On the Level: Further Adventures with the G0602

[RJSakowski]

Thank you for the added information.

Have you checked the run out on a long piece across the lathe to check the alignment of the ways down the bed?

With the 1 foot/leg on the tail stock end you don't have any ability to adjust for "twist" in the bed casting - only to level what there is with respect to the plane of the floor, but not calibrate the alignment of the ways on top of the casting.

For close-in work at the chuck this likely isn't a problem, but it could be noticeable with longer pieces even if you set a steady rest or center in the tail stock and have that dialed in. Slight twisting of the ways towards the tail stock will change the distance the tool is from the work = where you may find differences in the dimensions of your work at different distances from the chuck/head stock.

Sorry for the late response. I just read your post. I have a 20" length of 1.250 316 round that I use with the RDM method.

The tail end of the lathe is firmly bolted to the risers. The assumption is that the lathe base can't twist relative to the rise. The riser has a four bolt mount to the table so shims can be placed on each corner as necessary to correct twist of the lathe bed.

The lathe stand is fairly substantial and uses a three point suspension to avoid adding any stress to the stand. https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/on-the-level-further-adventures-with-the-g0602.72338/