TL-2 Noisy Spindle

[Geof]

How many people with TL-2s have heard funny noises from the spindle? Sorry about the higly technical term 'funny' but I couldn't think of anything better. I guess also the query applies to people with TL-3s as well but not TL-1.

The 'funny' noise is a noise that the spindle makes sometimes; almost like something rattling.

The reason I ask is that I had my spindle checked for unusual vibrations because of a 'funny' noise and found I was not the only one hearing this kind of thing. The spindle checked out fine on a vibration analysis and the, provisional, diagnosis for the funny noise is that when the machine is shut down after been run for several hours it is warm (of course), the grease in the spindle bearings is soft and more fluid so it drains to the bottom of the bearing, the machine cools off and if you have a poorly heated shop like me it gets quite cold, then next time the machine is started the grease being unevenly distributed in the bearing makes the 'funny' noise until it has warmed up a bit and become evenly distributed.

The solution is to have a warm-up cycle; run at 500 rpm for a few minutes, then 1000, etc, up to full speed, similar to the warm-up on the mills.

Any comments?

[Donkey Hotey]

I haven't owned my TL-1 long enough to hear anything strange but I would expect the same problem is possible. I wondered why the mills have a warmup cycle but the lathe didn't. It seems like a logical thing to write a warmup cycle like that though.

[WOLOG]

Geof,

My TL-2 sings like a canary. In the morning, as soon I start the spindle, there is a popping noise. Then all day long it sounds like the bearing cages are spinning. Sort of like when a bearing is spinning fast and there is no load on it. I had a spindle analyzer test on it and Haas said it was fine and within specs. My VF-5/5 mill does the same thing. Had it tested. They said it was fine. The only machine that sounds right is my SL-30 BB that is a 2001 model. Runs perfect. Oh, I forgot. When using your tailstock, does the sound coming from the bearings change? That tends to worry me. My TL-2 still makes real accurate parts all day long.

In no way is this a Haas bashing due to my previous post regarding the "new" SL-30's.

[Geof]

The belts sometimes make a constant noise on both lathes and mills. I have TL-1s which have belt noise and it does not go away. The noise I attribute the the bearings does go away after the machine has been running for a while.

And on the topic of belt noise one thing I discovered was that chips wander their way down the spindle, fall out the end and bounce inside the cover to get trapped in the belt. One TL-1 started making a terrible noise and that is what it was; chips wedged in the belt.

[HemiRoadRunner]

I don't know what the noise you are hearing is coming from, but I do know that the Toolroom Lathes do normally make sounds which are different from the other SL series machines when the spindle is running. This is because the TL spindles are driven by cogged pulleys with a timing-style belt. The SL machines use V-belts. The only way to know if your machine really has a problem is to perform a vibration test.

[Donkey Hotey]

I didn't feel too good about just walking up to my TL-1 and firing up the spindle without smearing the grease around in the bearings first. This thread just reminded me again.

So I took the spindle warm-up program from the mill and altered it for the lathe. It's not rocket science--just taking the spindle from 150 RPM and stepping up over a period of 20 minutes. I added the times in the comments so you can tell at a glance how much time remains. It's capped at 1200 RPM.

If anybody wants to cut & paste, here it is for ya'

%
O02020 (Spindle Warm-up)
(Adapted from the Mill warm-up cycle)
(Cycle time: 20-minutes.)
(Max RPM is 1200)
(Chuck must be clamped to avoid)
(jaws releasing)
S150 M03
G04 P200. (20 Minutes Remaining)
S300 M03
G04 P200. (17 Minutes Remaining)
S450 M03
G04 P200. (13 Minutes Remaining)
S600 M03
G04 P200. (10 Minutes Remaining)
S900 M03
G04 P200. (7 Minutes Remaining)
S1200 M03
G04 P200. (3 Minutes Remaining)
M30
%

[Geof]

You are being more conservative than me but it certainly will not hurt. So far I have fired up my TL2 and run my warm-up three or four times and I think I notice, or rather I do not notice, any 'funny' noises. But it is difficult because you can convince yourself of almost anything with a bit of effort.

[Donkey Hotey]

Well, a lot of my parts are going to be small diameter aluminum. I hate to go out to a 50 degree machine and spin that bearing up to 1500 RPM without a warm-up. That's exactly what I did with my first real part and this thread was in the back of my mind.

Personally, I think the noises that I hear on my TL-1 are due to the AC drive going to the spindle (makes a lot of weird, grainy whirring noises at certain speeds).

[Geof]

Originally Posted by Donkey Hotey ....Personally, I think the noises that I hear on my TL-1 are due to the AC drive going to the spindle (makes a lot of weird, grainy whirring noises at certain speeds).

Yes, my TL-1 makes a lot of funny noises at certain speeds and I suspect it is related to the motor frequency, and also the belt noise that HemiRoadRunner refers to. The thing is you don't know if the noise has been there all along and you have just noticed it or whether it is a new noise that indicates problems.

Another point is have you ever walked around the machine and noticed that the noise varies in different directions? Or is this just my imagination?