How to read 1340-GT oil gauges

[andrewgr]

I'm not sure if I know how to read the oil gauges on this machine.

Here are pictures of two gauges:

So, what I *think* is going on is that the brownish color is oil, and the pristine white color is not covered by oil, so the line between the two shows you how full the oil is. By that interpretation, in the first gauge, the oil is filled to the "High" line, and in the second gauge, the oil is filled well past the "High" line.

The only reason I question myself on this is that the picture of the first gauge in the manual that comes with the lathe shows the brown going to exactly the same spot, so I have some doubt that maybe that's just the way the glass is colored or something. I mean, I feel like I should be confident enough without asking, but I'm so completely new at all of this, and I don't want to ruin the lathe the first day I turn it on by running it without oil.

Thanks for the hand-holding.

 

[Z2V]

I agree with your interpretation. I’d worry more if it was low for sure. Can you use a turkey baster or something of the sort to remove oil through the fill hole to bring the level down?

 

[mksj]

You want the oil level between the low and high horizontal lines, not a big deal is it is a little on the high side in particular in the carriage. In the headstock if the oil is too high it will cause more drag on the gears and cause increased aeration/bubbles. But I would not be concerned with either of the levels in the pictures.