Aligning a JET Mini 1014 ! ! !

[sdemars]

I have read and read as how to do this & now think I have a clear understanding. The preferred method written about in the forums is to use "shims'.

Well I decided to call JET Technical Service. I do not agree with their recommendation to solve the problem of head stock and tail stock not lining up . . .

JET Tech said I should place washers as needed under the base as needed and TWIST the bed by tightening the hold down screws . . .

I am not real comfortable with the idea of twisting the bed of the lathe as needed. He further stated that if you move the lathe or seasonal changes will probably require doing this again . . . .

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated . . . .

Thanks
Steve

 

[mick]

My way of looking at their idea of alignment is this...and this is from a strictly laymans point of view. I've no experience as a machinist or such. If you "twist" the bed to line up the head and tail stocks say with the centers touching then as you move away from that position and "ride the twist of the ways wouldn't the centers go out of alignment again? But....if you use shims under either...or both the head and tail stocks will be in the same position no matter where they are on the ways.
Just my two cents worth.....your mileage may vary!

 

[Crashmph]

I have to side with mick on this one. "Tweaking" the bed like Jet says is just a bit out there IMHO.

 

[RAdams]

I think the bed could be out of alignment on a number of axis. If it is straight, but out of allignment, then the shims would work great. But if it is lined up at the headstock, and way off at the other end of the bed, then no amount of shim is going to repair the problem.

I also agree that you probably would be better off not "twisting" the bed as Jet said to do. I wonder if he didn't mean "swing" the bed by twisting the hold down screws...

dang it, now i gotta go look at my lathe.

 

[RAdams]

I think he used some bad words to describe what he was trying to get you to do.

I don't see how you could "twist" the bed by tightening the headstock bolts. I think you would break the bolts well before you did anything to that hunk of iron. If you put washers under the headstock, and tightened the bolts, you could "tweak" the angle of the spindle by tightening each corner differently, but that would be insane. You would need a bore laser sight or something similar mounted in the spindle, and of course matching washers or shims for the tailstock. Tough problem for sure. I just put a new spindle in my headstock last week and got very lucky that everything still lines up.

Good luck!

 

[sdemars]

NO

I think he used some bad words to describe what he was trying to get you to do.

I don't see how you could "twist" the bed by tightening the headstock bolts. I think you would break the bolts well before you did anything to that hunk of iron. If you put washers under the headstock, and tightened the bolts, you could "tweak" the angle of the spindle by tightening each corner differently, but that would be insane. You would need a bore laser sight or something similar mounted in the spindle, and of course matching washers or shims for the tailstock. Tough problem for sure. I just put a new spindle in my headstock last week and got very lucky that everything still lines up.

Good luck!

No, he said the hold down screws . . . They are the one that hold the lathe down to the table/stand . .

 

[randyrls]

Steve; If the bed is twisted now, you can untwist it with that method, but this isn't something to do blindly. AND what the tech told you to do isn't the correct way to go about it either!

A very sensitive level usually called a "machinist level" is needed to determine level. The term "level" in this case is slightly misleading. You normally don't care if the lathe bed is truly level or not. You are trying to make sure the bed is in a single plane for it's length with no twist, dip, or bow.

You probably already know how to check for alignment. Make sure the lathe is unplugged! Put centers in both headstock and tailstock; dead centers prefered. Bring the tailstock center close to the head stock and lock it in place. Now extend the tail stock and place a leaf from a thickness gauge between the points. As you extend the tail stock the leaf will slide off to one side of the other. This test is VERY SENSITIVE to any mis-alignment. Don't put too much pressure on the tail stock wheel.

Hope this helps.

 

[sdemars]

Hello All . .

Tomorrow I will check it all out . . I think with all the info I now have I can do this . . .

The Jet Mini Lathes are new. Neither have an hour of run time . . .

They have been sitting in the shop waiting for the wife and I to have time to start using them . . .

That's my Labor Day Goal . . . get them set up & running . . . Make something square round . .

Thanks, to all . . I will report back . . .

Steve

 

[jttheclockman]

Tomorrow I will check it all out . . I think with all the info I now have I can do this . . .

The Jet Mini Lathes are new. Neither have an hour of run time . . .

They have been sitting in the shop waiting for the wife and I to have time to start using them . . .

That's my Labor Day Goal . . . get them set up & running . . . Make something square round . .

Thanks, to all . . I will report back . . .

Steve

If they are brand new then why are you doing this??? Send them back or take them back. Don't mess with the warrenty. Don't do it.

 

[Randy_]

.....
You probably already know how to check for alignment. Make sure the lathe is unplugged! Put centers in both headstock and tailstock; dead centers preferred. Bring the tailstock center close to the head stock and lock it in place. Now extend the tail stock and place a leaf from a thickness gauge between the points. As you extend the tail stock the leaf will slide off to one side of the other. This test is VERY SENSITIVE to any mis-alignment......

Sorry to be contrary; but the above method does not guarantee that the lathe will be aligned when the TS is slid back 6-10 inches to its normal operating location. There is more to aligning a lathe than just matching up the points of two dead centers. Certainly getting the dead centers aligned is a step in the right direction and may improve lathe performance enough that other alignment issues cause minimal problems; but it may not be a complete solution to an alignment problem.

 

[sdemars]

Please . . .

Sorry to be contrary; but the above method does not guarantee that the lathe will be aligned when the TS is slid back 6-10 inches to its normal operating location. There is more to aligning a lathe than just matching up the points of two dead centers. Certainly getting the dead centers aligned is a step in the right direction and may improve lathe performance enough that other alignment issues cause minimal problems; but it may not be a complete solution to an alignment problem.

Please elaborate . . . Is there a way beyond sophisticated space age technology that a person could align or at least check alignment of a JET 1014 Mini Lathe . . .

Perhaps this would be a good project for one of the machinist that reside on this board.

I'm thinking a set of dead centers. (2) 1", (2) 3", (2) 6", (2) 10". They could be rented or sold.

Would this work?

If not, why?

How about a piece of drill rod with a machined point on one end and chucked into Morse based drill chuck ?

Just thinking . . .

And please don't say contact the factory. Their standard fix for this is to TWIST the bed via bolt down with different thickness of washers . . . . I spoke to (3) different factory "techs", they all said the same thing . . .

Steve

 

[Randy_]

......How about a piece of drill rod with a machined point on one end and chucked into Morse based drill chuck ?

Just thinking . . .

Steve: Take a look at my post #10 in this thread and some of the subsequent comments:

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=40581&highlight=PENCIL

On the other point, good thinking. You are on the right track and you already have the test equipment in hand......your mandrel! This is a slight over simplification; but this is probably the easiest and best way to check your lathe alignment.

Put your arbor/mandrel assembly in the HS and bring up the TS live center to the end of the mandrel. If the LC point matches with the centering dimple in the end of the mandrel you have a good enough alignment to pen work, if it does not match , then some alignment work is in order. Of course you first want to be sure the mandrel is not bent.

As I recall, as an example, the match, or actually mismatch, on my my lathe is about 1/2 mm in the horizontal plane and O mm in the vertical plane. You have to look real close to see it with the naked eye. When I engage the mandrel with the live center tip and measure the runout at the very end of the mandrel I get about 0.006". The runout measured at the chuck end of the mandrel is about 0.004". Don't know if that is better or worse than others or typical, but it works OK for me.

 

[sdemars]

Thank you . . .

Steve: Take a look at my post #10 in this thread and some of the subsequent comments:

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=40581&highlight=PENCIL

On the other point, good thinking. You are on the right track and you already have the test equipment in hand......your mandrel! This is a slight over simplification; but this is probably the easiest and best way to check your lathe alignment.

Put your arbor/mandrel assembly in the HS and bring up the TS live center to the end of the mandrel. If the LC point matches with the centering dimple in the end of the mandrel you have a good enough alignment to pen work, if it does not match , then some alignment work is in order. Of course you first want to be sure the mandrel is not bent.

As I recall, as an example, the match, or actually mismatch, on my my lathe is about 1/2 mm in the horizontal plane and O mm in the vertical plane. You have to look real close to see it with the naked eye. When I engage the mandrel with the live center tip and measure the runout at the very end of the mandrel I get about 0.006". The runout measured at the chuck end of the mandrel is about 0.004". Don't know if that is better or worse than others or typical, but it works OK for me.

Thanks you, excellent idea . . . Have two brand new unused mandrels . . . Like all my tools, UNUSED ! ! ! !