- Joined
- Apr 24, 2013
- Messages
- 709
When I first got the lathe three years ago there was a posting here about using magnets in the headstock oil sump to capture ferrous particles. I did that at the time for the headstock bot there was no easy way to do the same for the quick change gearbox or the apron.
I decided to have a look at the oil this year during the change and there is a noticeable difference.
From the photos the first two are from the headstock where the oil was bright and clear. The second pair are from the gearbox and you can see the haze of particles in the oil.
The last photos are the magnets as they were when pulled from the headstock sump. They seem to collect about the same amount of fines each year.
As a result I will be making up a probe to be attached the the drain plug of the quick change gearbox that will have a column shaped rare earth magnet in the end.
The oil from the apron was as clear as the headstock, likely because of the much slower motion in the apron than in either the headstock or the gearbox.
I decided to have a look at the oil this year during the change and there is a noticeable difference.
From the photos the first two are from the headstock where the oil was bright and clear. The second pair are from the gearbox and you can see the haze of particles in the oil.
The last photos are the magnets as they were when pulled from the headstock sump. They seem to collect about the same amount of fines each year.
As a result I will be making up a probe to be attached the the drain plug of the quick change gearbox that will have a column shaped rare earth magnet in the end.
The oil from the apron was as clear as the headstock, likely because of the much slower motion in the apron than in either the headstock or the gearbox.