The Maintenance and Service of Brake Lathe Machine

A brake lathe cures noise and vibration problems that we often experience after heavy brake usage. After all, there's nothing quite like the feel of brake pads on freshly resurfaced rotors.

Maintenance and Service

Cleaning

Keep the lathe as clean as possible for trouble-free operation, as well as safety and longer lathe life. Use a brush to sweep metal chips and dust off the lathe. Do not use compressed air to blow the lathe clean. Chips and dust may be driven between machined parts and into bearings, causing undue wear.

Care of Arbors and Adapters

Although the adapters, arbors, and spindle are made of top grade steel and are turned, hardened, and precision ground to close tolerances, great care should be taken in their use, handling, and storage. Even the smallest nick, scratch, or loose chip can cause incorrect rotor or drum alignment, resulting in inaccurate reconditioning.

Remove all adapters from the arbor after reconditioning a drum or rotor and wipe them clean – especially the inboard adapter. When a finished drum or rotor is removed from the arbor, the inboard adapter may move slightly away from the face of the arbor and allow metal chips to fall into the opening, causing a poor mounting for the next drum or rotor.

Regularly inspect the faces and seating tapers of the adapters for nicks and scratches, correct any flaw with a fine stone. If the damage cannot be corrected, replace the adapter. Handle the adapters and arbors with care and store them on individual hooks. Do not throw them into a box. The adapters are designed for mounting drums and rotors only. Do not misuse the adapters.