Ideas welcome! - Jet Mini tailstock question

[andy m]

Hope it's not to early in my tenure as a member to ask for help.
My Jet Mini came out of the box with the tailstock's leadscrew bent around 10 degrees w/the handwheel still attached. Call to Craft USA had a new leadscrew delivered and was told the old one should just unscrew out.
Bottom line is it doesn't seem to cooperate! Not wanting to tear it up more by taking a hammer to it, I'd really appreciate an idea or 2.
Thanks in Advance,
Andy

 

[ctEaglesc]

I know I have had that whole thing apart.
I went herre:
http://www.wmhtoolgroup.com/partfiles/man_708351.pdf
to see if I could try to remember how I did it.
Part # 56 is identified as the lead screw,but I can't find it on the parts break down.
IIRC
uncsrew teh wheel until the live center pops out.
Then uncscrew the tighten gizmo on hte rear of the tail stock
I think that allows you to pull the whole shebang out.
Sorry for the technical terms.
If all else fails JET tech service is under WHM tool group.
they are pretty good.
http://www.wmhtoolgroup.com/index.cfm?LineNbr=2&StartRow=11&area=shop&action=browse&CID=81&TO=1

 

[andy m]

cteaglesc,
Thanks for the response. Yeah, I noticed part# 56 was missing too. Huh, maybe that's why it don't work!
Tried that, 1st two yanks didn't work. I'll try with some determination tonight.
Thanks again,
Andy

 

[ctEaglesc]

I would call tech support, as you may already know the lathe has a 2 year warranty.
Mine wsa screwed up worse than yours,handwheel on hte tail stock broken clean off.What's that about a 1" shaft?
The casting in the back of the drive pulleys looked like it was smacked with a sledge hammer.
The funny thing is the box it came in and the packing material was undamaged.
It looked lke it was packed that way.
WC took it back, that's when I found out Jet had I 2 year warranty on hte lathe and I believe it says so on their site.

 

[andy m]

Same deal - packing was in order, no damage to be seen. Thought it was just loose as I lifted out. Handwheel turned in an oval rotation. Quality control??
Anxious to use it! Spindle does in fact move in/out, handwheel just looks crazy.
Got Pens, Got glue, Got lathe w/bum arm, even got tools, Got everything!! May use it anyway tonight, screwed-up tailstock and all!
Later

 

[woodspinner]

It seems to me that Craft Supply should just send you a new one. The should pre check and ship. They don't weigh that much. Why should you have to repair what they ship. They make the profit and that makes them be the ones that should take care of you. You are the customer!
It seems I read to many of these where the customer has to do the work.

Good turning and be safe
Bill in Casa Grande, AZ.

 

[opfoto]

One of my pet peeves has been the lack of Customer Service. I have seen a steady decline. The lack of it can be found in most any industry. What seems to be the driving force is the need for higher profits, at the cost of customer satisfaction. If you find a company (there are a few) that treats you fair...consider yourself blessed!!!

 

[ctEaglesc]

Woodspinner is right now that I think of it.
There might be more damage than just that one piece.
You bought a new lathe not a reconditioned one you had to recondition yourself right?
I'd call them back and tell them you want a whole new lathe properly packed and shipped.

 

[jwoodwright]

If the packing and the box are undamaged...

One can only conclude a defective machine was packed and shipped.

Does CS USA open the box and check, or do they send them sealed, as received from Jet [?]

 

[ctEaglesc]

Originally posted by jwoodwright
<br />If the packing and the box are undamaged...

One can only conclude a defective machine was packed and shipped.

Does CS USA open the box and check, or do they send them sealed, as received from Jet [?]

I'm sure they don't open the box,but they should be resposible for getting the tool to the recipient in good shape.
As I said earlier MWH is good to deal with,
They certainly would want to know if their product is getting damaged in transit after they have designed a package that is supposed to provide protection in transit.

 

[wayneis]

Maybe CS could purchase a few xray machines and several xray technitions to xray every shipment that goes out to make sure it all looks ok. I've read many reports of bad packing by Jet, I think that I've seen at least a dozen cases between the two penturners sites so people should start compnailning to Jet, not taking it out on CS. If the box looks good, no damage then how far should you expect CS or any other middle man company to go?

Wayne

 

[DCBluesman]

I can't agree with you on this one, Wayne. The seller has the responsibility to deliver product that is fit for use. That's a common philosophy expressed in the Uniform Commercial Code. CSUSA or any supplier has the responsibility for QA/QC issues with it's suppliers. Some suppliers go another step and provide customer support directly, but most prefer that their distributors be the first line of problem resolution. If I buy a product that does not meet my expectations, I don't expect to be sent to the manufacturer. If I have a problem with a kit, I want my supplier to deal with Taiwan. If a supplier has numerous complaints about products from one of it's suppliers, it has the power of bulk buying to assure that quality standards are met.

 

[wayneis]

If you buy any electronics these days almost every one of them will have a warning NOT to return it to the store but that you need to go back to the manufacturer. Thats the way it's getting to be with many products these days. I just bought a new MP3 player and on a seperate piece of colored paper was huge letters explaining that exact warning.
Wayne

 

[Randy_]

Screw that!!! If I put my money down for a product and it is bad out of the box or fails in a couple of days, I want it fixed and I want it fixed NOW!!! If the retailer who sold me the product isn't going to stand behind his merchandise, then I am going to find another retailer. And if I were a retailer with a manufacturer who was screwing around my customers, I would find another manufacturer!!!

 

[andy m]

OK, here's the latest on the bent tailstock lead screw.
Guy at CS said to basically stick a rod of sorts into the back of the screw and bend it until it's straight enough to push out of the tailstock. Then unscrew it from the spindle, & screw in the new one.
Told him it wouldn't bend, he said hit it.
I hit it, 3x, bent it straight, pushed it out, screwed in the new one and it worked.
Told the guy thanks but wasn't sure if I could stand doing this with everything I bought from them. Said he understood but it doesn't happen often.
Andy

 

[opfoto]

Glad to hear your problem has been resolved. [8D] Hopefully the Guy that helped you understands you may spend your money elsewhere if this is to be expected from his customers. [!]

 

[Randy_]

Maybe I'm being a little paranoid; but that lead screw took a good hit to bend it and than another one to straighten it out again. Nothing supports the screw except the tailstock spindle. I'd a little concerned that there might be some damage to the tailstock spindle. I would give it a very careful visual examination and be certain it runs through its full length of travel without binding. You probably also want to check the alignment of the tailstock with the head stock with the spindle fully extended and fully retracted. Chances of something being wrong probably aren't too big; but better to check it out now than to find a problem later!!

 

[andy m]

Randy & Marc,
Yeah, I was concerned about the spindle, and also hoping I didn't shatter the tailstock itself. That said, when it was stuck, the screw was fully tightened and enclosed leaving only enough out to attach the handwheel.
Everything operates smoothly, goes it's full length and is still centered. VERY slight play in spindle, likely normal.
First turning was fun, took it down too much for the center band (was enjoying the shavings & dust too much!!)
Thanks for the help and concern,
Andy

 

[jdavis]

Sounds as though you had a defective part. Does not happen often, but when it does it is frustrating.