Lathe Maintenance

[JasonM]

I inherited a Jet 1014 Mini and it needs a little TLC. I turned a practice pen and found it to be somewhat out of round. I referenced online to find out more about what could be causing it and I it was as simple as the mandrel being slightly bent.

But during the search, I read informaiton regarding numerous other possible culprits and quickly learned how little I know about general care of the lathe.

The manuals and web searches I have looked at provide a lot of info on using the lathe, but not so much on care and maintenance. Can anyone refer me to a good source for such info?

I'm particularly interseted in general care and "tune up" type needs. For instance:
* How do I know the proper tightness for the headstock handwheel? This one was obviously too tight as the headstock got hot from the friction and after turning the lathe off, the mandrel stopped spinning much quicker than I would have expected. But how much does it need to be loosened so as not to be too loose?

* How much (if any) play is acceptable in the tailstock? (this Jet has a small amount of front to back wobble to it, which can be rectified by tightening the underneath bolt, but that just seems to then interfere with how easily it travels along the bed.

*The tailstock spindle is showing some signs of oxidation. Is this normal? It doesn't seem to impede adjustments with the tailstock handwheel, but will it cause other problems?

Thanks for any information you can provide!

 

[Fred]

Jason, I would recommend that you lightly sand to a good polished state the bed of the lathe and then apply a very good wax. This will prevent rusting and will also help when you move the tool rest, the head stock, or the tailstock. Keep the ways clean of all finishes - paper towels work very well when placed below the item being finished, etc.

Clean with steel wool any rusty places you find on your tail stock - anywhere - and then lightly oil the metal to prevent future rusting. I find WD-40 works very well for me. Spray on and then wipe lightly to remove any excess.

Your heat problem is probably resulting from over tightening the wheel. Another cause may be that the live center is not spinning as it should be. BTW, a live center should be mounted in the tailstock and a dead center in the headstock. Or maybe I just don't read your question correctly???

As for the 'play' in your tailstock that can't be good for concentric turning. You must find the problem and repair it ASAP. Maybe a brass shim could be your fix? Use brass as it will slide easier than anything else. Points of both the dead center in the headstock and the live center in the tail stock must align to make round turnings. Otherwise you are turning 'off-center' and the results will look like a hammer handle - oblong depending on the amount of off-center the two points actually are!

Just bring the tailstock with the live center up close to the dead center in the head stock and check for their alignment. The two points should mate dead on center to center.

Good luck!

 

[JasonM]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll give it a shot and let you know how it goes.