If you disconnect the belts and disengage the lathe from the drive shaft how much force should be required to rotate the lathes head? I tried that on my lathe and it I need to put a considerable amount of force to get the head to rotate. I would guess around 7-10 lbs of force before it breaks free and can be moved with a little less force.

This lathe was not properly maintained for some time so I wonder if this is a lubrication issue or not. I plan on pulling it apart to clean it and relubricate it. Can anyone think of a reason why I shouldn’t do this?

You did'nt mention what size lathe this is, also if it is geared and in low it will make alot of difference.
Al.

Yeah forgot to mention that. Its an 11" gap so its like a 12". Its belt driven and for this test I disengaged the lathes head from the rest of the unit - so only the lathes head was spun by hand.

If there is no gearing involved then it should spin fairly free, preventative maintenance is always a good thing so I would certainly check it out further.
If it is a non-geared head then it should not be too complicated.
Al.

I went around my shop and tested 4 different lathes. When cold, it does take a little bit of effort to overcome that initial sticktion. These are all rolling bearing headstocks. So I would not be concerned about your lathe. If the tightness is really a problem, it should show up as extreme heat rise. When working all day, my headstocks do get fairly warm, but not uncomfortable to hold my hand on.

Cool thanks for checking into it. I'll have some pictures of the lathe sometime this week so you guys could give me your opinion if its worth breaking down the lathe for cleanup or not.

I just got some really nice paint (and expensive) for my mill and I'm itching in tearing down the lathe not only clean it, but to repaint it as well. The primer is an epoxy two-part solvent-based solution and the topcoat is a polyurethane two-part marine grade paint. Both only came in gallons so I’ve got plenty of extra paint to use on other projects.

For those who are wondering the paints I got they are…

Sherwin Williams Poly-Lon 1900 Polyester Polyurethane
Sherwin Williams Epolon II Epoxy Primer