Relative newbie here. I recently acquired a second hand Harbor Freight 7x10 mini lathe. It works fairly well so far. I tried cutting threads for the first time and the motor kept shutting off. I installed the proper gears for 14 TPI to make a "face bolt" for my son's Beyblade (the old one broke). I put it in low gear. Problem was that motor kept turning off after one or two revolutions of the chuck. I don't think it is overheating because if I disengage the leadscrew, the motor turns just fine. With the relatively high gear ratio needed for the 14 TPI, I think the motor might be overloaded. The motor is not actually stalled because if I turn the speed control knob to zero and then up, the chuck will turn once and then turn off again.
If I put the speed up higher, it seems to run longer but then I can't disengage the half nuts at the right time. Even when the cutting tool is not touching anything, the motor stops so I know it is the gears turning the leadscrew that are causing the problems.
Has anyone encountered this before when cutting low TPI threads?
If I put the speed up higher, it seems to run longer but then I can't disengage the half nuts at the right time. Even when the cutting tool is not touching anything, the motor stops so I know it is the gears turning the leadscrew that are causing the problems.
Has anyone encountered this before when cutting low TPI threads?