The Little Jet Lathe That Just Might Could

Nice little lathe . Never see anything good up here in northeast PA ...tired iron for top dollar :apologize:

In my neck of the woods the prices are ridiculous. Ulma Doctor found mine in the Sacramento, CA area. He crated and shipped it to me.
 
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Yep , they want 2 and 3 grand for old tired iron around here ... ridiculous, who would pay that . I've gotta start watching that auction place in Connecticut
 
If anyone finds a steady rest for one of these, Please let me know,
 
That price even looks good compared to some around here. I could go buy a new lathe for what some want for used around here also.
 
Speaking of Rests..... Does anyone have a Follow Rest for the 1024 they could post some pictures of? If possible, could you include the measurements between the Mounting Holes and from Center Line of the Mounting Holes to the "Lathe Center" of the Follow Rest?
Mine was missing when I got my lathe, and I've been watching eBay for one to replace it. I've taken the same measurements on my lathe, and I just like to confirm them and see what the factory Follow Rest looks like.

Thanks in advance,

Chris
 
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Just sharing the latest mod on this awesome lathe. The comvetional proximity sensor mount on the V ways is too large to fit between the quick change gear box and the apron, our very own VFD guru, Mark Jacobs, designed and machined a mount that mounts on a flat rail that is bolted to the catch pan. The plate that triggers the sensor is held in place with magnets on the right side of the apron. The sensor system has a fail safe feature, a micro switch that is in series with sensor. Either one will disable the control voltage to the spindle control logic board. Fine tuning for precise stoppage is controlled by a micrometer head sliding the sensor mount, while the course adjustment is acconished by moving the entire assembly along the flat rail and locked down by a the screw.

I chambered over 2 dozens AR15 barrels on this lathe since I had it running, the latest being a batch of 16 Shilen Select Match for our Junior Shooters. This 1024 has been the dedicated one just for chambering, contouring is done on the 1236.

At one time I had the plan to install a 3 axis DRO, but I settled on dial travel indicators. I find these to be more practical to use, watching the needle is much easier than watching numbers fly around.

Here is a picture how the lathe looks now, the 2 videos are samplestill of the sensor capability.



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Maybe the last mod on the 1024 is a dial indicator mount like I have 1236 to monitor the tool post instead of the cross slide. For threading I prefer to monitor the tool post instead of just reading the compound slide dials. Right now is just use a magnetic base indicator holder. As you can see in the other picture I have contoured with the 1024, but with its short bed, I have to chuck up and indicate twice
 
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For your reading enjoyment here is a little lathe that just might could. Ulma Doctor sourced this jewel from his AO and it is heading to TX soon. This is the Taiwanese made Jet 1024P, a smallish, but stout for its size. There are a couple of broken parts, but nothing of significance, the left change lever and the TS hand wheel.

The spec is pretty decent for a little guy, 7 3/8 bed width is not that far behind some of the current offerings of larger swing, the PM1340GT at 7 1/2 for example.

To start off, here are some pictures of the lathe.


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Below shows the initial evaluation by Mike

"Here's some more pix of the 1024
i mounted a tenth's indicator on the saddle and swept the x, there was a .0001" dip about 8" from the headstock
i inspected the cross slide ways, there is still original scraping seen on over 85% of the surfaces
i lubed the spindle pulley bushings,gearing &,oil points
i ran the lathe for about 20 mins both in thread cutting mode as well as fine feed modes.
it sounds like an angel singing, especially when there is no gearbox feed engagement- you can't barely hear it run- it whispers
i did find another minor defect, the PO drilled and tapped 2 holes in the cross slide above the dovetails- for what purpose i don't know.
i may put set screws or allen screws to close them up as swarf could enter- not a big deal
overall the lathe is what i'd call sweet!


all the best mike"

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Followed up with a test bar


"i made a test bar
there was a lot of chatter the first time with a pointed bit, so i did it a second time with a rounded tool bit.
near the chuck i got .918"
an inch + away from the chuck i got .918"
at about 8" from the chuck i got .919"(rounded up)
at the very end, almost 10" away from the chuck, i got .920" with slight chatter
to be fair, i took an extra spring cut on the far end test pad.
other than that all things were equal during the test sequence, cut dry.
i'll include the test bar with the lathe when i send it.
all in all i'd say very good for an unmounted lathe with nearly 10" of hang out


whaddya think?"


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I honestly believe when I get this lathe going, it will give me years of good service. If you factor in how the taper test was performed, the lathe unbolted, and sitting on a pile of wood, and get a thou across 8 inches, that is awesome. Mike's initial evaluation was validated by this test.

In preparation for the lathe arrival and installation, I already bought a Hitachi WJ200 VFD, MKSJ's favorite and his recommendation, got a good deal on a 2 HP Marathon Inverter Motor for $125 and local pick up, and lastly, coming is a 50 ohm, 500 Watt break resistor. The VFD control system will have the usual Mark's whiz bang creation. Mark, thank you in advance.


This is the same lathe featured in this thread.

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/how-to-remove-a-3-jaw-chuck.48288/#post-407939


Mike, Thank you so much for finding this jewel and thank for your all your help.
 
Thanks for the operators manual on the jet 1024p. I have been trying to find one for a long time.
 
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