Lathe Issues

[mvande21]

I don't know if this is the right forum for this, but here it goes.
I was doing some general maintenance on my midi lathe and I noticed that it does not turn true. After some further investigating (drilling with chuck, mounting different chucks onto headstock etc) it seems to not have a center anymore. My drilling can no longer be exactly center, and my other turnings that do not have a mandrel are going to suffer. I wondered if something was wrong when I got a lot of chatter turning an ice cream scoop between "centers" and not having a good smooth cut like I usually get. I have a Rikon 12" swing vs lathe. I know a lot of you are saying to yourself that that is your first problem I would assume. I only had it for a year. Does anyone know if Rikon stands behind their product or if their product is meant to be a throw away machine. If so I am definetly going to start looking around for other options. Any tips on if this is DIY fix or if it has to be brought somewhere?? Thanks in advance.

 

[mark james]

I don't have a Rikon... so can't comment on that manufacturer (I have Jet and Nova), but... after only one year I can't imagine that this is not solvable. From what I do know, Rikon is a reasonable brand - wait for more suggestions!

 

[Rodnall]

Is there play in the way the tailstock lines up? Is it off vertically, horizontally or both? If it's off vertically, you'll need to shim the tail stock.

 

[monophoto]

I bought a new lathe in November, and when I put it together, I lined up the point of a deadcenter in the headstock with the point of a livecenter in the tail stock. Vertically, they were bang on out of the box, but obviously, there was some lateral play after the headstock was mounted on the ways.

Several months later, I was turning a pen and noticed that the tail stock wasn't lined up with the pen mandrel. After thinking about it for a while, I concluded that my problem was that the initial alignment was close but not exact, and the additional length of the pen mandrel 'amplified' the slight misalignment. So I realigned everything using the pen mandrel as an extension of the headstock spindle, and now it runs far more smoothly.

My guess is that you problem is simple misalignment. I'm not familiar with the Rikon; look for some bolts holding the headstock onto the bed. It should be possible to loosen those bolts, and then twist the headstock to bring it into alignment with the tailstock. Be sure to have the pen mandrel in the headstock to extend the axis and maximize any mismatch that you might have.

 

[plano_harry]

Matt, we need more information. Is this a wobble problem, or a static alignment problem? Put a dead center in the headstock and bring the point of the tailstock live center up to it. Are they out of alignment vertical or horizontal? Does the misalignment change as you rotate the headstock by hand?

Harry

 

[Old Codger]

I'm with Harry, you need to give us a little more information... i.e.; is the alignment problem vertical/horizontal, etc... I've had my Rikon 12/16VS for a little over a year and love it! Rikon Cust. Service has always been very supportive and you may need to contact them since the lathe is still under warrenty. I now have a little larger/heavier lathe (Jet 1221VS...) but still go back to my Rikon at times to do work when my other lathe is busy... Don't give up on your little jewel, it can be realigned and you'll love it again!!! Keep everyone posted on your success and let us know what occurred to cause this problem as we too may run into it in the future!!! Safe turning to you always!

 

[mvande21]

I appreciate all the feedback so far. I did take my 60 deg live center and put it on the tailstock and put my nova chuck on the headstock with the jaws fully closed and it looked like it was on center. To shim it, do you just take wooden shims or is there a metal shim. Also, would it be a good idea to get it set to where i like it and use some loc tite on the threads to keep it there in the future?? Or is loc tite a big no-no on such adjustments. I am glad to hear the Rikon at least helps their customers out when they are in turmoil. Not many company's can say that anymore. Thanks once again everyone for the help so far. Any other suggestions to solving this issue is more than helpful and yes I will update you about my troubleshooting that you guys mentioned in previous posts.

 

[fantasticalwoodworks]

Hi Matt I have owned a craftsman -jet and now a oneway lathe they all turned true new and the only one that went of center was the jet and it was due to a bad bering in the live center which you can either replace with a after market one or replace the center all together just a thought to check on

 

[MichaelD]

Matt, I've got the 70-100. There is a little play in the headstock if you loosen the four hex head screws. Line up a live center and preferably a dead center and tap the head stock to re-align. I had to do this last week after moving everything around and removing the tail stock. If you need to align vertically I've used a cheap set of automotive feeler gauges and cut off the sizes I needed.

Also check the big washer on the bottom of the tail stock. If any crud builds up there it can slightly shift the lock and cause the tail stock to lean when it locks. Not much but it will throw out a drill bit if you're reaching over 6-9" through a pen blank center to center.

And Rikon customer service is excellent. And they don't gouge you on parts if that's what you need.

 

[plano_harry]

The ideal way to tell is to try and sandwich a razor blade or something similar between the points of a dead center and live center. When you get it aligned, you should be able to do it. More accurate than using a chuck.

Harry

 

[ironman123]

I kind of do what Harry said. I use a 6" X 1" steel ruler. If I used a razor blade I would cut my nose.

Ray

 

[LeeR]

I have had my Rikon 70-100 for over 3 years, and it has been an excellent lathe. The 70-100 is built pretty solidly, in my opinion. This is different than your model, but hopefully all their midis are built well. I've never had to contact Rikon customer support for anything, so I cannot comment on their after-sale support. I just bought a dead center, and mounted in the headstock, it aligns perfectly with my live center in the tailstock.

I am guessing something small is amiss, and hopefullyyou'll get it set up accurately using one of the methods recommended.

 

[Old Codger]

Matt...Before you loosen your head stock and attempt to 'shim' it, I'd check EVERYTHING else first and then after everything else fails, call Rikon C.S. Since you've had issues with your live center and dead center not lining up, you might check to see if the Morse tapers are clean, ream/scrub them out and borrow different live/dead centers from one of your wood turning friends and try them out to see if they line up... It could be that your centers may have gone bad (bearings do go bad especially on the less expensive centers). Also check to see if the 1"X8 threaded insert on your chuck is clean and tight plus the head stock threads are clean... Also be sure and check the washer(s) on the tail stock adjustment lock are clean and not damaged as they can be when you remove/replace it for turning... Usually the Rikon head stocks like most head stocks don't go unaligned often unless they were loose from the factory, but since you've had your lathe for a year...doubtful they were loose from the factory... IMHO, I'd suggest only attempting to realign your headstock by shimming it as a last resort unless Rikon C.S. suggest this... Good luck and let us know how the issue was finally resolved...

 

[mvande21]

From the way it sounds, shimming the headstock should be the last resort. I am very religious on keeping my machine clean, so hopefully it is just a screw or bolt that has to be adjusted. I am going to try to do this tomorrow. If this doesn't sound like a good plan, please respond to this thread otherwise I am going for it!! Thanks everyone for the comments and feedback. I will repost later with my findings.

 

[billallante@att.net]

mandrel wobble

Matt, we need more information. Is this a wobble problem, or a static alignment problem? Put a dead center in the headstock and bring the point of the tailstock live center up to it. Are they out of alignment vertical or horizontal? Does the misalignment change as you rotate the headstock by hand?

Harry

Harry, I have a problem with the end of my mandrel wandering at the tailstock live center. The mandrel is new and straight but I wind up with off center ends on my pen blanks. BTW I am not overtightening the mandrel nut so bowing doesn't seem to be the problem. Any ideas would be appreciated.