Tail stock movement?

[Roger Chandler]

Without going out to the shop and measuring all over again, I can tell you the gap is 1.5". And I know those specs from setting up a steady rest, and other accessories. Measuring with a digital cliper would be better if one had concerns. I believe the concerns expressed with tailstock movement here are simply due to the lathe being out of adjustment, and agree that a fixed center would be better for alignment purposes.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Without going out to the shop and measuring all over again, I can tell you the gap is 1.5". And I know those specs from setting up a steady rest, and other accessories. Measuring with a digital cliper would be better if one had concerns. I believe the concerns expressed with tailstock movement here are simply due to the lathe being out of adjustment, and agree that a fixed center would be better for alignment purposes.

Changing a twist in the bed (if there is any) does not change the width between the ways, as far as I’m concerned, This sloppy fit is typical for the "Made in China” low cost lathes.

After all, wood lathes are not precision machinery, and IF the OP want to get a closer fit, glueing shim stock to the tailstock foot would be the easiest way to improve it as long as the opening between the ways is consistent.

As a matter of fact, I did this to a previous lathe I had, a Delta LA200, you can see the brass shim on the side of the foot here.

new plate and shim under tailstock.jpg

[Roger Chandler]

Changing a twist in the bed (if there is any) does not change the width between the ways, as far as I’m concerned, This sloppy fit is typical for the "Made in China” low cost lathes.

After all, wood lathes are not precision machinery, and IF the OP want to get a closer fit, glueing shim stock to the tailstock foot would be the easiest way to improve it as long as the opening between the ways is consistent.

As a matter of fact, I did this to a previous lathe I had, a Delta LA200, you can see the brass shim on the side of the foot here.

new plate and shim under tailstock.jpg

No disagreement with what you said here, Leo, especially with the Asian manufactured lathes. I do think that if the OP on this thread desires super precision, then he will likely need shims, etc. I can say that from my personal experience with this G0766 model, that it is well made, and in my opinion rivals the the quality of any Jet lathe I have ever seen, and the Powermatics I have turned on, which to date is 11 of the 3520b's, with the exception that the 3520b does have more cast iron in the bed and legs, but not by a lot.

My G0766 is dead on in alignment of centers, as are most others I have heard about, and has handled 100 lb. blanks with no problems, and cores well with the 3 hp motor. We have fellow club members with this lathe, and they are dead on as well, and have had zero problems.

It is not one of the old iron pattern lathes, or a VB-36, and I think most of the owners of the 0766 would not put it in the league with a Robust AB, nor a Oneway 2436, but for an Asian model, it will certainly hold its own with more well known models. Grizzly has made some real advances in features and quality over the last few years.