Ever seen this before?

[Mark Hix]

I have not turned much in several months, just the usual interruptions. My large lathe is a 1236 that I bought used in 2007 with a lot of miles already on it. My son wanted to make some gifts for friends so we started on a pepper mill. We had almost finished the drilling when everything seemed to come loose and I heard a clink sound. The back of the tail stock had worn all the way through. I found a small washer looking piece on the floor next to the lathe. We were able to finish drilling and he finished turning on my mini lathe so it was not big problem. I ordered the part and it took a couple weeks to get it in. Here is a photo of the old tail stock on the left and new one on the right. As long as I was assembling, I just HAD to give it a test run. Turned a pepper mill for my sister. Rosewood and now has WOP.


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[Harry Robinette]

Nope, can honestly say I have never seen this happen or even heard of it happening.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I am with Harry. Never have seen or heard of this happening.

[Brian Ashton]

a thought on it

Is it possible there was a press fit ring that has popped out the back. You did say you found a washer... Otherwise the only thing I could think that could cause the back to wear out is if you lost the shaft locking key or sheared it off (it stops the tail stock shaft from spinning...) but you would have noticed the shaft spinning and the heat it would have generated I suspect...

[Jerry Marcantel]

What looks like happened is when the feed screw was installed, it was not lubed on the shoulder that backs up onto the housing. Every time pressure was put on the live/dead center, the screw shoulder flange would grind away a small amount of metal. I don't know how old the lathe is, but it would take many years for that to happen. I'm going to go out on a limb and say Mark also had some slop in the quill travel before it ground through.... I can confidently say this as I noticed this happening to my own tailstock, and stopped it from wearing by inserting a harded washer between the feed screw and tailstock housing..........It also took out that 1/8" slop I had in the feed screw......... If you go the thread, "Tailstock Issues", started by Gerald Wearvey?, I posted a couple pictures of what my feed screw looks like. If your feed screw looks like that, the shoulder flange is what is caused the wear through your tailstock................. Jerry (in Tucson)

[Mel Fulks]

Haven't seen that happen. Did work for a turner once. He always made a big deal of backing off off on pressure after putting something in the lathe. With both the live and dead dead types.