06-15-2023, 08:45 AM
(06-14-2023, 10:05 PM)EdK Wrote: Yup, with Red & Tacky.
People that have objected to the noise replaced one of the two gears with a plastic one and that cut way down on the noise. The intermediate shaft gear would be the easiest.
Ed
Good choice with the Red & Tacky.
Yeah, I've seen those comments too. I have to wonder how long they tried using the all metal gears to let them "wear in" before going back to the plastic countershaft gears? I haven't installed mine yet so maybe the noise is much worse than I imagined. I had planned on just turning on the lathe and letting it run outside until the decibels started coming down.
Perhaps one day you'll invest in a 3-D printer that uses metal powder and you can print out a set of helical gears for the lathe. I'm a bit disappointed that Little Machine Shop hasn't contracted with a company already to do just that. I bet they would sell a bunch of them. I'm sure you will be quite pleased with the upgraded bearings though. Back when I swapped mine to tapered roller bearings the lathe became much more user friendly. I don't know if I'll ever be able to get to swap out the gears and bearings again, but at least the parts are here if I get the chance.
Willie