Beginner's guide to tailstock alignment
Model Engineers' Workshop|February 2020
If you want to turn parallel or drill small holes in the lathe without breaking bits, lining up the tailstock is essential. Pete Barker shows how simple it is.
Beginner's guide to tailstock alignment

Setting your lathe’s tailstock alignment, photo 1, is something any beginner can do by following a few simple procedures. The first step is to determine how far out of line the tailstock is sitting. The second is to adjust the tailstock using the simple mechanism provided on most lathes. The third is to test the result by turning a bar between centres and measuring the diameter along its length, aiming at the same reading at both ends -- and in the middle of course.

Providing your lathe is in good useable condition, needing minor adjustment and not major surgery, the following steps will soon have you turning parallel. It will also help prevent bit breakages if you have to drill small holes.

The quick way

The easiest way to see what is going on between your lathe’s centres, the headstock centre and tailstock centre, is to place a thin steel ruler between the points and gently turn the tailstock handwheel until the ruler is firmly gripped, then tighten the barrel lock. The tailstock base clamping lever should be locked before advancing the barrel. If the two points are in line, the ruler will stand up straight vertically, photo 2, and lie square across the lathe bed horizontally. This can be judged very closely by eye. If the ruler sits at an angle in either plane, photo 3, the tailstock needs adjusting as described in the second half of this article.

If you don’t have a second dead centre to put in the headstock, you can use my preferred method of gripping a short length of 1/2” (13mm) bar in the threejaw chuck and turning a point on it by offsetting the top slide to 30 degrees, photo 4. The angle is not critical, nor is the concentricity of the piece of bar in the chuck. With the tool bit set at centre height, the turned point will be bang-on true to the spindle axis.

この蚘事は Model Engineers' Workshop の February 2020 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は Model Engineers' Workshop の February 2020 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

MODEL ENGINEERS' WORKSHOPのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
Readers' Workshops - Patrick Cubbon
Model Engineers' Workshop

Readers' Workshops - Patrick Cubbon

Patrick Cubbon describes his workshops – a portable one from 1963 and the current accommodation

time-read
2 分  |
May 2020
Desktop Gear Hobbing
Model Engineers' Workshop

Desktop Gear Hobbing

Toby Kinsey has designed this fascinating piece of gearmaking equipment

time-read
9 分  |
May 2020
The John Stevenson Trophy 2020
Model Engineers' Workshop

The John Stevenson Trophy 2020

Many readers and forum members will remember John Stevenson, a contributor to MEW but best known for his larger-than life presence on the Model Engineer forum.

time-read
3 分  |
May 2020
From the Archives: Twist drill Sharpening by the Four Facet Method
Model Engineers' Workshop

From the Archives: Twist drill Sharpening by the Four Facet Method

Giles Parkes, MEW Issue 64, February/March 2000

time-read
4 分  |
May 2020
Dividing on the Warco 220 Lathe
Model Engineers' Workshop

Dividing on the Warco 220 Lathe

Peter Shaw describes a mandrel dividing attachment for this popular lathe that can be adapted to fit many other benchtop machines

time-read
8 分  |
May 2020
Choosing Steels
Model Engineers' Workshop

Choosing Steels

Stub Mandrel offers some advice on choosing the right steel for the job

time-read
7 分  |
May 2020
A Storage Story
Model Engineers' Workshop

A Storage Story

Robin King shares the lessons learned from his experience of workshop moves

time-read
8 分  |
May 2020
A Simple Drill Grinding Aid
Model Engineers' Workshop

A Simple Drill Grinding Aid

A newcomer to our hobby was having trouble sharpening drills, so Howard Lewis made a simple aid for him

time-read
2 分  |
May 2020
Yet Another Bodge-Up!
Model Engineers' Workshop

Yet Another Bodge-Up!

Peter Shaw finds a use for some aged homebrew slot drills.

time-read
5 分  |
March 2020
Workshop Press Tooling Part 2
Model Engineers' Workshop

Workshop Press Tooling Part 2

Will Doggett makes a set of tooling for his press tool described starting in issue 285

time-read
5 分  |
March 2020