Proxxon PD-400 Lathe Tailstock Upgrade

[Clangenf]

I recently purchased a Proxxon PD-400 to be used in my shop for smaller jobs, alongside my larger equipment.
I am impressed with the quality and rigidity of the machine in general. The headstock is rugged, and uses robust tapered roller bearings, which is great for a small lathe.
One area that was disappointing to me was the tailstock. It is not as rugged as the rest of the machine, and lacks and adjustment for lateral alignment and/or taper turning. I have seen posts by others with the same complaint.

I was able to retrofit my Proxxon with the Tailstock from an Emco Compact 8. The Emco tailstock is rugged, and is constructed of cast iron. It also utilizes an adjustable cast iron base, which is a nice improvement.

To make it fit, I had to remachine that cast iron base to match the bedways of the PD-400. This was done in my Bridgeport Mill.

The end result is awesome. Now I LOVE all aspects of my Proxxon.

-Chris
 

[awemawson]

Too late now but you can get a 'tailstock offset' device comprising a (say) 3 morse taper male that has a small dovetail slide attached, the moving part of which has a fixed centre. This allows taper turning without upsetting the tailstock, or in your case actually permits offsetting on a 'none offsettable' tailstock.
.
Welcome to the forum by the way

[vtsteam]

I recently purchased a Proxxon PD-400 to be used in my shop for smaller jobs, alongside my larger equipment.
I am impressed with the quality and rigidity of the machine in general. The headstock is rugged, and uses robust tapered roller bearings, which is great for a small lathe.
One area that was disappointing to me was the tailstock. It is not as rugged as the rest of the machine, and lacks and adjustment for lateral alignment and/or taper turning. I have seen posts by others with the same complaint.

I was able to retrofit my Proxxon with the Tailstock from an Emco Compact 8. The Emco tailstock is rugged, and is constructed of cast iron. It also utilizes an adjustable cast iron base, which is a nice improvement.

To make it fit, I had to remachine that cast iron base to match the bedways of the PD-400. This was done in my Bridgeport Mill.

The end result is awesome. Now I LOVE all aspects of my Proxxon.

-Chris

Great work Chris! really enjoyable to work on a machine to make it the way you want it to be.