Truing your spindle

[Jeff Horton]

After adding the chuck to the J-Line I have discovered some runout in the spindle. Enough to be noticable. After some investigation I could track the runout all the way back to the nut on the spindle that the face plate and chuck register on.

Asked about this on the OWWM forum and someone suggested that 90% of the time the problem was with the nut not being true and suggested using a HSS steel scraper to true it up myself. I will skip some of the details but I used my parting tool to make very fine cuts on the nut. Looked like steel wool coming off the nut. I would dye it with a sharpie and brace the tool on the tool rest and the bed and every so slowly make my cuts using the blue as a guide to find the high spot and see what I had done.

Bottom line, it worked. I don't have a dial indicator but the runout has gone from very noticable to only noticable if you put something against the chuck while it is spinning. There is still some very minor runout. To correct this I am going to have to have to build a tool for this job because of the limited access to nut in the head stock. I think this will be close enough for woodworking tolerances. If not I will make a tool to finish truing it up.

Just wanted to pass this along incase someone else ran into something similar. This was so simple. Probably spent 15-20 minutes fixing the problem!

[Pat Salter]

Wow, I can see I need to PM you on this. What kind of chuck did you get? How can you tell you are getting runout? I ask because I'm wondering if my problems with turnings may not be me but the machine:D :D :D

[Lee DeRaud]

I ask because I'm wondering if my problems with turnings may not be me but the machine:D :D :DSame here. But if I fix it, I won't have any excuse...bugger that.:eek:

[Jeff Horton]

... What kind of chuck did you get? ....

Pat, unless you want to put an adaptor between the Chuck and the spindle I only found one Chuck that would fit, Oneway Stronghold. I ordered it sans adaptor and bought the adaptor straight from Oneway.

I worked with a dealer on another forum on a Nova. He sent me a couple of adaptors to try and I found out that Nova doesn't make an adaptor for our lathe. They probably will make one but it is going to be a special order item. I was leaning toward the Nova because I see jaws and chucks on Ebay occasionally and had in the back of mind buying a used one and spare jaws when I found one reasonable.

Also, don't waste your money buying the spindle adaptor from Best Wood Tools, it doesn't fit the J-line. Nothing against the company! The adaptor was well made, just the body was to big to enter the headstock.


... How can you tell you are getting runout? ....

I had no idea on mine till I added the chuck. With the extra length on the spindle I could see a wobble in the chuck. Looking at the spindle with the threads on it I couldn't see it, but my eyes tried to follow the threads.:)Since I didn't have a dial indicatator I took a nail and sharpened it on the grinder. Then I improvised with some spring clamps and wood scraps and clamped the nail onto the tool rest so that it was steady. Then I just moved it around to the different parts of the lathe and watched as the spindle turned. With the fine point you could see any irregularities very clearly as the spindle turned. At the head of the lathe I couldn't see it but I could hear the nail scrub the 'nut' intermittently. It it were true running it would scrub all the time.

Hope that all makes sense. ;)

[Pat Salter]

What I've done is buy an adapter from Bestwoods and the chuck from Penn. I seeps to be doing well. I haven't noticed any runout. Maybe I need to check a little closer.