tail stock problems

[rampa room artillery]

I am having trouble with my tailstock sliding when drilling. i know i need to clean the rails and the tail stock to keep it from sliding back. but is there a safe way to use clamping stops behind the tail stock to keep it from sliding??  I am also finding creative ways to bore 22 inch deep bore on a 38 in lathe.   
   looked at a 6x48 inch belt sander with stand from harbor freight but didnt like that is only goes from flat to a 45 not vertical. and not up to quality for what i was looking for.  dont get me wrong i just spent 200 dollars there but we call them the throw away tool store. use it then lose it. but they are cheap enough for that.  anyone know of a good brand of belt sander that wont break the bank?

 rick bryan

[Cat Whisperer]

Tail stock is tightened by the lever/cam.  The range of tightening is adjusted by the nut on the bolt and clamp assembly going into the ways.  Adjusting it to where it will just slide when loosened will give you the most cam pressure.

Hmmm.  Belt sander.  I have a 6" belt and 10" disk.  Yard sale. They're out there!  Someday I'll fire it up....

[GGaskill]

The tail stock ways clamp lever should come to a hard stop like tightening a nut on a bolt, not like running into a stop.  If the latter, you need to take up some of the slack in the system and achieve the former.

[Double D]

Dull tools and excessive pressure will move a tail stock.   So will chips left in the hole if you crank the tool in and it and doesn't start cutting and you crank on the feed hard.   

[Cat Whisperer]

True.  But having owned that machine before, it does take some force in locking the tailstock down.  (Maybe it's just the high lubricity way lube.)   

[dominick]

Rick,  Maybe there's a second lock?  My large lathe that I sold had two locks.  There is a lever lock on the side and a nut lock that is hidden under the turn crank.  I had the sliding problem until I found the second lock.

[Cat Whisperer]

Rick -

Dominick, George and I said the same thing in three different ways.  Tighten up the nut under the tailstock.  Let us know.

[rampa room artillery]

nut is tight,  i was just afraid to take a rubber mallot to the lever i am not a little guy and i pulled pretty hard but like a said i know there is alot of oil on the surfaces and i think that has somthing to do with it. I think my bits are just dull. i need to invest in a large bit sharpener that i can sharpen my 2 in bits on.

rick bryan
 

[dominick]

What I meant is besides the one underneath the lathe there may be another lock elsewhere.  My lathe has it on the end of the tailstock.  Red arrow.

[Cat Whisperer]

Ahhhh, an ADDITIONAL lock.  I'm not aware of one,  but I'll look on mine tonight.

(Rich and I have identical machines - only difference is one digit on the serial number.)

[GGaskill]

If you can't figure it out, post some pix of the tailstock area of your machine.

[seacoastartillery]

Rick,

     As far as the belt sander goes, there's only one thing against it and that is the fact is is a 'belt sander'.  Our experience of 35 years indicates to us that a 12" disk sander will do anything that a belt type will do with far fewer problems, much easier set-up, and a quality 12" Disk Sander similar to the Jet we bought 8 years ago WILL NOT 'Snipe" your boards during thickness sanding like a belt type will.  We had a delta combo belt and disk for 24 years and after just a year we were only using the Disk half of that machine.  With just a few jigs you can easily make from scrap hardwood, you can precisely square wood or metal and thickness sand 20 foot long pieces of wood to within a few thousanths of an inch again and again.  For metal, there is absolutely no comparison!  The disk wins hands down.  Other than our bandsaw, it is the second most used tool in our shop.

Hope this info helps you,

Tracy

[Zulu]

I also have a Delta combo.  I use the disc exclusively for metal and the belt for wood.
Zulu

[Cat Whisperer]

If you can't figure it out, post some pix of the tailstock area of your machine.

[Cat Whisperer]

It's simple - one lever to lock the spindle and one to lock the tailstock.

Now from underneith:

[GGaskill]

Only thing I can say is to take up the nut until you can't hit the stop at the tighten end of the lever.

[Double D]

I have found on both of the lathes I have and had, that if the nut on the bottom was too tight the tail stock lock lever would not cam over and lock tight.   I always adjusted the nut until I could feel the lever tighten then cam over.

Lube on the ways is necessary to keep them free and clear of chips and debris.  It also helps from getting chips and debris between way and tail stock and reduces wear.

Still for me the most common reason for tail stock slippage was dull tools, excessive pressure feeding the tool and chips left in the hole, building up on the tool.

You don't need brute force to drill a hole.  Sharp tools, frequent clean out. When drilling holes with tail stock just keep the feed steady and watch the chips coming out when the chop stop coming out, pull the tool and clean out.  Deeper the hole the more attention needed.  I just go in one revolution of the tail stock feed pull the tool out and clean out.   The lathe and tail stock is not a drill press.   

[dominick]

I was going to make an adjustable prop that rested behind the tailstock and cradled the valley between the ways.  The prop would be made of a length of bar stock [1/2" x 2"' and have a row of holes in it.  It wasn't necessary when I found the second lock.  I needed it for the 2-5/8" spade bit.

[willdj79]

I always also lead drill with a drill diameter slightly larger than the large drills web, at least on twist drills.