VARIABLE SPEED 7 X 12 IN. METAL LATHE Model # 3455 bit.ly/wenvideo IMPORTANT: Your new tool has been engineered and manufactured to WEN’s highest standards for dependability, ease of operation, and operator safety. When properly cared for, this product will supply you years of rugged, trouble-free performance. Pay close attention to the rules for safe operation, warnings, and cautions. If you use your tool properly and for its intended purpose, you will enjoy years of safe, reliable service.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 19 20 22 25 Technical Data General Safety Rules Specific Safety Rules For Metal Lathes Electrical Information Know Your Lathe Assembly Operation Maintenance Troubleshooting Guide Exploded View & Parts List Warranty TECHNICAL DATA Model Number: Motor: Output Power: Swing Over Bed: Distance Between Centers: Spindle Bore: Cross Slide Travel: Compound Slide Travel Speeds: Spindle Taper: Tailstock Taper: Longitudinal Feed Rate: Screw Threads: Weight: 2 3455 110V, 60Hz, 4A 250W
GENERAL SAFETY RULES Safety is a combination of common sense, staying alert and knowing how your item works. SAVE THESE SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS. WARNING: To avoid mistakes and serious injury, do not plug in your tool until the following steps have been read and understood. 1. READ and become familiar with this entire instruction manual. LEARN the tool’s applications, limitations, and possible hazards. 2. AVOID DANGEROUS CONDITIONS. Do not use power tools in wet or damp areas or expose them to rain.
GENERAL SAFETY RULES 15. DO NOT OVERREACH. Keep proper footing and balance at all times. Wear oil-resistant rubber-soled footwear. Keep the floor clear of oil, scrap, and other debris. 16. MAINTAIN TOOLS PROPERLY. ALWAYS keep tools clean and in good working order. Follow instructions for lubricating and changing accessories. 17. CHECK FOR DAMAGED PARTS. Check for alignment of moving parts, jamming, breakage, improper mounting, or any other conditions that may affect the tool’s operation.
SPECIFIC RULES FOR LATHES 11. Always remove the key from the chuck jaws before operation. 12. Always wear a full face mask. If a tool or workpiece breaks off, it can create a hazard to users and onlookers. 13. Always use the right cutting tool. An improper tool could break or cause unwanted strain on the machine. 14. Never attempt to stop the lathe with your hand. You will lose your hand. 15. Always use the proper feed rate for your workpiece. An overly fast feed rate can damage the lathe or the workpiece.
ELECTRICAL INFORMATION GROUNDING INSTRUCTIONS IN THE EVENT OF A MALFUNCTION OR BREAKDOWN, grounding provides the path of least resistance for an electric current and reduces the risk of electric shock. This tool is equipped with an electric cord that has an equipment grounding conductor and a grounding plug. The plug MUST be plugged into a matching outlet that is properly installed and grounded in accordance with ALL local codes and ordinances. DO NOT MODIFY THE PLUG PROVIDED.
KNOW YOUR LATHE A - Running Gear Cover B - Lathe Control Panel C - Head Stock D - Spindle E - 3-Jaw Chuck F - Tool Post Lock A G - Cross Slide Handle H - Compound Slide I - Quill J - Quill Lock K - Tailstock Hand Wheel L - Tailstock M - Tailstock Lock Nut N - Compound Slide Handle O - Automatic Feed Lever P - Cross Slide Q - Manual (Carriage) Feed Handle R - Tool Post E C B G I F D H J K L R M Q O P N NOT PICTURED (See page 8 for locations): High/Low Speed Range Lever (behind headstock) Forwa
KNOW YOUR LATHE BEHIND HEADSTOCK (FIG. B) A) : Allows the user to shift the spindle speed range from HIGH (0-2500 RPM) to LOW (01100 RPM). DO NOT SHIFT FROM HIGH TO LOW WHILE THE LATHE IS RUNNING! B B) LEAD SCREW DIRECTION LEVER: Change the direction of the lead screw rotation between forward, reverse, and neutral. This is springloaded, so it needs to be pulled OUT (away from lathe body), position adjusted, and then released DO NOT CHANGE DIRECTION OF THE LEAD SCREW WHILE THE LATHE IS RUNNING! A Fig.
OPERATION MOUNTING THE LATHE (FIG. C) The lathe should be mounted on a strong, heavy workbench. Take the necessary precautions when moving the lathe. Assistance may be required. Bolt the machine firmly to the workbench using the tapped holes. To do this remove the M6 screws securing the rubber feet in place. Drill four M6 clearance holes in the worktop and find washers and M6 screws long enough to securely hold the unit in place. 18-3/4 in. 2-7/8 in. Fig.
OPERATION COMPOUND SLIDE The compound slide works similarly to the cross slide with a small handle and a scale with tick marks every 0.001”. The compound slide can be fed back and forth with this handle, similar to the cross slide. In addition it can also be rotated to an angle of your choice and fed back and forth along this angle. ADJUSTING THE COMPOUND SLIDE 1. Rotate the handle to move the compound slide back and expose the two screws shown in Fig. D.
ADJUSTMENTS TAILSTOCK The tailstock is located on the bed opposite of the headstock. It can be moved along the bed by loosening the 17 mm nut (Fig. E - Item E) and pushing the tailstock to the desired position. When it is in the desired spot, tighten the 17 mm nut to lock it in place. The tailstock is equipped with an MT2 taper to use with appropriate tools, like the included center, or a properly tapered drill chuck or drill bit. The tailstock arrives properly aligned to the headstock from the factory.
OPERATION OFFSETTING YOUR TAILSTOCK WARNING: The tailstock comes from the factory properly aligned with the headstock. The tailstock can also be used in an offset position to help turn tapers on a work piece. Adjusting the tailstock into an offset position requires removing the tailstock from the bed and adjusting the offset screw on the bottom of the tailstock. To properly offset the tailstock follow these steps (Refer to Fig. E on page 11): 1.
OPERATION GEAR TRAIN (FIG. F) WARNING: Before making any of these adjustments, turn off and unplug the lathe from its power source. The gear train is located on the headstock opposite the spindle. The drive gears are located under a cover secured by two socket head cap screws. The gear train is used to drive the lead screw that allows the auto-feed function to operate. As the gear train turns, it turns the lead screw which moves the carriage across the bed of the lathe.
OPERATION CREATING NORMAL TURNING Before starting a turning, always plan your work ahead of time. Create a drawing or plan with all of the dimensions you desire for the workpiece. Make sure to have all the measuring tools you will need to double and triple check your cuts. Ensure that the feed rate, depth of cut (DOC), and spindle speed (RPM; depends on material, cutting tool material and profile, DOC, desired surface finish, workpiece geometry, etc.) are all proper for your operation.
OPERATION (CONTINUED FROM LAST PAGE) To know the proper RPM will take some experience. Harder metals should use a slower RPM while softer can use a little faster RPM. If you are unsure, it is better to go slower than risk damage to the work, the cutting tool or the lathe by using too high of an RPM. Feed rate and DOC are also very important. A deeper DOC needs a slower feed rate and slower RPM, and vice versa. Once you are ready to begin, switch the machine ON and set the RPM to your desired level.
OPERATION BEVEL CUTTING In order to perform a bevel cut, it is necessary to use the compound slide as well as the cross slide. To align the compound slide for a bevel cut, align it to the proper angle following the procedure in the “Compound Slide” section on page 10. Once the compound slide is aligned to the proper angle, follow these steps to create the bevel: 1. Mark your end point of the bevel if necessary using the methods for a normal turning. 2.
OPERATION CHANGING THE JAWS IN YOUR CHUCK (FIG. G) 1. Make sure your lathe is turned off and unplugged. 2. Insert the chuck key into the square hole of the chuck. Turn the chuck key counterclockwise until all of the jaws come out of the chuck. 3. Clean out each slot in the chuck making sure all dirt and debris are removed. 4. Each jaw has a number or letter (1, 2, 3 or A, B, C) that corresponds to a number in the slot. 5. Take Jaw #1 and insert the chuck key into the chuck.
OPERATION ADJUSTING THE GIBS (FIG. I) Although the factory setting should be fine, if you are having trouble feeding the compound or cross slide, you may want to adjust the gib screws. To adjust the gib you will need a 2mm and a 7mm hex wrench. Follow these steps to adjust the gibs: COMPOUND SLIDE 1. Turn off and unplug the lathe. 2. Loosen the three locknuts. 3. Test the sliding movement. Tighten and loosen the set screws as necessary. The slides should move smoothly without play.
MAINTENANCE Before each use make sure to check all of the parts of the lathe for any loose bolts or connections. Leave the gear cover on to prevent chips from interfering with the geartrain. Make any adjustments to connections as necessary to ensure all the parts are connected and will stay together during operation. Check all of the cutting tools to make sure they are sharp. If the edge is dull or has any nicks or cuts either sharpen it or replace it.
TROUBLESHOOTING PROBLEM CAUSE Machine won’t start. 1. Emergency button is stuck down. 2. Fuse blown. 3. Damaged wiring. 4. PCB Board Damaged. 5. Motor ON/OFF Switch Faulty. 6. Spindle directional switch is bad. 7. Motor is bad. 8. Brushes are bad. 9. Face shield isn’t down. Machine stalls out during use 1. Material of workpiece is too hard. 2. PCB board is faulty. 3. Variable speed knob is bad. 4. Motor Brushes are bad. 5. Belt slipping on the pulley. 6. Motor bearings went bad. 7.
TROUBLESHOOTING PROBLEM Can’t remove center or chuck from tailstock CAUSE 1. Quill isn’t retracted completely into tailstock. 2. Debris in the quill. 1. Gibs are out of alignment. 2. Handles are loose. Cross slide, 3. Lead screw worn out or needs greascompound slide, ing. or carriage have 4. Bedways are worn and need greaspoor feed ing. 5. Dirt, shavings or grime in bedways. Surface finish 1. Headstock and tailstock are misuneven from end aligned. to end Chuck jaws getting stuck and 1.
EXPLODED VIEW & PARTS LIST 22
EXPLODED VIEW & PARTS LIST No Part Number 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 3455-001 3455-002 3455-003 3455-004 3455-005 3455-006 3455-007 3455-008 3455-009 3455-010 3455-011 3455-012 3455-013 3455-014 3455-015 3455-016 3455-017 3455-018 3455-019 3455-020 3455-021 3455-022 3455-023 3455-024 3455-025 3455-026 3455-027 3455-028 3455-029 3455-030 3455-031 3455-032 3455-033 3455-034 3455-035
EXPLODED VIEW & PARTS LIST No Part Number 115 116 119 120 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 131 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 148 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 N.P. N.P. N.P. N.P. N.P. N.P. N.P. N.P. N.P. N.P. N.P.
LIMITED TWO YEAR WARRANTY WEN Products is committed to build tools that are dependable for years. Our warranties are consistent with this commitment and our dedication to quality. LIMITED WARRANTY OF WEN CONSUMER POWER TOOLS PRODUCTS FOR HOME USE GREAT LAKES TECHNOLOGIES, LLC (“Seller”) warrants to the original purchaser only, that all WEN consumer power tools will be free from defects in material or workmanship for a period of two (2) years from date of purchase.
THANKS FOR REMEMBERING 26
