• It's time to cast your vote in the April 2025 Turning Challenge. (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Steve Bonny for "A Book Holds What Time Lets Go" being selected as Turning of the Week for 28 April, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Bed Extension Question

K

Karl Ziegler

Joined
Apr 29, 2004
Messages
5
Likes
0
I just purchased a bed extention for my Jet mini lathe. The box says, "Installs in Minutes!" However, it did not say how many minutes. My question is this: After many minutes of aligning, and even following directions, I was able to align the bed reasonalby well, however it is not what I would call, "seamless." When I move the tailstock over the connection, there is still a slight catch. Everything is level, and aligned as best as I can get it, but it does not line up perfectly. Is that to be expected?
 
You might try clamping the tailstock directly across the joint with the bolts holding the extension just a bit loose, then tighten them. That will at least get the top surfaces lined up. If there's still a bump, it will be in the inner edges of the bedrails. Loosen the bolts again just a bit, tap the bed extension with a wood mallet directly sideways, clamp the tailstock, then tighten the bed bolts. It may take a few cycles of loosen/tap/clamp tailstock/tighten bolts to get it right on.
If you still get a bump, then either the inner edges of the bedrails don't match up, or the bottom surfaces of the beds where the clamp plate rides is uneven and you'll have to do some filing/grinding.
Good luck, hope this helps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top