The tailstock and headstock of my old Craftsman single 2" monotube lathe no
longer meet. The error seems to be 3/16" or more.

How can I get them to match again?

bernie feinerman

bernie feinerman wrote:
The tailstock and headstock of my old Craftsman single 2" monotube lathe no
longer meet. The error seems to be 3/16" or more.

How can I get them to match again?

bernie feinerman



I assume that you checked the adjusting screw on the back side of the
tailstock on the bottom edge.
Norvin

"bernie feinerman" wrote:

The tailstock and headstock of my old Craftsman single 2" monotube
lathe no longer meet. The error seems to be 3/16" or more.

How can I get them to match again?

bernie feinerman




Look for a double ended morse taper. One end in the headstock, everything
loose, bring up the tailstock, seat the other end of the MT in the
tailstock and tighten both headstock and tailstock to the tube. This
presumes you have matching MT on both ends. I think Woodcraft used to sell
these.

On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 03:08:08 GMT, Lobby Dosser
wrote:

"bernie feinerman" wrote:

The tailstock and headstock of my old Craftsman single 2" monotube
lathe no longer meet. The error seems to be 3/16" or more.

How can I get them to match again?

bernie feinerman




Look for a double ended morse taper. One end in the headstock, everything
loose, bring up the tailstock, seat the other end of the MT in the
tailstock and tighten both headstock and tailstock to the tube. This
presumes you have matching MT on both ends. I think Woodcraft used to sell
these.

And Craftsmans use a #1 MT, instead of the #2 that seems to be
standard on almost anything else. What a surprise.

--
LRod

Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite

Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999

http://www.woodbutcher.net

Proud participant of rec.woodworking since February, 1997

email addy de-spam-ified due to 1,000 spams per month.
If you can't figure out how to use it, I probably wouldn't
care to correspond with you anyway.

LRod wrote:

And Craftsmans use a #1 MT, instead of the #2 that seems to be
standard on almost anything else. What a surprise.

Look in the yellow pages under machinists ...

Thanks for your good suggestions. The misalignment seems
only horizontal *so far).

Packard has a Morse Taper alignment tool (both #1 & #2)
which I will order before I do any serious lathe realignments

The Tailstock has a locking set screw but adjusting it does
not seem to do much of anything.

I did not find any setscrews holding anything (other than the
belt guard) at the headstock end of my lathe.

I will loosen the tailstock end of the monotube mount
and see if the monotube can be rotated.

"bernie feinerman" wrote: (clip) I did not find any setscrews holding
anything (other than the belt guard) at the headstock end of my lathe.(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Let's take this a step at a time. It's a mono-tube lathe, which means that
the lathe bed is a a tube inserted into a hole in the headstock, about 6"
below the spindle. Look for what holds the tube in the hole--either set
screws or hex head bolts or something. Whatever it is, has allowed the tube
to rotate, which permits the tailstock to move through a little arc.

You don't need any special alignment device. Put a live center in the
tailstock, and a spur drive in the spindle. Bring these together so they
just kiss. If they don't meet, as you say, then using the tailstock as a
crank/lever, rotate the monotube until they do. Now search for those
locking screws, and tighten them REALLY TIGHT.

If you con't find them, I'll drag my old lathe out of storage and take a
picture, which I can e-mail you.

"LRod" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 03:08:08 GMT, Lobby Dosser
wrote:
SNIP
Look for a double ended morse taper. One end in the headstock, everything
loose, bring up the tailstock, seat the other end of the MT in the
tailstock and tighten both headstock and tailstock to the tube. This
presumes you have matching MT on both ends. I think Woodcraft used to sell
these.

And Craftsmans use a #1 MT, instead of the #2 that seems to be
standard on almost anything else. What a surprise.

--
LRod
============
Small lathes with 3/4-16 spindles have to use the MT1 because the spindle is
too small for the MT2. That's why there are 3 common Morse Tapers.

Ken Moon
Webberville, TX

"bernie feinerman" wrote:


Packard has a Morse Taper alignment tool (both #1 & #2)
which I will order before I do any serious lathe realignments



There you go! Dead simple using the tool. There Are other methods, but I've
always found the tool the easiest and most reliable. YMMV

bernie feinerman wrote:
The tailstock and headstock of my old Craftsman single 2" monotube lathe no
longer meet. The error seems

to be 3/16" or more.

How can I get them to match again?

bernie feinerman



Does the tailstock rock back front to back ON THE TUBE? If so, there is
a set screw on the back to tighten it up against the alignment rail on
the bottom of the tube, assuming the rail is tight against the tube. You
want the tailstock set screw just loose enough to slide, but tight
enough to keep it from moving front to back.

If it does not, then loosen the end bolt on the right tube base and see
if the tailstock AND tube will move back and forth in relation to the
headstock. If not, loosen the setscrew in the back of the headstock and
align using the tips of the drive spur and the spur on the tailstock.
Then tighten the setscrew.

Mine is an old Harbor Freight clone but is probably identical. The
setscrew is in a hole in back of the headstock toward the motor. It uses
a 5 mm allen wrench (YMMV). You may have to blow the crud out of the
hole with an air gun. Once everything is in alignment and the setscrew
tight, tighten the bolt on the end of the tube last, making sure the
guide rail on the bottom of the two tube sections are aligned.

I no longer use mine other than as a polishing wheel, but I have seen
the guide rail loosen on the tube, the two tube sections loosen from
each other, and the tailstock loosen on the guide rail.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

A day without radiation is a day
without sunshine.





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"Gerald Ross" (clip) I have seen the guide rail loosen on the tube, the two
tube sections loosen from each other, and the tailstock loosen on the guide
rail.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Harbor Freight version makes up the rail out of two sections, pressed
together. Mine have also loosened--I think this is a very poor design,
probably done to make the shipping easier. The Sears version, as well as
the Ridgid, sold at Home Depot, both have a one-piece monotube.

Leo Lichtman and others are right.
There is a setscrew in the headstock to lock the monotube in place.

In my lathe (its about 40 years old), the setscrew is located in the
bottom of the headstock and I had the lathe lag bolted to a
solid wooden stand.

Thank you for your good suggestions and patience.
bernie feinerman

On Sun, 25 Jun 2006 02:47:17 GMT, "Ken Moon"
wrote:


"LRod" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 03:08:08 GMT, Lobby Dosser
wrote:
SNIP
Look for a double ended morse taper. One end in the headstock, everything
loose, bring up the tailstock, seat the other end of the MT in the
tailstock and tighten both headstock and tailstock to the tube. This
presumes you have matching MT on both ends. I think Woodcraft used to sell
these.

And Craftsmans use a #1 MT, instead of the #2 that seems to be
standard on almost anything else. What a surprise.

--
LRod
============
Small lathes with 3/4-16 spindles have to use the MT1 because the spindle is
too small for the MT2. That's why there are 3 common Morse Tapers.

Okay. Let's put it this way, then: Craftsmans use a 3/4" spindle
instead of the 1' or 1 1/8" that seems to be standard on almost
anything else. What a surprise.

Even the mini lathes use a 1" spindle.

--
LRod

Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite

Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999

http://www.woodbutcher.net

Proud participant of rec.woodworking since February, 1997

email addy de-spam-ified due to 1,000 spams per month.
If you can't figure out how to use it, I probably wouldn't
care to correspond with you anyway.

I have an old Craftsman mono-tube that I got from my father-in-law. Leo is
right about there being a set screw that holds the tube in place. The set
screw is on the side of the headstock nearest the motor at the base of the
headstock. I was having the same problem you are and had to search hard to
see it because the small hole for the set screw was full of dust and debris.
If you need pictures let me know and I will send them to you.

John


"Leo Lichtman" wrote in message
...

"bernie feinerman" wrote: (clip) I did not find any setscrews holding
anything (other than the belt guard) at the headstock end of my
lathe.(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Let's take this a step at a time. It's a mono-tube lathe, which means
that the lathe bed is a a tube inserted into a hole in the headstock,
about 6" below the spindle. Look for what holds the tube in the
hole--either set screws or hex head bolts or something. Whatever it is,
has allowed the tube to rotate, which permits the tailstock to move
through a little arc.

You don't need any special alignment device. Put a live center in the
tailstock, and a spur drive in the spindle. Bring these together so they
just kiss. If they don't meet, as you say, then using the tailstock as a
crank/lever, rotate the monotube until they do. Now search for those
locking screws, and tighten them REALLY TIGHT.

If you con't find them, I'll drag my old lathe out of storage and take a
picture, which I can e-mail you.

"LRod" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 25 Jun 2006 02:47:17 GMT, "Ken Moon"
wrote:


"LRod" wrote in message
. ..
On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 03:08:08 GMT, Lobby Dosser
wrote:
SNIP
Look for a double ended morse taper. One end in the headstock,
everything
loose, bring up the tailstock, seat the other end of the MT in the
tailstock and tighten both headstock and tailstock to the tube. This
presumes you have matching MT on both ends. I think Woodcraft used to
sell
these.

And Craftsmans use a #1 MT, instead of the #2 that seems to be
standard on almost anything else. What a surprise.

--
LRod
============
Small lathes with 3/4-16 spindles have to use the MT1 because the spindle
is
too small for the MT2. That's why there are 3 common Morse Tapers.

Okay. Let's put it this way, then: Craftsmans use a 3/4" spindle
instead of the 1' or 1 1/8" that seems to be standard on almost
anything else. What a surprise.

Even the mini lathes use a 1" spindle.

--
LRod
==============
3/4-16 was used on a lot of older small lathes. The Sears unit was designed
back in the 70's, I think.

Ken

On Tue, 27 Jun 2006 03:19:12 GMT, "Ken Moon"
wrote:


"LRod" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 25 Jun 2006 02:47:17 GMT, "Ken Moon"
wrote:


"LRod" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 03:08:08 GMT, Lobby Dosser
wrote:
SNIP
Look for a double ended morse taper. One end in the headstock,
everything
loose, bring up the tailstock, seat the other end of the MT in the
tailstock and tighten both headstock and tailstock to the tube. This
presumes you have matching MT on both ends. I think Woodcraft used to
sell
these.

And Craftsmans use a #1 MT, instead of the #2 that seems to be
standard on almost anything else. What a surprise.

--
LRod
============
Small lathes with 3/4-16 spindles have to use the MT1 because the spindle
is
too small for the MT2. That's why there are 3 common Morse Tapers.

Okay. Let's put it this way, then: Craftsmans use a 3/4" spindle
instead of the 1' or 1 1/8" that seems to be standard on almost
anything else. What a surprise.

Even the mini lathes use a 1" spindle.

--
LRod
==============
3/4-16 was used on a lot of older small lathes. The Sears unit was designed
back in the 70's, I think.

It's a fair bit older than that, as I recall. Well back into the '60s,
at least, but I have no empirical evidence of that other than a slowly
fading memory. Unfortunately, I can't say when I first became aware of
their lathes, but I know I was looking at them in the '70s and I don't
have the impression they were new then.

--
LRod

Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite

Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999

http://www.woodbutcher.net

Proud participant of rec.woodworking since February, 1997

email addy de-spam-ified due to 1,000 spams per month.
If you can't figure out how to use it, I probably wouldn't
care to correspond with you anyway.