a change in the seal configuration on bearings used by Oneway, I can accept the difference in operating temperatures and ease of spindle rotation of the more current Oneway models. As always I try to resolve problems if possible and not create them.
My apologies to Mr. Clay and Oneway. I'll know what to expect when I order another 2436, with stainless ways this time around!

Sincerely,
Michael L. Jones
Clemmons, NC

 

[Brent@TurnRobust]

If you can hold your hand on the headstock for a count of ten, then the temp is OK. That is about 125 F. A count of five is about 150 F. This is actually a very good estimating tool. Bearings run safely at 125 F, and depending on the lubrication, etc. can run hotter. Less than 5 seconds would certainly be a cause for concern.

Brent English, President, Robust Tools.

 

[Woodscaper]

0neway2436

In the last 2 maybe 3 years (time flies when you are not paying attention) we have switched from a bearing that uses a non-contact seal to a bearing that uses a full contact seal. It is the seal rubbing that creates the heat. It is not improper clearance in the bearings or roughness of the races. Since the tolerance on a rubber seal cannot be held really tight some bearings will run warmer than others and some bearings with tight seals can take a long time to break in. The seal on a new bearing is so tight that it is difficult to turn the races holding just the bearing in your hand. It really is not an issue.
regards
Kevin Clay
Oneway Mfg.

Kevan,

Thank you for your reply. I question this, the spindle is hard to turn free hand and the headstock was so hot that I could not touch it for an extended time, I would have had a burn. I do not consider that normal, even though I am breaking it in. There is a noise other than the belts turning when running. Would the braking resistor have something to do with this or is it tight bearings, or both? I know Oneway inspects their lathes prior to shipping but I question how good. A friend of mine receved his Oneway 2436 lathe last weekend and it only runs in reverse. Do you still think my problem is not an issue?

 

[Frank F]

In the last 2 maybe 3 years (time flies when you are not paying attention) we have switched from a bearing that uses a non-contact seal to a bearing that uses a full contact seal. It is the seal rubbing that creates the heat. It is not improper clearance in the bearings or roughness of the races. Since the tolerance on a rubber seal cannot be held really tight some bearings will run warmer than others and some bearings with tight seals can take a long time to break in. The seal on a new bearing is so tight that it is difficult to turn the races holding just the bearing in your hand. It really is not an issue.
regards
Kevin Clay
Oneway Mfg.

Hi Kevin,

I got my 2436 in November 2007. I run it with the belt on the middle pulley at about 1200 to 1400 rpm - based on the dial reading. The headstock and spindle got very hot, but based on your post I thought that was normal.

Recently I've been working on smaller spindles, 1.5" square, at about 1600 - 1800 rpm - again based on the dial reading. After about a half hour or so, the spindle and drive center are too hot to touch for more and a second or two. Certainly not 5 seconds. When I knock out the drive center, I have to toss it from one hand to the next to place it on a table.

Is this normal? When will the bearings finally break in? Is there something I should check? How will we know when or if this is a problem?

Thanks,
Frank

 

[Calamity Jane]

Frank....You should probably contact Kevin directly. Why wait for a reply on a forum? This thread is 2 1/2 years old and you would most likely be better off placing a phone call to Oneway. They are very good on customer service.

 

[Frank F]

If he doesn't respond I will.

I believe that Oneway monitors this site. I posted in this thread for continutiy on the subject and to see if others still have this problem.

Frank