How do I correct this?

[Brh]

Well, I had assorted problems with the tailstock on my new LMS lathe. Called them and they got a new tailstock out to me really fast. Problem now is the new one's centerline is visibly higher. I know that some are high from the factory to account for wear, but this seems excessive to me. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Ted iin Michigan]

Shimming up the headstock end (if possible) would be my first thought. Check first to see that the centers are offset the same amount with the tailstock extended and retracted.

 

[mredburn]

new lathe

 

[MarkD]

Fine adjusting hammer? :biggrin:

 

[mredburn]

If you contact them and send that picture they may replace the lathe. Your right in that much is excessive and you will not be able to accomodate for it. Nor should you have to.

 

[ssajn]

Make sure your lathe is level.

 

[randyrls]

Shimming up the headstock end (if possible) would be my first thought. Check first to see that the centers are offset the same amount with the tailstock extended and retracted.

Ted; I would respectfully disagree. Messing with the head stock should be a last resort. You need to both place the headstock in horizontal and vertical position AND make sure it is concentric with the center of the tail stock. This is not a task for the faint of heart.

Most lathes are aligned and then a tailstock is selected to match the head stock.

 

[gimpy]

I think when he stated "shim the head stock" he was referring to the base of the
lathe...my jet was out and if / when you read the directions
it tells you to shim under the frame of the lathe, not under the head stock

 

[Brh]

Thanks for all the responses. The original tailstock was waaay close to spot on, so I don't think the problem is with the lathe itself. A friend of a friend who is a machinist has offered to mill down the base of the replacement tailstock. Sound reasonable?

 

[Ted iin Michigan]

Randy - Looks to me as if the tailstock is high. Quite a bit if the pic is right. Help me out - what would you do to correct the problem?
Not trying to be argumentive - trying to learn.

 

[frank123]

Before re machining the base I'd consider re boring the tailstock quill bore to give it an exact alignment. Basically bore it oversize. sleeve it then bore it true to the lathe.

 

[Dan Hintz]

Thanks for all the responses. The original tailstock was waaay close to spot on, so I don't think the problem is with the lathe itself. A friend of a friend who is a machinist has offered to mill down the base of the replacement tailstock. Sound reasonable?

If he knows what he's doing, I'd take him up on the offer. When my Robust wasn't quite lining up (yes, I aligned my wood lathe the same as if it was a metal lathe), I spent an hour or so lightly filing the headstock, testing, repeat, etc. For a 25" diameter chunk of wood it worked just fine in its original condition, but I wanted to work on fine stuff, as well. I can now drill straight down the center of some very small stock and not worry about tearing out the edge. Checked it with a laser alignment tool I use for my CNC machine, and I see no discernible side-to-side/up-and-down change from one end of the bed to the other.

 

[691175002]

Quite frankly, I am shocked that little machine shop sent out a replacement tailstock. They should know better - the tailstock is matched to the lathe.

I would try very hard to get a new lathe. Realigning the machine, even to import standards, is a very involved job. You should not just chop a bit off the bottom, it must also be free of pitch/yaw which is harder to measure and correct. Even if you are happy with the results, it is unfair for you to repair a machine that should have been working from the start.



I would be extremely cautious about touching the headstock. I'd hope the headstock is currently aligned to within 0.005"/ft of the ways and if an amateur starts moving things around the machine will become irreparable garbage very quickly.

A metal lathe is a precision tool and alignments should be orders of magnitude more precise than a person can verify by eye.