jet mini tailstock woes

[willis martin]

does anyone out in creekland know a cure for the tailstock becoming loose during turning.I locked itdown as tight as I can to no avail.Thanking y'all ahead of time for any help.

[Keith Outten]

Willis,

There are several threads here that discuss the problem you are having with your tailstock. The simple answer is that you need to replace the round nut on the bottom of your tailstock bolt with a T nut. The T nut will quadruple the contact surface with your lathe ways and it won't flex when you tighten the bolt.

If you search our archives there is a sketch that provides the dimensions you need if you decide to make your own and I believe a link to a source to purchase a T nut if you don't have the means to make your own.
.

[Michelle Rich]

I used a piece of the material that one uses to help old folks open jar lids. Put it under your bedways, put bolt thru it, and then the nut...

[Charles Bjorgen]

Monster Lathe Tools has exactly what you need. It's the T-nuts that you'll find in the Just for Minis category. It solved that exact problem I had with a jet Mini I just sold. Some have also experienced the problem with Tool Rest creep and that's why they sell a package of two T-nuts.

[Bernie Weishapl]

+1 for Monster Lathe Tools T-nuts. I put them on my Jet 1220 and no more moving.

[Jim Underwood]

I usually use a mallet to tighten the handle. Couple of taps... No more creep. However, it will probably cause problems in the long run. But since I only use the mini occasionally, I'm not going to go to a lot of trouble to fix the problem.

I'd recommend the T-nut if you use your mini all the time.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

+2 for the Monster nuts. Hmm. Why did that sound bad.... That stopped my banjo creep, although sometimes I have to really tighten down on the TS to stop it from creeping. Probably the one weak spot on the Jet Mini.

[Mike Willeson]

My experience is that the tailstock comes loose because it does not tighten flush. The way I work around it is to move the tailstock into position, tighten the lever pretty good, then give the tailstock a jerk backwards with my hand. You can feel it move a little bit. This seems to help seat the lockdown washer/bolt underneath. I then tighten the lever again and it seems to hold. The replacement part listed above appears to work well for others, this is just my solution without purchasing a new part.

[Philip Duffy]

Always, yes always, pull the handle up not push it down-- - works for me, but I have a square flange underneath my bro-in law made for me. Phil