May have an issue here with the headstock

[slingshot]

Mike,
One of the easiest ways (for me) to line a tail stock up is to have a test bar with center holes.Put a live or dead center in your tail stock,put a dead center in your headstock end, then put your test bar between centers.

Set your di on your cross slide and run your carriage back and forth and see if there is any difference from end to end adjust accordingly.

If you have a test bar this is the easiest way but I warn you a known good test bar is very expensive at least i think so.If you don't have one the the way ray was telling you is another popular way of checking tail stock aliment.



J.B

We the people are the Government, but the white house don't seem to think so.

 

[Ray C]

Yes, that's probably a good way of finding-out if you're straining in the right direction. Like I said, it's not as easy as it looks/sounds. Moving 1/2 ton of dead weight and trying to move it only a few thou at a time... -not easy.

FWIW, my father worked at Campbell's Soup (for 44 years I might add) and the equipment they had in the processing area was enormous! It took weeks to months to get it put in place and another month or more to adjust and fine-tune things. What you're doing is no different -just on a smaller scale. It's not easy to do it right but the results are worth it.


Ray

stock bench. Just tried a quick experiment and levered up the front edge of the right side cabinet with a bar while watching the DTI and reduced Rollie's Dad "measured difference" from 22 to 1,5. Looks like I'm on the right track.

 

[MikeWi]

Well hold everything. The 4x4s that the base is sitting on are no longer sitting flat. This thing was solid, but the wood appears to have warped a bit now, or I disturbed something when I was prying it up and I can rock it a little bit front and back. Not that you'd really notice by eye but I happened to bump the drip pan while indicating a rod out at the end and the needle moved. I found I could lean against the pan and move the needle several thousandths. This is a real surprise since they are about 24" long just in an attempt to prevent that. Ok, I was going to bolt it down to the floor, but since that part of the basement was built by the prior owner, I chickened out at drilling the floor. I'm making some some S brackets (think of the ones people here have made for a toe jack) and they'll pin the base down to the floor at each bolt. Then I'll start over.

My only hope is that my embarrassments will help other newbies.
:roflmao:

 

[slingshot]

Mike

I made some 4''x1.4'' feet for mine with adjustable legs.I'm sure some will disagree with me but wood is a no no because it is constantly changing with the seasons,hot cold humidity changes wood. Just my 2 cents on wood.

 

[MikeWi]

Mike

I made some 4''x1.4'' feet for mine with adjustable legs.I'm sure some will disagree with me but wood is a no no because it is constantly changing with the seasons,hot cold humidity changes wood. Just my 2 cents on wood.

Yeah I had some reservations too, but it was so easy! And there's others here who did it too, so it's all their fault!

Actually, it was also a perception thing for me. To my mind having a heavy lathe support 4" in the air on screw legs was just asking for more sway issues. Guess I was wrong there. I wanted to bolt it to the floor, but needed it higher, so I had planned to bolt it down through the wood behind each cabinet, but given how it's behaving, I decided it would be better to clamp them down at the sides. The basement is always around 70 degrees or colder and is a little on the humid side even with a dehumidifier, so once the wood acclimates, I expected a slight settle that could be compensated for.

I guess I'll just have to do this right and pull the whole lathe off, change to steel feet bolted to the floor, and replace the lathe's mounting bolts with leveling screws. One of the few times I decide to KISS it and look what happens...:jester:

 

[Ray C]

Stuff snipped...

.... Not that you'd really notice by eye but I happened to bump the drip pan while indicating a rod out at the end and the needle moved. I found I could lean against the pan and move the needle several thousandths. ....

BINGO! And the light bulb goes on for Mike -just the same way it did for me (and all the old timers who've been telling us this for years).

Ray