Interesting Shop Built Lever Tailstock For A 6" Lathe

[pebbleworm]

This lever action tailstock was briefly on eBay with a 150.00 buy it now. I've been thinking of making something similar from a spare Mk. II tailstock, and this design gives me something more to think about.

 

[David VanNorman]

That is a nice set up . You need to put a crank to eject the tooling then it will be done.

 

[pebbleworm]

The new ram is solid (from the pictures), so I suspect the drill chuck is mounted permanently. The throw seems long which is a very good thing for a 6" Atlas, but how long can you go before things get loose? I really need to find a good source for screw machine drills.

 

[David VanNorman]

I don't have good source for drills ,I just buy what I need when I need them. Had A place in Reading PA that had factory salvage but that is gone. As far as the lever tail stock it should not be too bad as it just runs in and out fairly straight. Cast against steel if lubed should last ok.

 

[mattthemuppet2]

dang, that would certainly solve the issue of teeny tiny tailstock travel that I have on my 618

 

[pebbleworm]

Here is someone who milled down a tailstock from a 9" Logan to solve that problem:
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f166/upgraded-tail-stock-bigger-better-101792/
A pretty crafty idea! From looking at common 9" tailstocks on the web, it looks like only the Logan has enough metal after cutting down to work.

 

[Wisrianni]

Thats a great idea if you get a broken down tail stock and dont wanna cough up the money for the handle,bearings,threaded shaft and all the other stuff in there.