help with lathe turning

You have a PM. (Private Message) It needs your attention.

"Billy G"
 
bill i replied and was thinking the same.

old iron, thanks for the idea, i didnt even think about that. now i need to get a dial indicator lol
 
Something you may want to try before doing anything drastic like buying a new one is just chuck the screw in your lathe and rotate it (very slowly). If it is bent, it'll be easy to see and by moving it in and out of the chuck, you'll be able to see exactly where it is bent. Then it's just a matter of gently bending it back until it runs true and sliding it into the chuck. It sounds like it probably has a fairly localized bend that should be easy to fix, even without an indicator. I've straightened many shafts using this technique and it works pretty well.

Tom
 
thats what i was thinking about doing to check it out, my chuck seems to be fairly true so i think that would be a quick and relatively easy thing to try first.
 
Bill Gruby said:
No matter which feed is engaged Dan, right to left or in and out you should not be able to engage the half nuts. I will see if I can locate anyone near you.

"Billy G" :thinking:
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He hasent said wich model lathe he has but the older 11" rockwell lathes only has a lead screw wich is used for all power feed. My Atlas craftsman lathe feeds off the lead screw and the half nut. A picture of his lathe would help alot.
 
Dan stated early on that he had both Feed Lever and Half-Nut Lever, hence my answer. I really wasn't referring to any particular lathe brand. If a lathe has both levers, one will be locked out while the other is in use. If you are using the auto cross feed you lock both out with the carriage stop. I also have an Atlas that uses the half-nuts for travel, I am going to change this by adding a second lead screw. Thank you for the observation.

"Billy G" :))
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Before we drift to far, let's try to stay with the original question of the bent Leadscrew. This is where Dan needs the help at the moment. Thank-you.

"Billy G" :))
 
i actually dont know which model i have, i was to excited to get it home and play with it to pay attention to such things. all i know is the manual says rockwell 11" lathe. anyways i will check out the things you guys have mentioned either tonight or this weekend and get back to you and let you know what i find. again thanks for all of the info.
 
As a professional machine rebuilder I would think your screw or screws are bent. There is a super easy way to test this. Take a mag base / indicator on the top of the cross-slide ways and rest the indicator on the tail stock ways and crank the saddle all the way to the right and turn on the feed to the left and watch the indicator. If the screw or shafts are bent the saddle will move. No cutting is needed. If they are bent you should remove them. They are easy to remove as normally they had a collar on the left side and a taper pin you need to drive out and on the right end there is a support bracket that you remove. then pull them out to the right. You can lay them on a flat surface and roll them like you do with a pool cue. I would suggest you go to a local auto engine rebuilder as they are always straightening crankshafts and I'm sure a lead-screw will be simple for them.
When moving machinery it is worth the money to use nylon straps and not chains. It sound like the guy who unloaded it had no clue he was unloading something precision. You sould always spend more time and placing wood blocks around the shafts or hire a pro to unload it. The one time someone screws up you will spend more money and hassle then its worth.
Do that check and let me know
 
Hello Richard;

Great info you have there. Been a long time since my hayday in machine rebuilding. Nice to have you aboard.

"Billy G" :))
 
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