Brand new lathe turning out of round, fresh out of the box

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spindlecraft

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So I recently purchased my second Jet 1221 Lathe. Out of the box, I chucked something up attempting to make a kitless pen – and noticed that while in my collet chuck, the blank looked like it was turning out of round.

After trying a lot of different things, I have come to the conclusion that it's not the collet chuck that is the problem – it's the lathe.

One thing I noticed on the lathe was that the threads had a burr on them, which I took off with a dremel tool. I "thought" I did a pretty clean job with it – but what you're seeing in the video is post-burr-removal.

I DID try calling Jet, and explained that to them – but they told me that wouldn't be the problem. Their advice was to purchase some plastic spindle washers to put over the threads, which would help the chuck fit more snugly against the collar at the rear of the threads....

I don't know that I'm convinced.

I have attached a video of what I'm looking at. Does anybody else have any recommendations or suggestions? Should I try ordering a new spindle, and replace the one I have? Or should I return it completely?


 
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WriteON

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Have a different chuck to confirm? And if lathe is new I suggest contact the vendor in case exchange is called for. Could easily be the chuck… just my .02
 

monophoto

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I tend to agree with Frank - as I look at the video, it appears that the end of the chuck closest to the headstock is turning true, but the item in the collet clearly as visible runout.

Maybe it's time to invest in a dial indicator? Maybe measure runout on the unthreaded side of the spindle itself without the collet chuck.

By the way, I know lots of people use plastic washers (including me), but they can cause runout. To get the best picture of what is happening, you want to asses the performance of the headstock without plastic washers.
 

spindlecraft

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The only reason I am suspecting that it's the lathe, and not the chuck is because I have a second lathe.. and when I put the collet chuck on that lathe, it runs true.

I do have some other chucks though, and it's the same thing. Ever so slightly out of round...
 

WriteON

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The only reason I am suspecting that it's the lathe, and not the chuck is because I have a second lathe.. and when I put the collet chuck on that lathe, it runs true.

I do have some other chucks though, and it's the same thing. Ever so slightly out of round...
Have a Nova type chuck? Or Can you post the threaded section only while it's turning.
 
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egnald

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Do you have a dead center with a Morse Taper #2 that you could pop in the headstock? If it wobbles too then it is likely a problem with the spindle or spindle bearings. If it runs true then it has to be something related to the 1" x 8 TPI threads or the flange on the back of the threads.

As has already been mentioned, it would be good if you could get a dial indicator to check it out for sure. I bought my dial indicator and magnetic stand at Harbor Freight for about $30 total. - Dave
 

randyrls

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There is one thing and you likely know this. There is a specific load order with collet chucks.
1. Thread the collet chuck on the head stock threads.
2. Load the collet onto the nut. Make sure the collet snaps onto the lock ring.
3. Thread the nut and collet onto the nose of the chuck.
4. Insert the work held piece into the collet and tighten.

The video looks like the chuck isn't tight against the spindle nose of the lathe. The vertical face of the chuck and the face of the spindle nose must meet in alignment. Try to take a thin feeler gauge and see if at any point where the chuck meets the spindle nose it can be inserted between them.

If you want to check run out a Dial Indicator like this one is your friend. Put the indicator point on the inside of the morse taper. Easier; put a pen mandrel in the morse taper and see if it shows run out.

Hope this helps.
 

leehljp

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Their advice was to purchase some plastic spindle washers to put over the threads, which would help the chuck fit more snugly against the collar at the rear of the threads

That is not an uncommon suggestion and on occasion over the years I have seen this (both here and in other articles) work to different one's satisfaction, but not all. It seemed to help about 50+ % of the time. It was recommended for a plastic washer on one of my grinders with CBN wheels, and that straightened/balanced the wheel out to perfect smooth run.
 

KenB259

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Doesn't look to me like your collet chuck is screwed all the way on. Here's a picture of mine, same lathe and probably the same chuck. Notice no gap
 

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sorcerertd

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Might it just be something simple like the threads on the new lathe just needing to be cleaned? I had some CA on the headstock of mine once and couldn't even see it there, but it was enough to really throw things off further away from the threads. I felt pretty dumb once I found the problem (with some help from you guys).
 

jttheclockman

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Make sure the lathe is level. I agree about the chuck not being screwed all the way on. It should sit against the ring for sure. All chucks do that. If you have a dead center, pop that in the headstock and watch it spin. If no movement it is either the threads or the chuck. try spinning the chuck on more. I would get a plastic flat washer between the chuck and the flat silver part. keeps from locking on there.
 

rherrell

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I agree with Ken, the threads do NOT hold the chuck "true", it has to seat on the spindle backplate to be held true. Measure the distance from the end of the spindle nose to the backplate on both lathes and see if there is a difference.
 

spindlecraft

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Just a quick update on this. After trying a couple of different things – I ended up just purchasing a new spindle, and replacing it. The good news is – that did the trick. No more turning out of round, and my chucks are seating up against the back plate properly now. The bad news is... now my lathe won't seem to go over 1000 RPM's. So... onto the next problem :rolleyes:. I don't know - is it time for me to make the 150 mile trip back to Rockler, and just replace the lathe altogether?
 

KenB259

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Just a quick update on this. After trying a couple of different things – I ended up just purchasing a new spindle, and replacing it. The good news is – that did the trick. No more turning out of round, and my chucks are seating up against the back plate properly now. The bad news is... now my lathe won't seem to go over 1000 RPM's. So... onto the next problem :rolleyes:. I don't know - is it time for me to make the 150 mile trip back to Rockler, and just replace the lathe altogether?
Don't take offense by this, but have you checked that the belt is in the correct position to allow faster speeds?
 

spindlecraft

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Don't take offense by this, but have you checked that the belt is in the correct position to allow faster speeds?
No offense taken! I have indeed checked to make sure the belt was on the highest speed settings. And - just to be extra safe, I also tried switching to a different position, to see if it changed the read out at all. BOTH belt settings maxed out at 1000RPM.
 

monophoto

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You mentioned earlier that you called Jet and were not satisfied with the quality of the answer they gave you about the excessive runout. Have you spoken to the store that actually sold the lathe? I know they are pretty far away, but there is the telephone.

Its starting to sound like you may have a 'Monday lathe'. If you aren't familiar with that term, it's comes from the automotive industry where supposedly cars assembled on Monday have a higher incidence of factory defects because the workforce is still recovering from the weekend.

A few days ago, someone was asking for guidance on selecting a new lathe, and I pointed out that there are lots of stories all over the internet about problems people have had with just about every model of lathe out there - no manufacturer gets it 100% right 100% of the time. You eventually reach the point where the right thing to do is invoke the money-back guarantee and get a different machine.

The way our house is designed, its not possible to see what it happening on our driveway from inside the house. So last Fall I bought a security camera from Amazon to mount on the garage to correct that problem. It worked initially, but then died. I tried reaching out to the manufacturer but got a runaround - fortunately, one phone call to Amazon resolved the problem.

If the customer service person at Jet can't help, ask to speak to his supervisor. And if that doesn't work, call the store manager at Rockler, explain the problem, and tell him that you expect your money back for the lathe, for the replacement spindle, and for your mileage to schlep it to their store.
 
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KenB259

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No offense taken! I have indeed checked to make sure the belt was on the highest speed settings. And - just to be extra safe, I also tried switching to a different position, to see if it changed the read out at all. BOTH belt settings maxed out at 1000RPM.
Yeah, I think I'd return it, I think you got a lemon.
 

SteveG

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This is sounding like a lemon...not a lathe. Additional troubleshooting will likely solve all issues. A question arises. Why buy a replacement spindle for a new lathe under warranty? I have had issues with two newly purchased lathes over the years. In each case, a single call to manufacturer's tech support resulted in them send a complete subassembly replacement part, actually a tail stock, in both cases. Or , consider going ahead and getting a replacement lathe.
 

jttheclockman

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I too would check with the store and return it. Before that I would do some electrical testing. May sound dumb to you but I would check the voltage output at the receptacle you are plugging into including an extension chord if using one. (not sure why this is typing darker but kind of like it 🙂) 120volts is what you want or there abouts. Does the speed change with the knob? Does the knob stop at the highest position? It could be the board has a jumper in the wrong place to control the speed. Again you should not have to buy new parts or even mess with a brand new lathe. Take it back.
 

rixstix

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Are you sure that you didn't foul up the spindle speed sensor?

I would think that a user replacing a major component could void the warranty unless factory approved and/or provided.
 
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