Tailstock Alignment?

I think this thread is great. Lots of good information in my opinion. A ton of things to try. A phrase I have kept in mind, for a few years now though is, “done is better than perfect”. On a forum catering to professionals, this may not bear out. But in the world of hobby machining, it keeps me quite a bit happier. And like I said, I’ve just not had any issues that would force me to do anything more serious than the very simplest of techniques. 3 years really isn’t that long. Heck it might happen next week for all I know.
 
I think one has to go about setting up the lathe in a systematic approach. There is no need setting your tailstock if you haven t taken the time to level or better said get all the twist out. It should be true the whole length of your ways. If there is any deviation when your tailstock is in a different position you haven t done a proper job levelling the lathe.
It took me over six months to get my lathe levelled properly. My lathe must have shifted during shippment and I believe it was the Driver who decided to use the faceplate as a block and stuck it under one corner then re strapped the lathe.
I didn t even bother for a few months having a solid one pc. Cast bed. I didn t want to stress it too much so I coaxed it along until I felt It was reacting to my inputs the way it should and not change just sitting there over a course of a day or so. Now If I do a good job with the steady rest my cuts are parallel. If your tailstock isn t at the right height that s an issue that needs to be dealt with. It may not be the tailstock after all. I d check the ways again or as a last resort Id dial in the spindle better. It s like tramming a mill. There is only a right and a wrong setup. Eliminate the machines error or you ll be chasing your tail.
 
Good timing. I bought a commercial lathe used. I haven't done any of this yet because I haven't had it home to be cleaned, leveled and adjusted.
Great ideas abound.
 
"Perfectly leveling" a lathe does not compensate for wear of the ways, or for deviations in manufacture. Never assume that your lathe bed is straight, flat, or parallel. Test it and map it, and have the deviations in mind as you work with it. Most of the time it will not matter. Sometimes it does.
 
Leveling?Guys is there a way to level without buying one of those machinist level?I can see that lathe itself needs to be level first then head stock,tail stock.Which I have to read up on leveling
 
Kroll said:
Leveling?Guys is there a way to level without buying one of those machinist level?I can see that lathe itself needs to be level first then head stock,tail stock.Which I have to read up on leveling
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Thats another one of them relativly low use tools that are expensive :)

I got a "medium precission" starret 98 for very cheep and have done ok with that.

Their will be a range of oppinion on this subject ;)

Oxtools (tom lipton) has a youtube video on how to self calibrate a level, so if in generaly good condition, a second hand one is worth a few bucks , they pop up fairly regular on ebay from what i remember.

stu
 
Kroll said:
Leveling?Guys is there a way to level without buying one of those machinist level?I can see that lathe itself needs to be level first then head stock,tail stock.Which I have to read up on leveling
Click to expand...
Level has nothing to do with getting good results with a lathe. Getting the twist out of the bed, or adding twist on purpose for a better result, is what "leveling lathes" is about. Starting with one part of the lathe level is a common way to start the process. What we want (usually) is a parallel and straight bed, in line with the spindle. Whatever we need to do to get there is acceptable. There is no such thing as a perfectly straight and parallel lathe bed, at least not for long. Cast iron moves over time. Wear in the bed ways can require twisting the bed on purpose, though that may make only one portion of the bed accurate.

With all that said, very nice parts are made regularly on lathes that are not straight, not level, and are twisted, sometimes on purpose. A lot of the way to 'leveling for success' can be found by looking in a mirror...
 
Kroll said:
Leveling?Guys is there a way to level without buying one of those machinist level?I can see that lathe itself needs to be level first then head stock,tail stock.Which I have to read up on leveling
Click to expand...

Look up rollie dad's method, that's one way. I have never tried that method though. I use a precision level to level the bed (not square to the world, on each end for twist). Before I got my Mitutoyo level I used a cheap China "precision" level. Then I fine adjust checking for taper by taking skim cuts with a large diameter bar. After I'm happy with that (& don't need to adjust the head stock) I then check the tail stock & adjust if needed. I do this about once a year or after any earthquakes. :)

Stu already posted but tom Lipton has a good informative 2 part video on lathe leveling. I'm sure there are lots of others too.


 
Isn t that what levelling a lathe is? Getting the twist out. Levelling a lathe won t do anything for wear but wear will change your centre height and introduce tapers. Cast iron not Cast steal is one of the most stable metals out there and Machine Tool Castings are aged as well to add even more dimensional stability.
Level (untwist) the lathe at intervals. I guess it really depends how anal you want to get and for some it isn t all that important.
I ll go back to my earlier statement. The proof is in the pudding. What is acceptable to some may not be to others.
 
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