As I think about whether broken gear teeth could cause debris to migrate to headstock and spindle bearings, I wonder if removing the belts from the spindle is a useful way to evaluate spindle bearing condition? Especially with unpowered machines.
For those of you with experience, does that seem like something useful to do? How freely should the spindle turn?
What does it take to get the belts off? I know there are one or more tensioners. Do you just loosen the tensioner bolt?
And how about the gearbox cover. What is involved in removing that and taking a look as you go through the threading and power feeds? Is that very involved? Are there any spots you can probe with a magnet for debris?
For those of you with experience, does that seem like something useful to do? How freely should the spindle turn?
What does it take to get the belts off? I know there are one or more tensioners. Do you just loosen the tensioner bolt?
And how about the gearbox cover. What is involved in removing that and taking a look as you go through the threading and power feeds? Is that very involved? Are there any spots you can probe with a magnet for debris?