Lathe problem

[Bob Hallowell]

I am fairly new to turning, several months ago I bought a barely used grizzly, It looks just like the habour frieght model. It has the rotating head for turning bowls and such.
My problem is that no matter how hard I tighten the head stock bolts down if I but a little pressure with the tailstock it starts tipping back the headstock. This is not a problem when I turn pens cause I don't use much pressure but it a major pain for spindles.

Is there an east fix for this?

Thanks,Bob

[Bill Boehme]

It sounds like you have a cracked casting on the bed of the lathe or possibly the headstock itself. The first place to check would be around the bolt holes. Overtightening can crack cast iron.

This potentially is bad news because the cracking may have propagated and will only get worse. Welding cast iron is risky business because it is very difficult to do without creating internal stresses in the iron which will either warp the casting or cause further cracking or both.

If the problem turns out to be at the bolt holes, you could try drilling new holes at a different location if that is possible.

Bill

[Don Baer]

Is the head stock lifting off of the bed or is it tipping back from where it swivels. It could be in the mechanism that locks the head stock in place where it swivels or something there. Not sure since I haven't seen the lathe up close and personal.

[Bill Boehme]

I did some further looking and did not see a HF lathe that looked like a Grizzly lathe so please be more specific about your lathe model. However, if it has a swivel headstock, then there are no "bolts" to tighten down. The headstock is locked in position by a T-slot nut under the ways and a lever arm on the headstock. If that is what you are referring to, there could be several different reasons for the problem. First, download an owner's manual if you do not have one and it will explain how to make adjustments to the locking mechanism. It could be that the bolt that goes through the T-slot nut needs to be indexed or in some cases, the bolt head has several tapped holes around its perimeter and you need to put the lever arm in a different hole. If it is truly tight and still moves then check to see if the T-slot nut extends above the surface of the bed. If it does then grind it down. If that is not the problem, then the bottom surface of the headstock may not be flat. Assuming that the headstock casting is not cracked, you can try flattening it yourself, but it will involve many hours of manual labor. If that is the problem and you decide to try it let me know.

Bill

[Bill Boehme]

One final thought ......

The T-slot nut or the bolt that goes into it could have damaged threads that are preventing it from being fully tightened. remove the nut and bolt and check to see that they can be screwed together for the full length of the threads. If not, then you will need a tap and die to clean up the threads on both parts -- it might be cheaper just to buy the parts.

Bill

[Bob Hallowell]

Thanks for your help,
it's a Grizzly G5979 12" x 35-1/2" Swivel Head Wood Lathe
any help would be appreciated

Bob

[Bill Boehme]

I just finished looking at the illustrated parts breakdown for that model lathe and it is really different from anything that I have ever seen before on a lathe. From what I can tell from the illustrations, the "play" in the headstock may be an inherent "feature" of that particular design. I don't see any way of improving it short of bolting the headstock down by drilling some holes from the botttom side, but I am not certain that will even work because it appears that the bottom of the headstock is open. Maybe you could use some "L" brackets to fasten it down. Swiveling the head is over rated anyway. I hardly ever use that feature. The lathe motor does not have enough Moxie to swing a bowl that does not fit over the bed.

Bill

[Frank Fusco]

It is probably a discontinued model. I can't pull it up on the Griz website. I looks like maybe a predecessor to the G1067Z and some parts may be interchangable. Emphasize, that's just guessing, maybe. Their tech support can help. Or look for corresponding parts numbers with the 1067.

[Bill Boehme]

It is probably a discontinued model. I can't pull it up on the Griz website. I looks like maybe a predecessor to the G1067Z and some parts may be interchangable. Emphasize, that's just guessing, maybe. Their tech support can help. Or look for corresponding parts numbers with the 1067.

Frank,

It is a discontinued model, but the owners manual and IPB are both available in PDF format. It is not equivalent to the 1067.

Bill

[Bob Hallowell]

Thanks for the help, I took it apart and when I put it back together it worked,

Bob

[Frank Fusco]

Thanks for the help, I took it apart and when I put it back together it worked,

Bob

That's good news. Reminds me of my old Dodge truck. ;)