Jet 1236 Question

[Mike Henderson]

I'm a beginning turner with a Jet 1236 lathe. I like the lathe and have been able to do both spindle turning and bowls on it. I like the pivoting head so that I can turn bowls "outboard".

The one thing that really bugs me about the lathe is the tool rest. The post is soft steel and the bolt that you tighten against it is harder steel. The bolt dents the post leaving a dimple in the post. Later, when you want to adjust the tool rest, the bolt tends to find a dimple and wants to tighten there, moving the tool rest to a different position (maybe up or down, or imparting a twist).

Does anyone make an improved tool rest that solves this problem and can be used on the 1236? I'm sure that more expensive lathes solve this problem but I'm not ready to spend that much money. A tool rest fix must be cheaper than a new lathe.

Mike

[Loy Hawes]

Try here http://bestwoodtools.com/

and here http://www.monster-wood-tool.com/

[Cody Colston]

When my JWL 1236 tool rest broke just before Christmas last year (while I was trying to make gifts) I went to a local welding shop and had a 6" and 12" rest made for $20 total. I'm still using them both.

They don't dimple like the cast OEM one did.

[Mike Henderson]

Thanks. Lou, I'll check out those sites. Cody, I'll also check out the local welding people to see if they will make me a replacment for a decent price.

Thanks again,
Mike

[Clem Wixted]

When my JWL 1236 tool rest broke just before Christmas last year (while I was trying to make gifts) I went to a local welding shop and had a 6" and 12" rest made for $20 total. I'm still using them both.

They don't dimple like the cast OEM one did.

Cody,

Could you post a picture of what you had made? I'm going to make some and am looking for ideas.

Thanks,

Clem

[Doug Jones]

Thanks. Lou, I'll check out those sites. Cody, I'll also check out the local welding people to see if they will make me a replacment for a decent price.

Thanks again,
Mike
Until then, could you take a grinder with a smaller grinding wheel and grind around the toolrest to remove the intentation. It will leave a small groove all the way around, but at least you could lock it down without it jumping into a different position.
Just a thought.

[Andy Hoyt]

Doug - That would work at one tool rest height only.

[Doug Jones]

Doug - That would work at one tool rest height only.
Good point,,,,
Ok, then do it and rough 100 bowls now. Then when the new rests get there,,,,

[George Troy Hurlburt]

If you have a cast iron tool rest you are taking your life in your hands. There is too many reports on the web from turners who have had them snap. If you have a cast iron tool rest order, a steel one and throw away the old one. It's just a question of time before it breaks. I refuse to turn or demo with a cast iron tool rest. GT

[John Shuk]

I called Jet and they sent me a replacement very quickly. It too has the same problem but it puts off a purchase. Give them a call.

[Cody Colston]

Cody,

Could you post a picture of what you had made? I'm going to make some and am looking for ideas.

Thanks,

Clem

Here you go.

[Mike Henderson]

I could be wrong, but the tool rest that I have sure seems like it's mild steel and not cast iron. It's way too soft for cast iron.

I thought of using my welding equipment to lay in some extra steel where the dimples are and then grinding it back to round. But the welding rod I have is also mild steel so it wouldn't really fix anything.

What would be best is a different holder for the tool rest, with some clamping device other than a screw that dimples the shaft. Higher end lathes must have solved this problem - I can't imagine paying OneWay prices (for example) and getting the same kluge as the Jet.

Mike

[Andy Hoyt]

Mike - the Oneway system is a stud (perhaps 1/2" diameter) with a verically oriented cove milled into the end of it. The entire coved surface pushes against post, and as such there is no deformation to the post at all. It's an extremely effective arrangement and I love it.

[Mike Henderson]

Thanks, Andy. I suspected that OneWay and other high end lathes must have developed a better approach. I wonder if a OneWay tool rest holder would fit the bed of the Jet 1236? If so, I could order the part from OneWay which would be less expensive than buying the whole lathe.

Mike

[Brad Schmid]

I use the Sorby modular rests and have several different length posts. After several years of use, none of them are marred in any way by tightening. The posts can be had for about $10 plust whatever rests you want for another $10-20.

[Mike Henderson]

Thanks, Brad. Just to clarify, are you using those post on a Jet 1236? If so, that sounds like a good, reasonable cost solution.

Mike

[Andy Hoyt]

Thanks, Andy. I suspected that OneWay and other high end lathes must have developed a better approach. I wonder if a OneWay tool rest holder would fit the bed of the Jet 1236? If so, I could order the part from OneWay which would be less expensive than buying the whole lathe.

Mike
Yup, it's available. here's the link -- http://www.oneway.on.ca/lathes/non-oneway.htm

[Mike Henderson]

Thanks for the pointer, Andy. The only issue is the cost - I didn't pay a lot more than that for the whole Jet lathe (bought it used). But it may be worth it in ease of use.

Thanks again. I really appreciate your help and the advice of everyone else who replied to my question.

Mike

[Cody Colston]

Michael,

I could certainly be wrong about the rest being cast, but it looked like it when it broke. Here's a picture of it. Notice the dimples on the post, also.

[Mike Henderson]

Cody, That break is a pretty good argument that it's cast. I stand corrected.

Mike

[Brad Schmid]

Thanks, Brad. Just to clarify, are you using those post on a Jet 1236? If so, that sounds like a good, reasonable cost solution.

Mike

Mike,

I use the Sorby rest system on my Jet 1642-2, however I'm sure that your 1236 uses the same 1" post size as the rest of the entire JET/Powermatic lines of lathes.
Cheers,
Brad

[Mike Henderson]

Okay, I ordered the modular system from Lee Valley (a 1" post and a selection of support pieces). I'll let you know how it works out for me after I receive it and get some use on it.

Thank you all for your help and advice.

Mike

[Mike Henderson]

I received the modular rest components from Lee Valley and they are definitely an improvement over the stock rest. The screw that tightens against the post marks the post a bit but a lot less than the dimple it put into the post on the stock rest.

One problem I had on the 1236, because of the relatively short distance between the bed and the centerline of the spindle, is that the post was too long - lowered all the way into the support the rest was too high. I cut a bit more than an inch off of the post and it works fine. One nice thing about this system is that if I get a lathe with a larger throw I can just replace the post and I can still use all the other parts.

Thanks again to everyone who offered advice on this issue.

Mike