Have had this lathe at the machine shop I have been working at for as long as I can remember. Whats going on is when I power up the lathe and start it up going forward the mag for that direction keeps opening and closing causing the chuck to start and then stop and then start and then stop ect. It does it for both directions but forward direction does it a lot worse then reverse. I have a video of the mag opening and closing and took other pictures of the lathe. We are running 3 phase power to this lathe and believe it is original.
The lathe is a Monarch 10EE 1952
Overdue for scheduled maintenance - perhaps by a score or two of years - is probably all there is to it.
An MG unit given proper 3-Phase won't need much money or time to put back to rights.
Primary suspect is that the exciter - that DC generator sitting on top of the Primary motor-generator - needs a new belt, a commutator clean-up, and a set of brushes purchased and fitted.
It provides 'full' DC power to operate the relays and contactors, 'weakened' power for the field of the final-drive motor.
Secondary suspect is that one of the four brushes OF the final-drive motor has worn to where it sticks, then doesn't - interrupting the power to the motor.
One of my motors was doing that.
There is a THIRD commutator and set of brushes in the main DC generator of the MG - the lower unit in the last photo.
Monarch lathe LP have new brushes for all of those, and at reasonable prices.
They will need the serial number of the lathe. And you should order an also-reasonably-priced full manual and schematic set for it if you have not already done so.
Next up is cleaning and burnishing the contacts on relays and contactors in the 'DC Panel' you have swung open. Also check for one or more wires - especially on the back of it - that have separated... usually right at the end where they are attached.
Sliders on those two pie-plate-sized Ohmite potentiometers need to be clean, etc.
There are but two bearings in each of the final-drive motor, the motor-generator, and the exciter. Replacements are not expensive. The ones in the final-drive motor's GEARBOX are tedious to replace, otherwise it is basic motor rebuild stuff.
Good time for a pair of new belts for the spindle, one more for the MG to exciter.
Idler pulley bearings pack it in, so see to those as well. And a new flat-belt for the surfacing drive.. and the idler bearings on THAT one.
Also to drain flush, and refill all the oils and make sure the carriage oiler system is working.
Since you do not (yet) need to do any sort of 'conversion', the whole Magilla will take some TLC and clean-up time, but parts should cost LESS than freight and rigging alone to get this one out and a new lathe in.
Even if the new lathe was 'free' for the hauling.
And you surely will not find one 'for free' that is a match to a 10EE. Nor, easily, at ANY price.
Bit of luck, lube change every six to 12 months, another set of brushes every 2,000 power-on-hours.. and it could still outlast many of us here.
So I'd call it worthwhile to just pay back the overdue maintenance 'debt' that has been allowed to go unpaid....and put 'er back to work for another long run of years.
Bill
