Thanks for the comment Jeff ! Unfortunately ... or maybe fortunately... I've been really busy with other things and never got to make my balancer... it's still a possibility for the future, but there's not enough time in a day.
Thanks for making this video. My 4-jaw was way out. I used this video as a basis to come up with an easier way of balancing the chuck. Before I do any epoxy work I will undo the balance and make a video. I was able to go from about 40thou on the dial indicator to 1 in about 5min without using that website you linked. The gist of it was I set up an indicator much like you did, but on the DRO stand at the very top of the lathe. The higher it is the more sensitive it is, and that high I didn't need to set the lathe on anything (I also really didn't want to re-level it). With the jaws removed I set the speed to the point of greatest deflection. Then I put a few magnets on the chuck to see if it was better or worse. If worse I would move the magnets and see if it was better or worse again. Once I found the point of least deflection I would add more magnets until I was happy with the reading (about 1thou). At this point I could have drilled the opposite side of the chuck like you did, but I have carbide inserts for tools I don't own, so what I am going to do is epoxy a bit more than the weight of the magnets into the casting void in my chuck. I was able to test the carbide first by just supergluing them in place where I saw the same 1thou of deflection. Thank you so much for your video though. I tried balancing the chuck once before years ago like I would balance a surface grinder wheel, and that was pretty terrible.
That's great. How does that saying go "on the shoulders of giants". Not sure if this is the perfect situation for that saying, but it is always awesome to expand on, simplify and repurpose an idea from someone else to make it better or to suit a different application. Also, I can totally understand why someone would not want to drill holes into their backing plate, especially if you have decent equipment. I don't know what your exact set up was, and I'm likely overthinking it, but I would worry about harmonics / flex in the DRO stand causing a false reading. You could get some chicken head effect, haha... where the DRO stays still even tho the lathe is moving, and the RPM where you get the highest reading could just be where the frequency wavelength matches. If you have a rigid DRO stand, then I'm sure this is not the case, but something to keep i mind.
@@JoelArseneaultCZcams yeah, if the DRO stand was a flex arm or something then I wouldn't be able to use it for taking a reading for exactly the reason you stated, but my DRO is mounted to an aluminum post that is bolted to the top cover. It is quite rigid. If I didn't have that then I would likely be able to make due with a magnetic indicator stand (the ridgid pole style) stuck to the top of the lathe.
@@JoelArseneaultCZcams czcams.com/video/rcgbGAzaCv8/video.html I managed to make the video. Start to finish was about (minus epoxy cure time) was about 5min while I was doing it one-handed.
Balancing a flywheel and crankshaft is appearing to be much harder because flywheels are balanced to within a gram. Some have indicated it should be balanced 2-5 grams. Spinning a flywheel is a much bigger mass to be spinning around and most use balance machine use vibes meter and not a dial gage.
Yes, that is correct. I have recently commented something similar to this in response to people asking about using the lathe to balance other objects. One of the main issues is that the mass of the lathe is high enough to mute out imbalances due to inertia, regardless of how accurate of a measuring tool I use. Also, yes. most machines used to balance flywheels and crank shafts use load cells or vibe sensors and "fancy" software to pinpoint not only how much mass but the location of that mass. Compared to a dial indicator, this makes it much faster and also gives you the exact location to add or remove weight, where using this "simple" program and dial indicator may have you remove or add a small amount of weight in two places because the location of the imbalance is between those two spots. Thanks for the comment !
I've love to make a tool for doing that, thanks for your comment. Since making this video, I've become quite busy with other things, but this is still a possibility for the future.
Your video was really informative .Thank you very much . I am in the process of making a balancing machine to balance crankshafts , flywheels , pulleys etc . To get the reciprocating parts to be balanced is fairly easy . The machine or fixture will be of a soft bearing type and using your method might just work great .
I would still love to build something to balance flywheels and other parts, but I just don't have time for now, with everything else that I'm doing. Good luck, and thanks for the comment !
Hey. Thanks for the comment. I haven't done it yet. I've been really busy with other things and ran into some financial difficulties. In my mind the easiest way to go about making a balancing tool is by supporting a shaft from bearings, with the bearings supported by springs. You would then drive the floating axle with a o-ring type belt to allow it to move freely. I think a bearing carrier with 3 attachment points would work well. This would take some experimentation to sort out, but you would want the top spring to support the weight fairly well, but allow some movement while the bottom two springs could be substantially lighter and just there to add some stability. If possible I would hang the item being balanced centered between the bearings. If it were hung off one end, like in a lathe, then the load on the bearing opposite the item being balanced, would actually have the stiff spring on the bottom and two light springs at the top to stabilize. I hope that makes sense. Basically you need a way to rotate an object, while allowing it to move as freely as possible... this includes keeping the mass of your tool as low as possible, while still being safe, secure and true. A heavy tool will mute some of the imbalance in your part, due to inertia.
@@bradj.3832 It's great, actually. I never run it as slow as I did in this video... that was just for safety when balancing. There may be a specific RPM where it would vibrate some / more, but I haven't found it yet.
Great explanation and you got the desired results. I can see PA, CT, and busy bee products, so I have to ask where about are you situated. I am in Selkirk MB. Subscribed, enjoyed and cheers!
I'm in Calgary AB. Currently getting ready to move to NFLD to work for the winter. Thanks for the comment ! This isn't my usual content, just a random project that I got into and decided to film.
Thanks for the comment ! I would love to make one. Since making that video I have become crazy busy with other projects. I would still love to do this someday, but it is pretty far down the list of things to do :)
@@JoelArseneaultCZcams Oh, I know you got way plenty going on!! Believe me, I've been following your X2 progression and your innovations as you post them! Keep up the great work!!
You can't really try to balance fro the jaws. You can easily balance them on a scale, and that will work fine for perfectly round stock... but with a 4 jaw your jaws aren't necessarily going to be in the same positions, meaning that the balance will be out. The only thing you can logically do is to balance the body, as it is the largest portion of the mass and remains constant. 👍
@@tomeyssen9674 Sometimes that's how I find my way through problems. Start talking about or writing about them and the answer comes to me. People commenting on my videos and asking questions is often how I figure things out ... It really makes me think more in depth.
The holes are a result of material that needs to be removed. That amount of material will need to be removed regardless of the size of magnets. The placement of the magnet offsets the weight that is present in the chuck. If the chuck was perfectly balanced, then you would not remove any material. The more out of balance it is, the more weight you need to remove. However, smaller magnets could allow you to get more accurate results. The limiting factor is how sensitive your measuring is. Meaning, if you put a magnet on that only weighed a gram, it would not be enough to effect the vibration of the lathe. If you can't read the movement, you can't make any calculations.
Great explanation, would like to see diy home balancing set up
Absolutely underrated video! Definitely deserve a lot of "Thumbs up". Thanks for the info.
Cheers
Thanks ! I appreciate the comment.
Video on home made DIY balancer….Hell Yeh!!!
I just found this so maybe you’ve already done it but thanks for all your hard work in making vids!
Thanks for the comment Jeff ! Unfortunately ... or maybe fortunately... I've been really busy with other things and never got to make my balancer... it's still a possibility for the future, but there's not enough time in a day.
Thanks for making this video. My 4-jaw was way out. I used this video as a basis to come up with an easier way of balancing the chuck. Before I do any epoxy work I will undo the balance and make a video. I was able to go from about 40thou on the dial indicator to 1 in about 5min without using that website you linked.
The gist of it was I set up an indicator much like you did, but on the DRO stand at the very top of the lathe. The higher it is the more sensitive it is, and that high I didn't need to set the lathe on anything (I also really didn't want to re-level it). With the jaws removed I set the speed to the point of greatest deflection. Then I put a few magnets on the chuck to see if it was better or worse. If worse I would move the magnets and see if it was better or worse again. Once I found the point of least deflection I would add more magnets until I was happy with the reading (about 1thou). At this point I could have drilled the opposite side of the chuck like you did, but I have carbide inserts for tools I don't own, so what I am going to do is epoxy a bit more than the weight of the magnets into the casting void in my chuck. I was able to test the carbide first by just supergluing them in place where I saw the same 1thou of deflection.
Thank you so much for your video though. I tried balancing the chuck once before years ago like I would balance a surface grinder wheel, and that was pretty terrible.
That's great. How does that saying go "on the shoulders of giants". Not sure if this is the perfect situation for that saying, but it is always awesome to expand on, simplify and repurpose an idea from someone else to make it better or to suit a different application. Also, I can totally understand why someone would not want to drill holes into their backing plate, especially if you have decent equipment.
I don't know what your exact set up was, and I'm likely overthinking it, but I would worry about harmonics / flex in the DRO stand causing a false reading. You could get some chicken head effect, haha... where the DRO stays still even tho the lathe is moving, and the RPM where you get the highest reading could just be where the frequency wavelength matches.
If you have a rigid DRO stand, then I'm sure this is not the case, but something to keep i mind.
@@JoelArseneaultCZcams yeah, if the DRO stand was a flex arm or something then I wouldn't be able to use it for taking a reading for exactly the reason you stated, but my DRO is mounted to an aluminum post that is bolted to the top cover. It is quite rigid. If I didn't have that then I would likely be able to make due with a magnetic indicator stand (the ridgid pole style) stuck to the top of the lathe.
@@JoelArseneaultCZcams czcams.com/video/rcgbGAzaCv8/video.html I managed to make the video. Start to finish was about (minus epoxy cure time) was about 5min while I was doing it one-handed.
I would altso like to see a diy balancer
Me too! :)
Balancing a flywheel and crankshaft is appearing to be much harder because flywheels are balanced to within a gram. Some have indicated it should be balanced 2-5 grams. Spinning a flywheel is a much bigger mass to be spinning around and most use balance machine use vibes meter and not a dial gage.
Yes, that is correct. I have recently commented something similar to this in response to people asking about using the lathe to balance other objects. One of the main issues is that the mass of the lathe is high enough to mute out imbalances due to inertia, regardless of how accurate of a measuring tool I use.
Also, yes. most machines used to balance flywheels and crank shafts use load cells or vibe sensors and "fancy" software to pinpoint not only how much mass but the location of that mass. Compared to a dial indicator, this makes it much faster and also gives you the exact location to add or remove weight, where using this "simple" program and dial indicator may have you remove or add a small amount of weight in two places because the location of the imbalance is between those two spots.
Thanks for the comment !
id like to see the flywheel being balanced!
I've love to make a tool for doing that, thanks for your comment. Since making this video, I've become quite busy with other things, but this is still a possibility for the future.
Your video was really informative .Thank you very much . I am in the process of making a balancing machine to balance crankshafts , flywheels , pulleys etc . To get the reciprocating parts to be balanced is fairly easy . The machine or fixture will be of a soft bearing type and using your method might just work great .
I would still love to build something to balance flywheels and other parts, but I just don't have time for now, with everything else that I'm doing. Good luck, and thanks for the comment !
Good job, better results than I expected.
Yeah, I didn't expect it to work as well as it did.
Great video!
Thanks Mark.
Would love to see a DIY Home Balancing setup (maybe you already created it?). I've been thinking of how to do this for a while now.
Hey. Thanks for the comment.
I haven't done it yet. I've been really busy with other things and ran into some financial difficulties.
In my mind the easiest way to go about making a balancing tool is by supporting a shaft from bearings, with the bearings supported by springs. You would then drive the floating axle with a o-ring type belt to allow it to move freely. I think a bearing carrier with 3 attachment points would work well.
This would take some experimentation to sort out, but you would want the top spring to support the weight fairly well, but allow some movement while the bottom two springs could be substantially lighter and just there to add some stability.
If possible I would hang the item being balanced centered between the bearings. If it were hung off one end, like in a lathe, then the load on the bearing opposite the item being balanced, would actually have the stiff spring on the bottom and two light springs at the top to stabilize.
I hope that makes sense. Basically you need a way to rotate an object, while allowing it to move as freely as possible... this includes keeping the mass of your tool as low as possible, while still being safe, secure and true. A heavy tool will mute some of the imbalance in your part, due to inertia.
Little advice, if a vid ends up in 2 parts put a link to part 1 so we don't have to try and find it ....
Thanks for the heads up. I try to remember to do that, but I guess I missed it on this one.
Thanks for adding the part 1 link. How is the lathe now as rpm increases, say 600 or higher rpm?
@@bradj.3832 It's great, actually. I never run it as slow as I did in this video... that was just for safety when balancing. There may be a specific RPM where it would vibrate some / more, but I haven't found it yet.
Great explanation and you got the desired results. I can see PA, CT, and busy bee products, so I have to ask where about are you situated. I am in Selkirk MB. Subscribed, enjoyed and cheers!
I'm in Calgary AB. Currently getting ready to move to NFLD to work for the winter. Thanks for the comment !
This isn't my usual content, just a random project that I got into and decided to film.
I want to see the homemade balancing machine!!
Thanks for the comment ! I would love to make one. Since making that video I have become crazy busy with other projects. I would still love to do this someday, but it is pretty far down the list of things to do :)
@@JoelArseneaultCZcams Oh, I know you got way plenty going on!! Believe me, I've been following your X2 progression and your innovations as you post them! Keep up the great work!!
@@AtimatikArmy Oh, okay. Awesome. Thanks for the comments :)
This Is cool!
Thanks... I thought so too !
Amazing.... well done!
Thanks !
I wonder how much of a problem the jaws will present.
You can't really try to balance fro the jaws. You can easily balance them on a scale, and that will work fine for perfectly round stock... but with a 4 jaw your jaws aren't necessarily going to be in the same positions, meaning that the balance will be out.
The only thing you can logically do is to balance the body, as it is the largest portion of the mass and remains constant. 👍
@@JoelArseneaultCZcams yes, good point. Funny...I spoke before I really thought about it. Thanks. -Tom
@@tomeyssen9674 Sometimes that's how I find my way through problems. Start talking about or writing about them and the answer comes to me. People commenting on my videos and asking questions is often how I figure things out ... It really makes me think more in depth.
nice
I wonder if you couldn't just interpolate between the two positions in a weighted way.
I'm not sure what you mean.
If you used smaller magnets, would the resultant holes be smaller?
The holes are a result of material that needs to be removed. That amount of material will need to be removed regardless of the size of magnets.
The placement of the magnet offsets the weight that is present in the chuck. If the chuck was perfectly balanced, then you would not remove any material. The more out of balance it is, the more weight you need to remove.
However, smaller magnets could allow you to get more accurate results. The limiting factor is how sensitive your measuring is. Meaning, if you put a magnet on that only weighed a gram, it would not be enough to effect the vibration of the lathe. If you can't read the movement, you can't make any calculations.