I seem to have seized up my Jet 1642 tailstock quill/leadscrew.. doh!

[David Brimm]

Yep, like the title says I seem to have seized the two up.

I backed it down and ejected a tool and I guess must have backed down a bit more without noticing and while I didn't do it with any significant force it's done and seized good. :confused: I've tried soaking in penatrating oil, lightly tapping on it, twisting, pulling, pleading, praying and profanity all to no avail so I guess I'm going to have to call Jet tomorrow. I expect they'll say it's user error or something not covered under warranty but who knows. I suppose if I have to buy a set I have to buy a set.

So, Google found some other stories of people doing the same, has anyone here gone through this?

How did you get it resolved? Any helpful suggestions or advice besides "next time don't do that"? :rolleyes:

[Steve Schlumpf]

David - without being there and seeing things for myself... my first thought was to check the quill locking screw and make sure that the quill did not rotate when you backed it down. I have had that happen and it will stop the quill dead in its tracks! Other than that, I would remove the handwheel and take things apart until the quill was free. Good luck!

[David Brimm]

Thanks Steve, doesn't look like I'm going to get off as easy as that this time. I've got the quill completely removed from the tailstock along with the completely retracted (into the quill) lead screw. It's actually quite amazing how well this thing is stuck together, I mean there's literally not any movement or play, if I didn't know better I would insist it was a solid piece.

I found a couple stories of the same thing happening to people and Jet apparently telling them "time for a new assembly" so I don't think things are good but I'm going to wack on it a bit more this morning. I've been soaking it in penetrating oil since last night, doubt it will change anything but we'll see. I'm guessing that in these cases the lead screw slips out of the threads on the quill and then isn't able to move anymore either on or off. Either that or it just backs into the bottom of the hole friction-binds like a morse taper.

Anyway, I guess I better get on the phone to Jet. I'll post again with further developments.

Thanks!

[Tim Rinehart]

David, if it gets down to having to buy a replacement...here's something worth a try before you do.
I don't recall how the handwheel attaches to the lead screw, but find a way to secure the lead screw firmly, like in a vise or with vise grips. Try to hold in a way that won't prevent cleaning up any buggered area that you need to reassemble.
Heat the quill up with either Mapp or Acetylene, fast as possible to prevent much heating of the lead screw.
Use a vise grip or other clamping method to try to turn the quill off while hot, but before getting much heat to the lead screw. The mechanics behind it is to make the quill grow to loosen it's hold, before the lead screw gets hot and grows as well.
If you have to marr any part of the quill...make it be the part near the end where the center is installed, as the very end doesn't slide into the tailstock. I'm thinking it's not a good idea to try to heat or force the quill while in the tailstock, since any damage to it or the guide pin would really send the $$ racking up. Ideally, if you can make up a spanner wrench to turn the quill...that would be best. Take the quill up to an autoparts store, and ask if they have any sort of spanners that would work on it...you may get lucky.
Good luck!

[Kenneth Hertzog]

What Tim said plus
take it to a local machine shop and see if they can help
maybe they can drill it out without damage to other parts
they make easy outs that may work also
Ken

[David Brimm]

Thanks Tim, Kenneth..

I tried the quick heating torch method this morning and didn't have any luck unfortunately. I also secured it in the clamp and torquing on the other end with a big wrench (even tried with a breaker bar) and it still won't budge. I did end up marring the surface but it's the end that doesn't make it into the tailstock so I wasn't concerned about it too much, still no-go.

Just got off the phone with Jet where their tech told me to "try to break it free some more" and "get it apart and take a picture of any internal damage and we'll replace it".. sigh. I think I'll drop it off at the machine shop at work (along with a 12pk of beer of course) and see if they can't get it apart otherwise looks like I'm going to have to order one. Of course this is all right when I was in the middle of a project and while I still have the little 1014 lathe I've become spoiled after 6 months of working on the big guy. :(

[Roger Chandler]

That is a bummer! :(

[Mike Svoma]

Crazy question..........The lead screw has left hand threads, right?

[Jim Underwood]

I may have a spare quill in my shop... :rolleyes:

[David Brimm]

Alright guys, update time.

The machinist at work was able to break the lead screw free by clamping the quill in a much larger vise than mine and using a very big wrench so woohoo! I forgot to take a picture before reassembling it but it looked like a leading edge of the threads had got spalled up a bit and then compacted in good by my attempts to free it. The quill is a bit worse for the wear with some light marks from the vise(s) and a slipped wrench but it works again and is much better than shelling out $100 for a new assembly.

Anyways, thanks for all the suggestions and whatnot, back to making shavings! :cool:

[Kyle Iwamoto]

So what was the reason it got stuck? I'd like to avoid all of that stress. Seems like you didn't do anything wrong...

[David Brimm]

So what was the reason it got stuck? I'd like to avoid all of that stress. Seems like you didn't do anything wrong...

It seems my mistake was accidentally continuing to retract the quill after the live center had ejected.. I think that's what you don't want to do, bottom out the assembly.

[Jim Underwood]

I didn't think that was possible....

I'll have to check that out when I get back to the lathe.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I didn't think that was possible....


Me neither. But I'm not going to test that out. I'll let you try.:D

[Jim Underwood]

Oh come on.. you know you want to.;)

[Ryan Baker]

I've done that lots of times on mine and haven't gotten it stuck [yet]. I try not to do it though ... and after this thread will probably try harder to not do it...