How to Do That
Simoli said:
After playing with the lathe a little more last night I figured out that I could just loosen the head stock and make the adjustment. Tonight I will be checking the bed flatness though as mentioned above, just not sure yet how to do that.
Start by making sure the lathe is firmly set on the floor at all four points. Then take a 3' or longer level that you know to be true, and lay it at 90* across the headstock end. If it doesn't read dead level, loosen the mounting bolts on the legs and recheck the level. If you get the same reading, retighten those bolts and then raise the leg on the low side and recheck. If loosening those bolts DOES change the level's reading, you need to shim the leg/bed joint (I use copper flashing), retighten the bolts evenly, and recheck for level.
Now do the same for the other end of the lathe.
Once you have the lathe bed deadnuts at both ends, lay your level longwise on the bed and check for level that direction. If it's out, you need to carefilly raise or lower both legs on one end until its level. Lastly, recheck the front-to-back level on both ends to make sure they didn't change. Note here that end-to-end level is not as important for alignment as front-to-back, but having it all level both ways can't hurt.
Now eject the tailstock center, remove the spur drive from the headstock taper, and carefully inspect both the male and female surfaces for any defects or dirt. Clean them all. If you use any abrasive, be very sure to wipe or blow any grit off all four surfaces. Reinsert the center and spur and bring the points together with a minimum of extention on the tailstock quil. Tighten the headstock and tailstock bed locks, as well as the lock on the tailstock quill.
Hopefully, your points will now meet in both directions. If they don't, this being a new lathe, I would call your seller or the manufacturer. Good guys won't tell you it's "close enough"; they'll get you a machine that's aligned the way it's supposed to be.
Goood Luck