tailstock alignment question

[ZINOM]

Hi all, I recently received my 12" Craftsman lathe and have been cleaning it and purchasing/making some of the missing items.

I don't have a center for the taistock at the moment but when I put a center in the headstock and a center-like tool in the tailstock drill chuck, it appears to be slightly mis-aligned.

My question is....is it a tough thing to correct if this IS in fact the case?....I will wait to actually check it with a center before true-ing it up with the drill chuck 'cause that seems to be more desirable.

I've never messed around with the tailstock on my other lathe, but I've seen it mentioned in books and magazines that folk'll slide it over for one reason or another (turning tapers I believe).

The lathe seems to be circa late '30's, early '40's if that makes any difference.

Thanks for any input,

John

[WJHartson]

If the misalignment is side to side it is easy but time consuming to adjust. I agree that you should have two centers to get an idea of what the problem actually is. The best way to check the alignment is to turn a piece of stock between centers and measure the taper. This will tell you how much the misalignent you have. There are adjusting screws on the tail stock that allow you to make the side to side adjustment. Loosen the screw on the side that you need to move towards and tighten the other one. It is a good idea to have a dial indicator mounted so you can tell how much you have moved the tailstock.

If you are off top to bottom it will require shimming.

Hope this helps.

Joe

[irnsrgn]

zinom,try this thread

http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net//Fo...ML/005517.html

irnsrgn

[egpace]

Setting up your Lathe.

1) First Level the bench your installing your lathe on. Position the bench in it's permanent (final) location & don't move it an inch!

2) Then, position your lathe on the leveled bench & level the lathe. Your goal is not to impart a twist in the bed. Ideally you'll need a high precision level designed for this purpose. Use shims under the between the bed and the bench to achieve this. Recheck the level after tightening the mounting bolts to be sure the goal has been met.

3) Once installed & level, take a test cut on a piece of stock between centers to check for misalignment. After making the cut, any taper evident can be attributed to a tail stock offset. Adjust the tail stock to compensate.

Best o' luck!
Ed

[happy02]

If you're using a 3jaw chuck it will probably have some runout. The truest center for the headstock is one that's cut in your lathe and must be recut if taken out and replaced. Put a small chunk of 3/4" hot round in the 3jaw and turn a 60*taper in the end. Place a good dead or live center in the tailstock and turn a 10 or 12" piece of centerdrilled steel bar between those centers driven with a lathe dog. Adjust the tailstock till you no longer turn a taper. This should be done after leveling the lathe as stated earlier. The tailstock will then be aligned with the headstock. Good luck!

[ra454]

i would mount an indicator on the chuck and swing the inside bore of the tailstock and adjust .

[Jesse168]

Be careful when adjusting the lathe tailstock. On some lathes the tail stock has to be loosened to adjust it from side to side. If the tail stock is locked down when you try to move it you will break off the screw adjustment plates in tail stock.

Look and see if the bolts that lock the tail stock to the lathe go through both top and bottom section of the tail stock. If they go through both you have to loosen the lock down bolts to adjust the tail stock. Otherwise you will be sorry.

[BillH]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by irnsrgn:
zinom,try this thread

http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net//Fo...ML/005517.html

irnsrgn</font>

Wow, that seams like ages ago, Hey Wierdscience, wheres that Floating reamer holder? hehe

[rbjscott]

Assuming the ways are level, you can check the tail stock center by this method.
1.center drill a piece of bar stock, both ends
2.Turn a center in the chuck.
3.Place the bar stock between centers.
4. Place an indicator on the bar as close to the chuck as possible. Indicating from the bar to the face of the chuck. (Largest radius as possible)
5. The indicator readings will tell it all. This is a very good way to adjust the tailstock, accurately

[ZINOM]

Thank you all for the replies!

I turned a new point on an old beat up center and checked the alignment again, center to center I found that it was in fact off a bit side to side.

After reading the replies and checking a textbook I made adjustments and rechecked it and it looks much better now, a center drill produces a much different hole now....I haven't had a chance to check it by turning between centers yet but I will.

As usual, thanks for letting me ask my question, and thanks for the helpful answers (hidden within all of it is the support I get from y'all that helps me get over the fear of messing with something I know little about).

John

[egpace]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by ZINOM:
Thank you all for the replies!

I turned a new point on an old beat up center and checked the alignment again, center to center I found that it was in fact off a bit side to side.

After reading the replies and checking a textbook I made adjustments and rechecked it and it looks much better now, a center drill produces a much different hole now....I haven't had a chance to check it by turning between centers yet but I will.

As usual, thanks for letting me ask my question, and thanks for the helpful answers (hidden within all of it is the support I get from y'all that helps me get over the fear of messing with something I know little about).

John </font>

John,
Keep in mind, when you check & adjust the centers near the headstock, and they look good, your looking at a very small portion of your bed.

Imagine if your bed was twisted, as you slide the tailstock back, away from the headstock, the tail stock center will moved in the direction of the twist. If when turning between centers you end up with a taper, you'll need to check the level of the bed, and shim as required to remove the twist. (Check the links below, very good)

Best of luck,
Ed

http://www.atlas-press.com/tb_bedlev...%20LATHE%20BED

http://www.atlas-press.com/tb_concave.htm