Lathe with swivel and moving head stock

I have a jet 1442 that swivels and moves.. I swivel it a bit sometimes to get a little tool handle clearance over the bed, but that's about it.. I don't do anything big enough to need outboard turning..

When I lock the headstock, it stays locked, but it's still a PITA.. I tried using the locking pin but it's not really THAT accurate, especially for pens, so I center it "by hand"..

One advantage is that since I do very little spindle work, I moved the headstock up about a foot towards the tail stock and mounted my vacuum chucking stuff on the bed.. that was kind of handy..

If the lathe didn't have this feature, I don't think I'd miss it..

OH... when I first got the lathe I banged my hip on the headstock locking handle a couple of times, and it was nice to be able to move the headstock a few inches in and not have the handle stick out..

mac

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Jack, I have had two lathes that have a swivel headstock. Never used the feature, but both had an adjustment for the locking lever. If it didn't lock completely when the lever was all the way over, there was a bolt or nut underneath that you could tighten so that it would. Maybe this one was not assembled correctly (a common feature of floor models of anything) and simply needed adjustment.

That being said, I have never laid eyes or hands on a Shop Fox lathe, so cannot defend or accuse it.

Ageed.

However, in pactice my 1442 cam lock slolidly locks the headstock to the bed

100% of the time. The only downside is that when returning to spindle work, it makes sense to slide to the tail stock an make sure that you are properly aligned. Then it's: release the cam, taptap, lock it down. It's about a 10-second alignment procedure.

Sliding headstock is not something that I use. Rotation is nice for boxes and bowls as I find it a significant ergonomic advantage to work the inside of a bowl with the headstock turned about 20-30 degrees toward me.

-Steve

Steve,

I'm with you on the Jet headstock, I use it, like it, and find no downside to it.

I have slid the headstock 4" to the right, to give me more clearance from an adjacent wall.

I rotate the headstock upto 45 deg when I'm working inside a bowl. I've never done outboard turning, and don't intend to.

I LOVE rotating the headstock 180 when I clean out the belt compartment.

The headstock locks securely with the locking lever.

There is an alignment lock that adjusts, so I can get the center point almost in place. It's just far enough off that when I do a large bowl supported on face plate and tailstock, I have to check alignment, or when I do a spindle piece. But it's a quick step, actually easier than getting the tool rest in the right place.

If I bought another lathe, I'd look for this feature.

Old Guy

Hi Jack and all,

Agree to mildly disagree. Without movement, a lathe is a poor thing. :) Like honing gouges, bolting lathes to the floor and blonds vs brunettes, this is another one that won't be settled soon.

As with any other clamping device, especially a cam type, a rotating headstock is an abomination when it doesn't hold firmly, but like the little girl, when she's good she's very very good. Same with camlock tailstocks and banjos and tapers for centers and chucks, but I doubt we would give them up to go back to nuts & bolts and screw-ons.

I rotate the headstock on my N3K frequently, or at least I did when my spinal stenosis let me stand at the lathe for a longer period. Now I wish I could rotate my Jet mini for the blessed relief of not having to bend over and do the twist. Comfortable habits die hard.

YMMV and I may be one of the lucky ones with a workable rotating headstock, altho many N3Ks worked for many turners in the days before a

150 lb. machine plus a heavy motor and weighted stand was considered to be inadequate for the bulk of turning endeavors. Guess my N3K didn't read the harsh posts we had about it in a similar thread a while back.

I say keep em in motion and rotating, the earth and rest of the universe does. OK, I'm not that carried away that I wouldn't trade my Nova for a PM or VB or any one of the current heavyweights. I might have been born yesterday, but not in the early morning! :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

Thanks for all the great info guys but the problem with this lathe isn't when it rotates. When you put it back in the spindle mode and lock it down it can still move between an eighth and a quarter inch making it possible for your centers to not be on point. Of course the fine fellows at the store said that's what you get when you buy a cheap lathe. I have a Craftsman and the head stock turns but locks down good but it won't move any where down the bed. I think I'm going to up my savings for something not so cheap as they say....

thanks for all the comments

keep your fingers out of moving parts

Jack

Arch.. Do you happen to remember the post a few years back when I asked of tilting the mini would hurt it?

At the time, I was doing some vases or something and it was killing my back.. I raised the tailstock end 6" and tilted the lathe towards me at about 45 degrees.. Much easier on the body!

There have been a few times that I've been tempted to bring the floor jack into the shop and do the same with my 1442.. ;-]

mac

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Hey Mac, Maybe you could get a settlement from Oneway for their 1236SD infringing on your idea. Naw! Oneway owners are too loyal to let you do that.

I don't sit down to pee yet, but maybe to turn wood wouldn't be bad? :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

I have a question for you and I am coming from the standpoint of a Delta 14" owner. After swiveling the headstock and you are returning to spindle work, you install point centers in both the headstock and tailstock. Then you bring the tailstock up to the headstock for alignment. How do you know if the headstock is in alignment with the bed, or does it matter that much if it is off a little?

Wayne

P.S. The headstock locks very firmly in place and does not move at all. But, I had to adjust the locking nut to tighten it up a tad. I sometimes wish the tailstock locked as firmly. And yes, I adjusted the locking mechanism on the tailstock too.

Hi Wayne, I think a "little" misalignment of the headstock matters more and more as the vase gets taller or the spindle gets longer. If the tail center gouges out a tiny circle instead of a point, something is out of line.

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

Works for me.. I'm always open to infusions of cash or tools..

I was standing, Arch.. I was just beating myself up trying to work inside a vase or pencil holder and decided to quit bending... Pointed the open end of the vase up and towards me a bit..

mac

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I'll be happy to butt in here.. I'm good at that.. ;-]

On my Jet 1442 the HS lock needed to be tightened a bit.. I'd rather be able to lock it with low effort and put up with it pointing more "up" when locked than usual.. I've found that on my particular lathe, locking the HS moves it a tiny bit towards the back of the lathe, so I double check that..

I've never thought about aligning the HS to the bed.. Not sure why it would be needed? I do the point centers thing, but it used to make me crazy(er) when it would look perfect until I leaned one way or the other and looked off.. Now, when I bring the points together, I put a piece of cardboard in between first.. If the holes in each side make 1 pin hole, it's right.. An advantage of the cardboard is that you also check the points and if they need dressing, it shows up in the size of the pin hole..

I used to lock the tailstock and them tap it with a rubber mallet (no, no, never your hand!) to really lock that sucker.. Then I took a couple of classes and was warned to never do that... The instructor said that if you over tightened the TS and then over cranked the ram, the worm gear will stress before the tailstock will give.. Makes sense to me..

mac

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For those of us with the ancient "adjustable" tailstock on our 3000s, this can sometimes happen!