Help! My tailstock won't lock down tight

[Aaron Wingert]

Hey everybody. I'm having a heck of a time with my three year old Jet 1221vs lathe's tailstock and am hoping to pick your brains. These issues have developed over time and are not something I've always had trouble with.

The problem is twofold:
1) It seems to lock down firm, as is normal. But when I engage the tailstock into a workpiece the base of the tailstock visibly moves to the right on the bed ways, away from the workpiece. The movement is maybe 1/8"-3/16", then it seems to get fairly tight. Not tight enough, but better than nothing. I'm experiencing similar issues when drilling on the lathe, and it is sure making things challenging. On both Jet lathes I've owned, an occasional 1/8-1/4 turn on the lock nut down by the hanging washer has been needed to take up the slack in the lock-down lever. The lever on this lathe is locking down in an appropriate position, and is locking down tight. Or so it seems.
2) When the locking lever is released and the tailstock is moved away from the workpiece (to the right toward the end of the bed ways), it takes a heck of an effort to get it to move. The washer is catching under the ways and if I want the tailstock to move smoothly out of the way I have to reach under the ways and pull the bolt/washer assembly along as well as the tailstock itself. The locking lever has to be wiggled back and forth to facilitate one-handed movement of the tailstock (the tool rest assembly does the same thing to a lesser extent).

Here's what I've tried:
-I've taken the locking mechanism of the tailstock apart to check for wear on the lever's lobe. Jet's tech support person told me to do this, but he seemed to be at a loss. No notable wear was noted.
-I've looked the bolt and washer over for damage or unusual wear. Nothing noted.
-I've looked for cracks in the casting. Nada.
-I've fiddled with the lock nut to cinch things up to no avail, and it worsens the "catchy" nature of the washer under the ways when sliding the tailstock.
-I've laid a straight edge across the washer to check it for flatness. My method wasn't super-precise but I didn't note any bent or cupped areas.
-I've found that a lot of WD40 seems to keep the parts moving when sliding the tailstock but doesn't help with its unwillingness to lock down and stay put.

Jet's guy was not very helpful, albeit nice. I think he didn't know what to tell me. The lathe is still under warranty. If anyone has any similar experiences I'd be tickled to know what you did to fix yours. I use my lathe every single day, so when it isn't working like it should I've got a problem!

Thanks,
Aaron

[Brice Rogers]

If you buy a lock-nut, it won't unscrew/loosen. It might be possible to also use locktite (probably not the permanent type) and achieve something similar. I have a banjo that does not have a locknut and which needs an occasional tightening. One of these days I'm going to put on a drop or two of locktite.

As to why it takes a lot of force to move your loosened tailstock, I don't know. I have read about people putting a stiff spring between the tailstock and the locking pad to help push it out of the way. I don't know if this would help your situation.

I have a metal lathe with a tail stock and it periodically "misbehaves". If the locking pad is cocked sideways, it won't hold. I've got to use my fingers to line things up. Then everything is locked in place.

I'll be interested in reading other responses...

[Keith Outten]

This is an old problem that has been discussed here for many years. The answer is to remove the round washer and throw it away. Replace it with a "T" nut style fastener that fits the bottom of the lathe ways. If you search our archived threads you will find several threads, in one of them I provided a sketch of the "T" nut you need. I used to make the "T" nuts until someone found a source to purchase them.

The same size "T" nuts fit both the small Jet Mini-Lathe and the Midi Lathe. I can't believe that Jet has not corrected this issue, its been a pain for their customers for a decade and the fix is simple and inexpensive.
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[Aaron Wingert]

Good info guys, thanks. I'll do some searching here and see what I can come up with on the T nut idea.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Good info guys, thanks. I'll do some searching here and see what I can come up with on the T nut idea.

Aaron I had had the same creeping problem on my Delta LA200, and changed the washer to a rectangular plate, with a short spring between the tailstock and the new plate the new plate never turned and opened up all the way when loosening the tailstock with the handle, works fine and is still used, now by the 3th owner.

I placed the pictures on the forum to help others with that problem on their Jet Mini in that time, HTH

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...ighlight=LA200