# 1340GT: Lathe Quality Continues to Impress



## wrmiller (Sep 10, 2017)

Since moving into our new and hopefully last home last January, I've had little time to get the shop up and running. Such is life I guess.

The latest interrupt was having to scrunch up my shop space to make way for a new tractor I'm getting to help with stuff around the yard. I now have less space than I did in CO, but it will work out OK. 

So after moving the lathe a bit I managed to spend some time yesterday getting her re-leveled and cutting true. Apparently, the headstock took a few hits during the move to AZ as my first trial cuts were showing greater than two thou taper across nine inches or so. Not good.

Started tinkering with the headstock alignment bolts (no, not that one silly...the OTHER one ), and started dialing it in. Now we're going the right way. Better. Better. Close...one more adjustment... And I'm seeing .0003 taper?!? Yea right, measure it again. Measure it a third time. Nope, hasn't changed. Can't be right. Do another small cut, spring pass, spring pass, and I'm measuring .0003 again. Repeatable? Apparently.

I won't claim any expertise in getting to this point. More like dumb luck, but hey, I'll take it. It's not like I need that kind of accuracy, and it will of course change as fall and winter set in, but I DO like the fact that this thing repeats as well as it does.

I still have more to do to get the shop fully functional, but I'm making progress. I figure I'll be spending the most time out here during the fall/winter/spring months as even though our summer daytime highs seldom get over 90 during the monsoon season, it can get pretty toasty in the shop. And don't even get me started on the humidity...

I wasn't crazy about spending this kind of money for a lathe and mill at that time, but looking back I'm glad I did.

Thanks Matt!


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## qualitymachinetools (Sep 18, 2017)

Glad to hear it Bill! Thank YOU!


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## zmotorsports (Sep 18, 2017)

Glad to hear Bill.  I had to very slightly tweak mine as well after my move but a little fine tuning and she's turning true again.

Love this lathe.

Mike


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## wrmiller (Sep 18, 2017)

Matt: You are quite welcome. Pretty sure I got the better end of this deal. So are those CI bases ever going to be ready? 

Mike: I hear you. It's a great lathe in this size range. How's the new shop doing? All moved in?


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## zmotorsports (Sep 18, 2017)

wrmiller said:


> How's the new shop doing? All moved in?



Shop turned out great and almost completely moved in.  Been doing some little custom touches inside getting things functional and been working in it for a little over a month now.  Still have a few things as far as hand tools/equipment to get moved in and organized but all of the big stuff is in and setup.

So far I love it.  Great shop, the yard is now complete and I can start to relax and enjoy it.  It is so freaking awesome to come home from a trip with the coach, back it up to the RV garage side, wash the coach and back her into the garage all nice and clean.  Then when the wife and I are ready do leave the coach is still clean and no need to wash it twice.  LOVE IT!!

Sounds like you're getting all setup as well in your new place.


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## wrmiller (Sep 19, 2017)

zmotorsports said:


> Shop turned out great and almost completely moved in.  Been doing some little custom touches inside getting things functional and been working in it for a little over a month now.  Still have a few things as far as hand tools/equipment to get moved in and organized but all of the big stuff is in and setup.
> 
> So far I love it.  Great shop, the yard is now complete and I can start to relax and enjoy it.  It is so freaking awesome to come home from a trip with the coach, back it up to the RV garage side, wash the coach and back her into the garage all nice and clean.  Then when the wife and I are ready do leave the coach is still clean and no need to wash it twice.  LOVE IT!!
> 
> Sounds like you're getting all setup as well in your new place.



Getting there. I've not had any land to speak of since leaving the farm, and while an acre isn't much to some, it's more than I can handle with a push mower, shovel, and a wheel barrow at my age. So...

I jumped into the deep end of the pool again and bought a small tractor. A John Deere 1025r with a front loader, belly mower, rear blade and a rear rake. The back yard is rather large and 'was' a nice looking yard at one time. Now it's all large rocks, decorative rock, and the indigenous grasses/weeds/cactus everywhere. I was getting quoted thousands to have guys come in with medium sized equipment and scrape/level the place. Ouch. And then the front needs the horseshoe driveway gravel raked and leveled, tree stumps cut down/dug out, etc., etc.. So after paying some guys to do all this I still wouldn't have anything to mow the back or grade the driveway once or twice a year or after heavy rains.

So I bought some more tools... 

During the holiday weekend we drove up one of the local canyon roads/goat trail in the Rubicon and ended up over 9000' high and smelling the pines in a really nice campground. Carr Peak in the Huachuca mountains is the third highest mountain in Cochise County. Miller Peak is the second highest and next on our list.

I'm busier now than when I was working...


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## zmotorsports (Sep 19, 2017)

Good for you Bill.  I wish you the best at your new place.

Mike


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## Chris Bettis (Sep 24, 2017)

Hey Bill,  sounds like you got that beauty dialed in good! 
Don't be a stranger my friend!

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk


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