Jet 1642 misalignment

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larryc

larryc

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Joined
Oct 2, 2009
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1,135
Location
Mableton, GA (Near Atlanta)
I just brought home a new Jet 1642 lathe.:smile:

I have a problem and wondered if anyone has a quick solution?

The headstock and tailstock are misaligned by about 1/16".:mad:

Is there a quick way to cure this. Customer service is closed until Monday but maybe someone here has a solution.:confused:
 
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You have to make sure lathe bed is level, along length & across ways.

You may also have to loosen headstock, until lined up then tighten back down.

I replaced tailstock, revolving center with one of my old ones and a 60 degree pen center.
 
Since I first posted this thread I found more info that may indicate the solution to my problem (About what Wildman suggested).
When I bought the lathe it was a floor model at a local Woodcraft store and had been fitted with casters to make it easy to move around the store. I thought that was a great idea since I have limited space in my shop (isn't that a novel situation?).
I will probably have to remove the casters and replace them with the factory adjustable feet and level the unit both ways.
Also further investigation has shown that the amount and direction of deviation depends on the placement of the headstock and tailstock.
Will replace the casters and level the lathe and hope that solves the problem. First to find a permanent home for the lathe in my shop.
 
I have the same model lathe but not this problem. I would recommend that you DEFINITELY find a permanent location in your shop for the lathe. Then test the levelness down the length of the ways and across the ways from front to back.

From what you said about the problem being 'different' at various locations it would be my assumption that your unit is being flexed by the casters in some way or another. I really don't see how that could be as the casting of the bed is rather robust.

Examine the machine carefully and try to determine if it has been overturned. There may be evidence of this IF any paint appears to have been damaged at any of the corners OR if there is any metal dented on any of the ways corners.

I would also suggest trying to embed the mounting bolts into anything very sturdy IF the shop floor is anything other than cement. Even if the floor is cement then embedding the bolts would be an improvement to just using leveling feet. I solved a bunch of headaches just by drilling into the cement floor of my shop and using embedded bolts.

I don't remember the size of the bolts right off-hand, but there were a lot bigger than the original holes that were in the cast feet. I also used hardened bolts for extra strength just in case it ever may be needed. A large nut on the bolt and under the four feet is used to level the machine and then another nut from the top of the four feet is tightened up to secure the placement.

Bolting to the shop floor was made easier for me since I designed my shop around the initial placement of the lathe and could dedicate the floor space to a permanent position in the beginning. Hopefully you can plan your shop around your lathe.

Just my $0.02 worth ... I wish you good luck on solving your problem! :biggrin:
 
I removed the casters and installed the factory supplied feet.
The lathe is level - front to back and side to side.
The tailstock is still about 1/16" lower than the headstock when the headstock is in the normal position.
Will call customer service tomorrow unless someone has some other ideas.
 
SOLUTION

Talked to Jet customer service this AM and the fellow I talked to knew exactly how to solve the problem. It seems that the lathe bed will twist or bend even though the bed is level side to side and front to back.

The solution is to raise or lower the individual feet to align the head and tail stock.

I reinstalled the casters (which I had removed when I thought they were causing the problem), and adjusted them so that the two points were right on.

Back to turning.
 
Just bear in mind that any time you move the lathe (even to sweep) you may need
to level the lathe again if it stays on the casters. Using the (normally supplied)
leveling legs would have accomplished this also.. but if the casters are more convenient,
then go for it. Just keep the leveling in mind any time you suspect an alignment problem.
 
NewLondon88 said:
Just bear in mind that any time you move the lathe (even to sweep) you may need
to level the lathe again if it stays on the casters. Using the (normally supplied)
leveling legs would have accomplished this also.. but if the casters are more convenient,
then go for it. Just keep the leveling in mind any time you suspect an alignment problem.
Click to expand...


Sweep? What's that?:confused:
 
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