- Joined
- Aug 3, 2017
- Messages
- 2,437
For those who remember me, I picked up a 14" Reed Prentice a few weeks ago. I FINALLY got it running today, the T nut made for my tool post, and ungunked the 3 jaw chuck. I was flying high! I even put some CRS round into the lathe and started cutting it with some HSS tools. On top of the world!
Then, disaster... I decided to try power-feed. I'd been used to a Logan 10" without power feed, and a single half-nut engage and move lever. The RP however has a powerfeed engagement lever and a half-nut engagement lever. HOWEVER, it also has a crossfeed engagement lever, and a linear feed engagement lever (Z axis and X axis?). I didn't remember that, so I went to engage the power feed lever, it caught, then the gearbox selection lever exploded!
The previous owner apparently had a similar problem (it looks like someone did a terrible job welding this in the past), so I don't feel TOO bad. I'm hoping the RP yahoo group has someone with a replacement part I can buy, otherwise I have to figure out a good way to fix this one. I have a bit of an idea on how to do that (remake the 'stud' part out of cold-roll plus a hole in the middle, then mill the handle down below that and find some way to attach them with bolts/pins/etc, but hoping I can just get a replacement instead.
Oh well, one step forward, two back, eh?
Then, disaster... I decided to try power-feed. I'd been used to a Logan 10" without power feed, and a single half-nut engage and move lever. The RP however has a powerfeed engagement lever and a half-nut engagement lever. HOWEVER, it also has a crossfeed engagement lever, and a linear feed engagement lever (Z axis and X axis?). I didn't remember that, so I went to engage the power feed lever, it caught, then the gearbox selection lever exploded!
The previous owner apparently had a similar problem (it looks like someone did a terrible job welding this in the past), so I don't feel TOO bad. I'm hoping the RP yahoo group has someone with a replacement part I can buy, otherwise I have to figure out a good way to fix this one. I have a bit of an idea on how to do that (remake the 'stud' part out of cold-roll plus a hole in the middle, then mill the handle down below that and find some way to attach them with bolts/pins/etc, but hoping I can just get a replacement instead.
Oh well, one step forward, two back, eh?