rchyde04

I just bought this lathe from a guy that never used it. When I am turning if I gouge the wood and stop the lathe from turning, it shuts down the spindle, but the fan keeps running on the circut board. I can't get the spindle to turn. There is no reset button. Anyone have one or no anything about how to get it going again. I had a ridgid lathe prior and never had any problems with it. I went for the craftsman as it is a 2hp and the headstock can turn 180 degrees and turn bowls up to 20". Not happening, until I can get it going again. r/Randy

john lucas

I have turned on the craftsman but never had it stall. I would unplug it and let it cool down. It could be that it overheated or it could be an electronic problem. Most lathes that have had wierd things happen will correct themselves when unplugged and left for a while.
Don't expect much from the craftsman. It is in my opinion a piece of junk. Many people who own them have had constant problems. I hope you don't

rchyde04

John, What are some of the problems, if you don't mind. I still have my ridgid that I learned on and never had any problems with it. I went for the 2hp over my 1/2 hp as I read all the forums that turning fast was more fun.

john lucas

I don't know about turning fast being more fun. There is a certain speed that is comfortable to turn and allows you to get a cleaner cut. To fast and it's dangerous, too slow and it takes a lot of skill to get smooth curves. You can get a clean cut no matter what speed if you use proper techniques.
What a larger motor does is gives you more power so you don't bog down the lathe as easily, especially on larger work.
The sears lathe has had lots of problems with the switches gong bad, the variable speed not working properly, too much noise and poor service from Sears. Sears is also well known for overstating the hp ratings of their tools. I used to buy all craftsman products but I shy away from them now. They don't hold up and getting parts is difficult or impossible.
some people have been very happy with this lathe. I hope you are one of them. It may run well and a long time. Hope so.

rchyde04

John, Thank you, I appreciate your honesty. I thought about the variable speed switch being the problem and ordered one. We'll see. Thanks again for responding. r/Randy

Gordon Seto

Randy,

On the Sears site, the model number is different. So I am not sure if I am talking about the same thing.
If your lathe looks similar to this,
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...criptionAnchor
your lathe was made by Palmgren. Amazon sold the Palmgren brand at a very low price when it was first introduced. A lot of members at the other forum bought that lathe. They all had tons of problem; the service from Palmgren was very good. Some had the head stock replaced 3 times. Eventually the service department was not responing to calls. I saw the direct line phone number of the higher management was posted. I don't take that as a good sign.

Google "Palmgren lathe problem". Probably you want to post the specific problem of your lathe there. The ex-owners may be able to shine some light on your problem.

Does your "2 HP" lathe runs on 110 V single phase under 15 Amp? If that is the case, either it is a super Energy Star inovation or someone is overstating the HP.

As John said the service people at Sears are not knowledgeable about lathes. They are good at giving out replacement components if it is under warranty.
That lathe has a Reeves Drive, the mechanical variable speed is high maintenace. Cut your loss at some point. Don't dump good money after the bad. A good mini/midi lathe is more enjoyable than a mediocre full size lathe.

rchyde04

Gordon, Mine is the model under the one you showed. The motor is the same, it is a 1hp, 2hp max. developed. I'm going to shoot them an email and see if they can help. Appreciate your response.
I just got off the phone with palmgren and they told me that my model had 3 areas that were problematic, the circuit board @ $70.00, the potentiometer, @ $10.00, and the switch @ $5.50. I have already ordered the potentiometer so will try that first and go from there. I really appreciate your response. Thanks again, r/Randy