Who's a lucky boy?

11/9/23, 12:54 AM #1

karl jr
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Registered: 12/10/09
Location: Minneapolis, MN

I watched Craig's list diligently for months, looking for a bench grinder that I could afford. Finally found one. 20 bucks for an 8 inch Rikon. I offered a trade; my turned kitchen utensils (honeydippers, spurtles, spatulas) for the grinder. Then I waited for a response. SWMBO agreed and the deal was on. So I thought. My email reply to the trade agreement was too late; the grinder was sold before I could react.

I was a pretty a disappointed boy. I'm pretty much a skew guy when it comes to spindles. I can get an edge that's sharp enough, well, at least to shave. You know cheap sharpening... flat plate, abrasive surface?

So, anyway, I kept trolling Craigslist out of spite and frustration. And then the lightening from the gods of turning struck! A Jet 12-20VS (circa 2011) for free!

The potentiometer is hincky, I think.

Re: Who's a lucky boy?

11/9/23, 11:58 AM Edited #2

admin
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Registered: 7/7/23

>The potentiometer is hincky, I think.

Be careful it doesn't spin up to 100,000 RPM.

(If it's a mechanical pot, they can often be made to behave with a little contact cleaner.)

Re: Who's a lucky boy?

11/9/23, 3:04 PM #3

karl jr
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215 posts

Registered: 12/10/09
Location: Minneapolis, MN

>The potentiometer is hincky, I think.

It seems to have a flat spot (for lack of a better phrase), where the motor's speed stops increasing as I turn the dial up; in the range of the flat spot, the motor speed is actually lower than when the speed dial is set at it's lowest point. My dad's an EE, so I'm pretty sure between the two of us we can get it working properly.

Other than head scratching about the pot, all I've had to do is tighten up a set screw on the lower pulley to eliminate a ticking sound.

I'll try some contact cleaner. Thanks, Peter.

Karl

Who's a lucky boy?

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