New Hightower Lathe is blowing circuit

moccabee

moccabee

Mocc1Cues
Silver Member
I just got my deluxe lathe from Chris yesterday. I was like a little kid in a candy store when it arrived. I carefully unpacked everything and set it up. I went to plug it in and the circuit tripped. I tried in several outlets in my garage just in case and got the same results. The circuit is a 15amp and should handle the power without issue. The circuit is tripping as soon as the plug is half way in the socket. As a side note I have a Delta wood lathe that works on the same outlet without issue.

Any suggestions? Chris is at the Expo and I am unable to reach him there. If anyone sees him can you have him please read this post?
 
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moccabee said:
I just got my deluxe lathe from Chris yesterday. I was like a little kid in a candy store when it arrived. I carefully unpacked everything and set it up. I went to plug it in and the circuit tripped. I tried in several outlets in my garage just in case and got the same results. The circuit is a 15amp and should handle the power without issue. The circuit is tripping as soon as the plug is half way in the socket. As a side note I have a Delta wood lathe that works on the same outlet without issue.

Any suggestions? Chris is at the Expo and I am unable to reach him there. If anyone sees him can you have him please read this post?
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It is surely something very, very simple. Since it is tripping before the lathe is turned on it has to be shorting out between the outlet and the switch. Either the outlet has a loose wire making contact with a ground from pressure from the plug being inserted, the plug itself has wires loose doing the same thing, the wire has been pinched and shorting, the switch has a wire making contact with a ground or the wires on the switch were connected wrong and the hot is connected to the ground. I can't think of other scenario for the machine to blow a circuit without being turned on.

Dick
 
nympfisher said:
i would first look in the switch housing, probably a wire touching the metal housing

carl
Click to expand...

I agree it sounds like a dead short and the switch box is a good place to start looking. But whatever it is you can count on Chris to make it right.
 
Unplug the lathe. Take the 2 screws out of the top of the switch box & visually look for exposed wires & terminals that may be grounding. It's on the power side of the switch seemingly, so it should be easy enough to find. One of the things you'll need to learn along with cuemaking is machine maintenance, in mechanical and electrical terms. I'm sure Chris will be happy to help, but right now might be annoying for him if you try reaching him at the show. The problem seems very simple & easy enough to fix, with no damage to your lathe. You'll need to learn this stuff anyway, so it might be a good idea to dive into it & see what you can learn.

You can PM me if you need guidance, or PM me & i'll give you my phone number so you can call & i'll walk you through it. If nothing else, I have a deluxe motor & wired up switch box I can send to you in trade for your faulty one, then fix yours. All you'll need to do is remove your motor & switch box, which is four screws, and reinstall the new one. I took mine off & installed a DC motor with variable speed controller, like I do all of my machines. So I have one sitting here collecting dust. It's wired correctly, no short circuit :)
 
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i had a problem similar to yours but i changed the 15 amp breaker to a 20 amp and had no more problems
 
Safety First!!!!

What Ever You Do Keep That Electrical Plug Out Of The Wall First :eek: Before You Check Wiring..:D :D
 
renegadej said:
i had a problem similar to yours but i changed the 15 amp breaker to a 20 amp and had no more problems
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Do not and I stress DO NOT swap out your breaker for one of a higher amperage rating without upsizing the wire. If you have a 15 amp breaker it is most likely 14ga wire. Installing an incorrect breaker is a good way to burn down your house/shop.
 
magnetardo said:
Do not and I stress DO NOT swap out your breaker for one of a higher amperage rating without upsizing the wire. If you have a 15 amp breaker it is most likely 14ga wire. Installing an incorrect breaker is a good way to burn down your house/shop.
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My roommate who was a electrician in training at one point said the same thing. After talking to Eric yesterday, I think I have narrowed down the problem to a possible switch issue. I am picking up a new switch today after work. Hopefully this will resolve the issue.

Thanks Eric for the help.
 
qbilder said:
Unplug the lathe. Take the 2 screws out of the top of the switch box & visually look for exposed wires & terminals that may be grounding. It's on the power side of the switch seemingly, so it should be easy enough to find. One of the things you'll need to learn along with cuemaking is machine maintenance, in mechanical and electrical terms. I'm sure Chris will be happy to help, but right now might be annoying for him if you try reaching him at the show. The problem seems very simple & easy enough to fix, with no damage to your lathe. You'll need to learn this stuff anyway, so it might be a good idea to dive into it & see what you can learn.

You can PM me if you need guidance, or PM me & i'll give you my phone number so you can call & i'll walk you through it. If nothing else, I have a deluxe motor & wired up switch box I can send to you in trade for your faulty one, then fix yours. All you'll need to do is remove your motor & switch box, which is four screws, and reinstall the new one. I took mine off & installed a DC motor with variable speed controller, like I do all of my machines. So I have one sitting here collecting dust. It's wired correctly, no short circuit :)
Click to expand...
What type of dc motor and controller did you put on,ive had abit of trouble with the original,its about 4 yrs old so maybe time for a new setup
 
magnetardo said:
Do not and I stress DO NOT swap out your breaker for one of a higher amperage rating without upsizing the wire. If you have a 15 amp breaker it is most likely 14ga wire. Installing an incorrect breaker is a good way to burn down your house/shop.
Click to expand...

Excellent and proper advice.

I'll add that if you increase the breaker size AND your house/shop burns as a result, good luck collecting on your insurance, you'll need it.

Dave
 
It's a 90vdc motor & a circuit board that changes 110vac to 90vdc. My motors vary, whatever I see on ebay that will work for the application. My circuit boards are made by KB electronics & cost between $100-$250. I get my switches & rheostats from radio shack. All together, it would cost in the neighborhood of $300 to replace your Deluxe motor with a DC motor. If you use it a lot, it's worth it.
 
Hello!

This is Keisha, Chris' daughter. Dad said that if you haven't figured the problem out and gotten it corrected, and don't want to wait until Tues. when he is back from the show, call or e-mail me at cueman@cuesmith.com and I will send you a new motor & switch and you can just send the other one back when you get the new one. Your order was placed over e-mail, so I didn't have a phone number on your lathe card.

Thanks and sorry for any inconvenience!

~Keisha~
 
Thank you for your response and I have sent an email to you regarding the situation and my contact information.

Thank you
 
Short in Hightower Lathe

Probably the green (ground) and the white (neutral) are reversed in the plug or
switch. This is quite common.

Hats off to Chris and Eric for being so accommodating, what more could you ask for!!!

Bob Flynn
denalicues.com
International Cuemakers Assoc.
 
Thank you to all that had suggestions and comments. The new motor arrived today and works great. I would like to give Chris and his daughter a giant thank you as well for their quick response.
 
It is certainly nice to see an issue like this resolved as professionally and respectfully as this one has, well done on all sides !

Dave
 
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