Thread: How level is level - For a lathe

Pat give the floor time to settle then maybe do something about it. A shim under the required spot will fix the tilt even a washer or thin bit of steel would do. Looking at the photo's it might be possible to put it between the bed and stand.

Ray, I have 6 shims, but will try to lift the bed tomorrow after taking off the tailstock and banjo as atm it is too heavy to lift one handed and slide the shim between the bed and stand.

Originally Posted by Pat

Ray, I have 6 shims, but will try to lift the bed tomorrow after taking off the tailstock and banjo as atm it is too heavy to lift one handed and slide the shim between the bed and stand.

On 2nd thoughts Pat its obviously faulty send it back or I'll pick it up and swap you mine

Now a question did you have a beer on the lathe at the time

Pat if you have torqued any of the bolts down it could be enough to tip it that far check them including floor ones first.

Pat at the end of the day its wood lathe and the turning is free hand. If the bed distorts and puts the head and tail stocks out of line because its not level then its not much of a lathe.
My chiwanese was not that sensitive. If you bolt it down on a poor floor and pull the bed around that way, then shim your floor.

But your current level is fine and I would think you've got a good level flat floor and all should be well

Originally Posted by Pat

I know the accepted wisdom is for a lathe to be level.

I understood that getting the lathe level was just the simplest way of making sure that there was no twist in the bed/ways.

There have been lathes designed with vertical beds, and Vicmarc have just released a sit-down stand for their lathes which tips it a long way towards the user, so there's no real reason why a lathe can't be out of level, as long as the bed/ways aren't twisted.

In your case, if you have the same amount of out-of-level (measuring across the bed), at both ends of the lathe, and in the middle, then there should be no twisting, so you're fine to go.

Cheers,
Andrew

Hello Andrew, I checked in the three places, Head, Middle and Tail end and the measurements did not deviate. Straight out the box, not to bad.

Hi Pat -

0.2 of a degree !! 0.05 of a degree !! I'd like to be able to measure that accurately on a wood lathe. I haven't even checked mine, but it feels OK.

Provided the headstock spindle, tailstock spindle and tool rest are parallel, I can't see that it matters if the bed is up or down hill a little bit. Or am I missing something ?

cheers, Colin

Provided centres are aligned (ie no twist in bed), a few degrees one way or the other wouldn't bother me.

.....

Pat,
As others have said, if the headstock and tailstock points align ~perfectly, it is fine just as it is. If it ain't broke, do not fix it.

Close is fine with me.
I built my own shed back in 91 or 2. Wooden floors, and there ain't nothin' level in it. Like the others said, if the points meet, you're good to go.
Blessings!
(what's a wixey?)

Hello Allen, a Wixey is a digital Angle gauge, IE another toy

I had a play this morning and just roughed round the outside of a couple of bowls. The little one (125mm dia) I spun up to 1900rpm without vibration, but the larger one (approx 200mm) did not like the speed. I will have to bolt the Yellow Peril down, before I go experimenting more

So the bigger one being just 75mm more and it couldn't handle it

At last sawdust in the shed ............new dusty sucked it all up by now.

Originally Posted by Pat

The little one (125mm dia) I spun up to 1900rpm without vibration, but the larger one (approx 200mm) did not like the speed. I will have to bolt the Yellow Peril down, before I go experimenting more

Don't think I would run anything at or above 200mm at 2000rpm on any lathe (other than a VB, perhaps) until roughed turned into balance. Bolting down the lathe will not stop the vibration, just the movement of the lathe across the floor. A bolted down or heavier lathe may not move but the bearings will still suffer from the vibration.

Pat, never found the need to bolt down any of my yellow (or green) Woodfasts.

.....

If the floor is level then bolt your yellow peril down. Loosen everything off first then start from the bottom up.

And throw that trashy gadget in the bin.

Neil's never had to bolt his object of affection down cos it doesn't run away from a bloke as handsome as he is.