EZYlock not jamming

[Ken S]

Over the years, we have had a trickle of posts concerning the EZYlock jamming. Not a flood, however, enough to indicate an occasional problem. I have experienced this on a couple of occasions. We have had several suggestions, good possible solutions, however, nothing definitive. I have corresponded with support about this. Again nothing definitive, however, support did suggest galling, which seems like a good lead.

I do not recall reading any jamming reports from T4 (or T2) users. Why not? The reason may be that the T4 and T2 use plastic EZYlock locking nuts instead of stainless steel. At this point, I cannot make any definitive statements. Early on, I ordered a stainless steel EZYlock and a quick connect (the plastic locking knob for the leather honing wheel) as upgrades for my T4.

I just placed the original plastic EZYlock on my T8. I don't know if this will prevent any future jamming or not. It seems worth a try. Comments?

Ken

ps Here is a link to the part. I may include another one in my next parts order. (I always try to combine shipping.)

https://advanced-machinery.myshopify.com/products/ez-200-ezylock-for-msk-200

[jeffs55]

Seems to me that "support" is not interested. I mean after all, they made it. Galling is caused by metals rubbing against each other or so I thought. I have not seen the E-Z lock as I do not have one. Just by its name I am going out on a short limb and say that the lock nut does not spin turn or otherwise move when in its locked position. How or why would it gall? I still have the original nut that is turned with a wrench and have never had a problem loosening it. Even when my old non stainless washers melded slightly with the stone, it came loose with a wrench like always. Seems like a non reactive metal such as gold is called for here. Due to the softness of gold it may not hold the threads well though. Then again, we have already determined that "hand tight" is all you want. I just looked up the E-Z lock on line. I see that the nut is just like on the USB. Wings like on a wing nut would greatly improve things. Even though it is supposed to be E-Z without them, it isn't. Even just a larger gripping area would help. Maybe with greater force releasing it (the nut) it would come loose. I just consulted my crystal ball and have the answer. Static electricity from the motor running is transferred to the wheel shaft and then to the E-Z lock spinner nut. That is what is causing the "galling". Put a ground wire from the shaft to the frame and prevent that. All this has come from a person with absolutely no engineering education so it is partly in jest that I post.

[Twisted Trees]

Good idea, so I soldered a ground wire from the shaft to the frame and prevent that. and it pulled the sidewall in    no I didn't, and if I did my solder is crap so it would just come off as soon as it spun!

All my life I have used copaslip anti seize on threads that I want to avoid corrosion on especially bi-metallic corrosion between aluminium and steel, or low chromium to high chromium stainless steel, I would say that this sounds like a good place to be using it.

[jeffs55]

For clarity I did not mean to permanently attach the ground wire to a shaft that spins. I meant similar to the way my laser printer has little tiny hairs that touch the paper as it passes over them. Like a regular electric cord has tiny copper wires in it. This would simply touch the revolving drive shaft and then be attached to the frame.

[Ken S]

Jeff,
I did not intend to give the impression that support is not interested. They are concerned; this is just not a problem which can be replicated or is frequent. Of the thousands of forum posts over the years, we could probably count the number of actual failures on our fingers. With my own two incidents, they were many years ago. I don't remember what caused them; it could well have been operator error. I routinely remove my grinding wheels and have not had the problem since doing that.

Support first mentioned that stainless steel is prone to galling. As some of our senior members can attest to, the regular steel in pre 2006 shafts had a tendency to rust. I think the move to stainless has been a wise decision.

Twisted Trees, I think you are on to something with your anti seize grease. I did some research on the Loc Tite website. They make several versions, including special versions for stainless steel (also one for food service use). I think this is worth pursuing. It seems to be part of the make up of the materials, rather than a machining flaw. I consider a rare seizure only a minor annoyance compared with the convenience of the EZYlock feature.

Jeff, I think you would really like the EZYlock. One thing which helped my muscle memory was putting a piece of Scotch tape on the top of the frame with an arrow drawn pointing in the loosening direction. (The EZYlock has a left hand thread.)

Somewhat off topic: As a telephone installer, I installed thousands of new telephone lines over thirty five years. Every line had a ground for lightning protection. The ground connections always used physical connections, generally special clamps. Solder was not code; it could melt and fail in a lightning strike. The circuit needed not only to be grounded; it also needed to be bonded (connected with) to the electric ground. I repaired numerous lines where it had not been bonded common and the lightning had jumped between the power and the telephone ground.

For the record, the third prong of the Tormek's power cord grounds the metal frame of the Tormek, although the nylon bushings isolate the shaft.

Ken

[Ken S]

Jeff,

Your second post came in while I was typing. Interesting about the loose copper wires to neutralize electrostatic discharge with copier paper. We used to use grounded wrist straps to prevent ESD damage to electronic circuit cards.

Tormek may have intentionally not added wing nut ears to the EZYlock to prevent any posdible hand injuries while the motor was running. (just a guess)

Trying to keep things in perspective, I think the issue of the EZYlock jamming is overblown. The number of incidents is statistically very small. I know of no injury reports from these, or even damage. When mine jammed, I just got out my Channelocks with the jaws taped and loosened things. I think using anti seize is a wise pre emptive measure. It is probably not necessary, but it can't hurt and might help.

Ken

[Ken S]

I received the newsletter from the Central Ohio Woodturners this morning. This tip seems like it may apply to our discussion about jammed EZYlocks.


Shop Tip
Utilizing Anti-Seize Lubricant — by Leon Olson
I recently rough-turned a good quantity of wet cherry. Midway through the work, when chang- ing my chuck jaws to a larger set, I found that the screws that secure the jaws were very diffi- cult to loosen. Moisture from the wood contributes to the screws locking in place. Another cause is the tendency to over-tighten the screws. Now, every time I switch chuck jaws, I apply an anti-seize lubricant to the screws to make it easier to back them out the next time. The jaw screws came with anti-seize compound on them from the manufacturer, but the lubricant needs to be replenished over time. It is commonly available at automotive supply stores. Chucks are not the only turning equipment that need anti-seize lubricant. The screws that secure carbide cutter inserts to a tool shaft can also be difficult to loosen.
Source: AAW Tips
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Ken