Not the first or last, but here are a few things that I assumed I knew something about til I realized that I didn't. Wonder if y'all have a few of your own?
**********************************************- The MT2 in the end of a 1" or 1.25" spindle doesn't leave much meat. Does inserting a dummy MT2 when using a faceplate or heavy chuck on a heavy load help significantly? Please _ignore RPM.
- Does pounding a blank into a spur center on the lathe or driving the tail center hard against the blank harm the bearings? I think the front bearing race acts as the register for my N3K and pounding would hurt the bearing. Not sure about lathes that use collars, etc. or separate registers to prevent axial motion of the spindle? Also not sure if the N3K's bearing race being tightened against the head casting is the cause of the 'braking effect' of over tightening the tail center?
- When the headstock end of a long heavy blank held with tail support is balanced with counterweights adjusted on a steel plate, is the entire length of the long blank now in balance. (ie. do I need to balance both ends of a long heavy blank?)
- Is the N3K's revolving headstock any less prone to vibration when locked down along the bed axis than when at an angle to the bed? This concerns the headstock _only. Please _ignore tail support or the stability or instability of the bench & floor.
- Is a Jarno taper used on a Jacob's chuck arbor because it's short or there other reasons? Which best prevents mating parts from rotating, MT or JT? I've had both tapers slip by deliberately overstressing cheap chucks. I let them rust to prevent slipping. Is there a better way to 'tighten' Morse & Jarno tapers?
- If it's a practical truth and not a logical myth that hi carbon steel makes better scrapers than hi speed steel, then why wouldn't cold rolled steel flats make even better scrapers? Probably like the three bears, the middle is just right.
- May not matter, but does my N3K's VS DC motor & its controls want me to use its speed pot or the run switch or the line switch for the frequents stops & starts during a long turning session? (please _ignore the advantages of ramping up or down. that's not the question) Does it hurt anything but my light bill to leave both line and run switches on and the speed pot turned to zero?
I bet the answers are obvious to someone here, but they sure aren't to me. :)
Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter