A suitable analogy for an out-of-balance spindle on a manual lathe is when you driving in your car and one of your car tires gets out-of-balance. Pretty soon, you might feel a slight vibration in the steering wheel as you are driving down the road.
This vibration is analogous to the vibration on the spindle of a lathe when it is running at higher RPM’s. According to this technical article on balance.net, “balancing” is “the process of reducing the out-of-balance forces that cause vibration in rotating machinery.”
The dynamic balancing of a spindle or spindle assembly is done by a machine designed for this process. These balancing machines use multiple bearing stands equipped with electronic sensors to identify conditions in multiple planes for correction in a specified location.
All LeBlond RKL Series manual lathes come with dynamically balanced spindles that allow for:
- Reduced tool wear and smoother cutting finishes.
- Reduced wear on bearing, bearing journals, gears and shafts extending the life of the machine with proper routine maintenance.
- Reduced noise and vibration; less operator fatigue.
If you suspect your machine has excessive vibration due to an unbalanced condition with the spindle, there are electric vibration devices available to test your machine. However, in his 40-plus years of experience at LeBlond in various positions, Customer Service Representative John Cook has never encountered a spindle on a LeBlond manual lathe that was out of balance.
So be assured, when driving down the road, you will never have to worry about vibrations in the steering wheel of your lathe because the spindle is dynamically balanced!
If you are interested in purchasing new K.O. Lee Economy Mandrels offered by LeBlond Ltd. or require OEM parts for your LeBlond, K.O. Lee, Standard Modern, Johnson Press, Deka Drill and W.F. & John Barnes equipment, call LeBlond Ltd. at (888) 920-9852. If you are interested in new LeBlond or K.O. Lee machines, call LeBlond Ltd. at (888) 920-9852.