Hi,

I've noticed that I haven't been getting much
support from my tailstock when turning longer items,
so I set up an indicator to measure just how much
support I wasn't getting, and found that at 4"
extension, the end of the ram could move .012 with
hand pressure, unclamped, .010 clamped. Retracting
to 0" extension, I could move it about .004",
clamped. In both cases, I was measuring front-to-
back, but imagine the vertical number would be
similar. Adding washers under the clamp handle had
no effect.

Now the remedy: If this were something common like a
Southbend, Logan, or Monarch, I'd just try to track
down another tailstock. It's a 14" Hendey, 1890's
vintage. Probably not going to happen, so probably
best to try to repair what I've got.

Removing the ram and playing with a mic, I get 1.622
diameter everywhere I measured it. I haven't measured
the bore yet. I just got some telescoping gages, so
will have actual numbers on that later.

My options as I see it a
1. Bore out the tailstock and make a new ram.
Probably the simplest option, as the ram itself is
fairly simple, 9-1/8" long, 1-5/8" diameter, MT3
socket, LH acme thread on the back for about an inch
or two, one 1/8" keyway on the bottom, one oil groove
on the top. Possible fly in the ointment: making the
new ram without a good tailstock. I do have a steady,
but I haven't used it yet.

2. Rebore and have the ram plated and reground. Sounds
like this could get expensive in a hurry since I would
have to have someone else do this.

3. Rebore and sleeve to fit existing ram. If I do
this right, I may be able to bore out to fit standard
tubing, pressfit or locktite in place (as I'm not
experienced enough to trust my ability to get a good
press fit on this), then rebore this insert in place
to fit the ram?

4. Shim the clamp end of the tailstock bore with
something like sheet brass or aluminum, locktited in
place. A hack, if it would work at all.

Which would you choose, and why? Are there others
that I haven't thought of? (I can hear the rumble
of "yeah, get a newer lathe" from the back, and
while this may yet happen, it won't be soon).

In most these cases, I am looking at reboring the
tailstock. Would you expect being able to get
anything approaching reasonable results with a boring
bar held in a chuck and running in a steadyrest on
the far side of the tailstock? The handwheel end
of the tailstock casting looks like it doesn't come
off, so that end of the bar would have to fit through
the root diameter of the leadscrew, maybe 1/2", if
that. I'd expect that rigidity could be a problem
(understatement). At least the diameter from the
chuck up to the cutter could be larger, possibly up
to 1-1/2". Any other not-to-obvious gotchas?

Thanks,
--Glenn Lyford