Lathe alignment question.

[johara1]

Mike, Good question, they seem to be a very costly any more. I was watching some in school action, SB, Logan and Rockwell's and they just disappeared. That was around Baltimore....Some showed up at a dealer,went out the back door..... jim

 

[jonbearman]

Erik,if it is out that much you should be able to adjust it out with the tail stock.Most if not all tail stocks have kicker screws to change the taper at will with the tailstock.

 

[johara1]

If it's running parallel with the ways, but i would bet it's on an angle. It is hard to guess with seeing it and the right tools to check the run out. .004 in 6" is a bunch.... jim

 

[Erik Cortina]

I decided not to buy the lathe. I'm hoping to find a good used one or just get a 14x40 at some point.

Anyone have a 12x40 Clausing you might want to donate to me? ;D

 

[johara1]

Erik, If you get a Clausing look for a 5900 series with out the variable speed, they are trouble free. the have a 1 3/8 hole and a L00 spindle nose. The 4900 series has a 1 1/16 hole and a threaded spindle nose still a good machine....jim

 

[Erik Cortina]

Erik, If you get a Clausing look for a 5900 series with out the variable speed, they are trouble free. the have a 1 3/8 hole and a L00 spindle nose. The 4900 series has a 1 1/16 hole and a threaded spindle nose still a good machine....jim

Thanks for the info.

 

[holstil]

Erik,
I think it is a good idea that you look at the resting condition of what ever you decide to buy. Any machine is subject to the floor on which it sits. A nicer machine will likely be out of alignment less but it can still change from manufacturer to your place and your floor might not be level and flat. Some people anchor their machines and some don't, there is reason for conern either way. Some have no idea how their machine is set up but don't do projects that expose the error.

I just helped a friend with his South bend. He used a starret L98 on the ways. But he never concerned him self with where the spindle was pointing in reguard to the ways. He assumed it would be right, it was not.

Jim

 

[Erik Cortina]

Holstil, thanks for the advise. But I guarantee you, my floor will be flat and level! ;D

 

[Valar]

I have a vintage atlas 8 inch swing and 48 inch bed. If you are talking tailstock is .004 out from headstock? Not unusual. My tail stock is adjustable as are most I believe? Adjustment is a bit time consuming but very necessary in my opinion. Lathe set up is crucial to do precise work. I noticed another post about a long bed not needed to do gunsmith work. True if you have a large enough tru spindle dia? Keep this in mind if wanting to turn larger dia . barrels etc. My spindle is inadequate tru bore for most barrels. Lathe bed length makes up for it. I still have set time involved with steady rest. I am bye no means a pro machinist but have been doing some lathe work for over 30 years. Good luck, I am considering a cheap china made mill machine? I looked for over two years for a decent lathe locally. I didn't want a harbor freight special. Finally found one in local paper. I am glad I waited!

 

[wapiti25]

As an ex modelmaker and hobby gunsmith. IMHO 12x36 is the handyest size for a shop. I look at the hole thru the headstock for working on barrels. The lathe that you decided on not buying may or may not have a serious problem depending on how is was measured. If the headstock was out of alignment with respect to the ways that is a lot. My cheap ENCO has some adjustment where the headstock attaches to the ways in the Horizontal and could be scraped in for the vertical. You do not want to get into machine repair when you want to use it but you need a decent machine. The tooling is going to cost almost as much as the machine. good luck

 

[Scott Harris]

Hi Erik,

I just bought this 13x40 lathe from Precision Matthews: http://machinetoolonline.com/PM1340T.html

This might be beyond your target price, but the reason I bring it up is Matt is a stand-up guy and has patiently answered all my newby questions over an extended period of time. He's a real trooper. .... and he is a pro who can help you get up to speed. They do have an inexpensive ...and popular...12x36 lathe for $3500. I'd be looking at Grizzly or Precision Matthews.

Best Regards,
Scott

PS. If you want to talk about VFD's I'm now an "expert" after buying two of them for my lathe and my high-pressure pump. .....Matt was a huge help in this area as well.

 

[Erik Cortina]

Thanks guys for all your help. I ended up buying a 1979 WEBB 14" x 30" lathe. It's in great shape and I'm sure I will not wear it out anytime soon.