J Head Feed rate selector

[Dynahoe Dave]

Is there a trick to getting the Feed Rate Selector to move? The knob pulls out, so it should swing to the 3 different positions, but the lever only wiggles a little bit. How tight / free is it normally? It looks like there are 4 socket head cap srews that hold a plate that hold the lever shaft - is it possible to remove this and see what's going on / stuck?

 

[Technical Ted]

Are you trying to change it with the spindle feed disengaged and/or the motor not running? If so, engage the spindle feed lever and turn the motor on and see if you can change it then. It should move freely. When I say engage the spindle feed, I'm referring to the two position lever up higher on the head, not the lower lever that actually makes the spindle move.

Edit: Thought I'd add that the reason this will help is because if the gear(s) aren't moving they probably just aren't meshing and the teeth are hitting on the tops. If everything is engaged and the gears are rotating this will allow the gears to mesh and let you shift from one position to the others.

Ted

 

[Dynahoe Dave]

Yes, I've been trying to go over things while I'm getting the wiring sorted out. I'll see what happens with that particular lever when I get it powered again.

The wiring itself was ok, but a weird mix of decent and hack, but the positions of the switch and stuff was kind of strange, and really inconvenient to even not safe.

I do know the motor runs, I checked that before moving it.

 

[Bi11Hudson]

It doesn't have to be running, simply turning the spindle by hand while trying to change the gears may be enough.

Just a thought, I have been doing that for years on machines I wasn't familiar with.

 

[Dynahoe Dave]

I eneed up taking the square plate with the conrol lever off the side of the head. The piece that the handle crank is pinned to has a disk inside the machine, with a pin that moves a bronze block to shift the gears. That piece is all buggered up. There is a slight bend in the shaft. Part of the disk was rubbing on the cover plate binding it up. Someone had clamped the shaft in a vise with grippy teeth, leaving dents in the shaft. A little filing and grinding got it so it will function now. H&W does sell the part, so I may eventually get a new one.