Pen Lathe issues

[Sunami]

I am new to pen turning and woodworking in general. I received the basic mini lathe from HF as a gift and upon suggestions from tips group and others upgraded to the HF 10 X 18 lathe. I have only turned two pens on this lathe so far and the tailstock lock lever for the cup center will not lock. Sometimes it may even fall out. How do I fix this? Is it a big deal. I turned one pen without it locking. I am under the 90 day warranty plus I have 1 year extended.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[thewishman]

I would return it/get it fixed.

 

[qquake]

Yes, it's a big deal. You need the tailstock to stay locked to keep tension on the pen mandrel. If it's loose, you can ruin the mandrel, live center, or turn pen bodies out of round. There are instructions for adjusting the tailstock lock on page 13 in the manual:

http://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/65000-65999/65345.pdf

Also, if you're using the cup style live center the lathe came with, you'll need to get a 60 degree live center, to properly mate with the threaded end of the mandrel. HF sells one, and most of the pen kit suppliers have them, too. You can also get them from Amazon.

MT2 Live Center

#2MT Live Center - WoodTurningz

Exotic Blanks :: Tools & Lathe Accessories :: Mandrels & Centers :: 60 Degree Live Tailstock Center - choose version

Amazon.com: Atoplee MT2 Live Center Morse Taper Triple Bearing 2 Mt .0002" for High Speed Turning, CNC Work: Home Improvement

 

[Sunami]

So I returned it, they didn't have another one in Stock so I got my money back and ordered the Rockler Excelsior. Now the wait begins for it to come in... :-(

 

[Sabaharr]

I am going to offer a different opinion than the 60° live center and that is to get a mandrel saver. I takes the pressure off the end of the mandrel and you are less likely to bend your mandrel that way. There is very minimal cost difference. But one or the other is a must. The live center included with the lathe will ruin your mandrel and cause you to have out of round pens because it does not fit into the indentation in the mandrel end properly.

 

[qquake]

I've tried the mandrel saver, and it won't work for me. No matter how tight I make it, the blanks spin when I turn them. I have a Jet lathe, and the tailstock locks rock solid. I've tightened it so much that the bearings in the headstock start making noise.

 

[qquake]

The Excelsior is a good looking lathe. But you'll need either a 60 degree live center or mandrel saver for it to turn pens. Rockler sells a couple different ones.

Wood Lathe Tailstock Center, MT2 - Rockler Woodworking Tools

Nova Replacement Simple Live Center, 2MTLC | Rockler Woodworking and Hardware

 

[low_48]

If I understand correctly, you were talking about the lock knob up against the shaft in the tailstock? That knob has a reduced diameter on the end of it, that engages into a slot in the tailstock shaft. If the knob is backed out too far, and the shaft rotates a little, the system will not work correctly. If it happens on the new lathe, rotate the shaft slightly so the knob engages into that slot.

 

[Sunami]

I do have the mandrel saver and it doesn't seem to be going me any trouble but I will know now that the 60 degree live center is another option.. low_48. Yes that is correct. I tried to get the bolt to engage in the tailstock slot, but it would no longer lock in. I rotate the shaft to make sure the bolt was engaging. I will look for that next time on the new lathe. Thanks for the advice