Hard to crank handwheels - Proxxon PD400

[wongster]

Hello folks,

Blessed New Year to all!

I received the Proxxon PD400 lathe 3 days ago am am still getting myself familiar with it. This is a first time I have my hand on a lathe other than the Sherline.

I encounter the problem of handwheels being too stiff to turn. Loosening the screw holding the handwheels make it easier for the cross slide and compound slide though not as smooth as what I have on the Sherline. I tried adjusting the gib without much success. The carriage and leadscrew handwheels are still giving me problem.

Anyone with a similar lathe or the PD400 encountered this and found a solution? There are little resources available online and no user club. The manual that came with the lathe is rather skimpy.

I've updated my blog with some pics of the slides taken apart. They look quite similar to the mini lathe on some aspect.

Appreciate any help.

Regards,
Wong
www.wongstersproduction.blogspot.com

 

[versatile]

Hello Wong,

I bought the same Lathe about one and and a half year ago and it is a really powerfull and precise machine. But you have to be carefull with the tailstock. Since it is made from aluminum (I guess?) it might flex quite a bit if your parts center is a little off center
Have a look at the gibs too. I discovered that the gib of the cross slide hadn`t full contact to the dovetail,but only on its upper edge, witch caused it to kind of jump :-\ when parting off.

The handwheels are a bit stiff to turn at first but it will improve by applying some oil and making some chips .. you might also try to loosen the screw of the cross slides brass nut.


Well, as you can see english isn´t my mother tongue... I hope you understand what I tried to say

Hope you are happy with your new lathe..

Regards

 

[wongster]

Hello,

Thanks for your reply. I do hope that all the handwheels will start turning smoothly soon enough.

Regards,
Wong

 

[Tin Falcon]

hmmm make sure any power feeds are disengaged.
remove any cosomoline or packing grease lube ways and screws with way oil adjust gibs. and if equipped with backlash adjustment that may be too tight,
Hope this helps.

 

[wongster]

Thank you. I kind of suspect that the backlash adjustment may be too tight after reading through the mini lathe website. I'll strip the carriage later to see how that can be solved.

Regards,
Wong

 

[wongster]

An update.

I bite the bullet and remove the lathe from the chip tray and flip the lathe over. The 2 setscrews and 2 bolts holding the plate are rather tight. I break the grip of the bolts and setscrews and retightened them.

Now the carriage and leadscrew handwheels turn very smoothly. I'll do some test cut after lunch with my parents to see if its too loose.

Thank you all for your suggestions and input. I'm sure I'll have more questions on using the lathe.

Regards,
Wong