- Joined
- Jan 29, 2013
- Messages
- 114
Hi all, especially Richard maybe. I have been reading all that i can on headstock/lathe alignment here and need some help. I have been through the whole thread that Mike posted on his troubles with his 13x40 Jet. They were helpful, but my problem is different. Here is the story:
I was using a ball turner to turn some knobs, and came too close to the chuck as I rotated the turner and crashed the chuck into the turner extension, which simply nicked the extension slide on the ball turner and pull it up out of the turret. It didn't seem like a major crash, but now I notice that I am turning a taper in a very short distance (.004 in less than 4 inches) without the tailstock involved, when it was much, much less than that before. So, thinking that my headstock might be mis-alignmed due to the crash, I set about doing the research. I've read several threads and online stuff. I have the book "Machine Tool Reconditioning" though I'm such a novice that it seems very daunting to me.
I have now tried the following. I turned a test bar using the method describe by Richard King in the 13x40 jet thread. This gives me a taper of .0043 in the 6 inches of the test bar. I also have a 5MT x 12" x 2" precision ground test bar for the spindle. So, I took the test bar and put it in the chuck on the non-tapered end and using a .0001 DT moved the alignment of the headstock until I had. .0002 run out over the 10" sticking out. Then I rotated the chuck with the test bar in it. This show some interesting results. I have made a video of this result here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSst2L_YaAw
It appears to me that the spindle is bent. Am I way off base here, or is there something else I need to do. I have not yet done a 3" facing test cut, but need first to explain how the bar can move so far without a bend in the spindle. Does that happen? Please help.
I was using a ball turner to turn some knobs, and came too close to the chuck as I rotated the turner and crashed the chuck into the turner extension, which simply nicked the extension slide on the ball turner and pull it up out of the turret. It didn't seem like a major crash, but now I notice that I am turning a taper in a very short distance (.004 in less than 4 inches) without the tailstock involved, when it was much, much less than that before. So, thinking that my headstock might be mis-alignmed due to the crash, I set about doing the research. I've read several threads and online stuff. I have the book "Machine Tool Reconditioning" though I'm such a novice that it seems very daunting to me.
I have now tried the following. I turned a test bar using the method describe by Richard King in the 13x40 jet thread. This gives me a taper of .0043 in the 6 inches of the test bar. I also have a 5MT x 12" x 2" precision ground test bar for the spindle. So, I took the test bar and put it in the chuck on the non-tapered end and using a .0001 DT moved the alignment of the headstock until I had. .0002 run out over the 10" sticking out. Then I rotated the chuck with the test bar in it. This show some interesting results. I have made a video of this result here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSst2L_YaAw
It appears to me that the spindle is bent. Am I way off base here, or is there something else I need to do. I have not yet done a 3" facing test cut, but need first to explain how the bar can move so far without a bend in the spindle. Does that happen? Please help.