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Tailstock power feed

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vtsteam:
Pekka, my suggestion (without actually seeing your lathe or slides) is to use your slide but not your toolpost. If you can remove the toolpost, you can bolt down a block of metal on the slide in its place and drill it with a headstock driven drill.

First center drill, then drill into the block, driving the block onto the drills. This will drill on center for your lathe and parallel to the ways because the block is traveling with the carriage along the ways and the drill is at center height.

You can also finish bore it if you make a simple boring bar that runs between centers. The boring bar will insure that the hole is true to the lathe centers.

If you key the block to your slot in the carriage before drilling, it should be easy to replace it. The bored hole can be your bushing for a shaft. Put an internal taper in the end of the shaft to take your drill chuck adapter. The other end gets driven.

This shaft will always be at center height. You will just have to position the slide to center, and make sure it is square. It will be much more rigid than using the toolpost.

The above is the crude idea version -- you can do whatever refinements to it that make sense to you and suit your particular lathe.

Possible refinements:

Split bolted together block with shims for adjustment for wear. (Do this BEFORE drilling)
Relieve some of the internal bearing surface for less friction. (After drilling)
Or hole size to suit oilite or plain bronze bushings at either end -- split one side of the bushings for adjustment using a coping saw.

PekkaNF:

--- Quote from: vtsteam on July 08, 2014, 09:51:34 PM ---.... If you can remove the toolpost, you can bolt down a block of metal on the slide in its place and drill it with a headstock driven drill.
.....
If you key the block to your slot in the carriage before drilling, it should be easy to replace it. The bored hole can be your bushing for a shaft. Put an internal taper in the end of the shaft to take your drill chuck adapter. The other end gets driven.
.....

--- End quote ---

Jeah..immolizing the cross slide and locating the drill holder is a key. You have done your Gingery-time. Haven't you?

Might go there...

Pekka

vtsteam:

--- Quote from: PekkaNF on July 09, 2014, 02:13:04 PM ---You have done your Gingery-time. Haven't you?

--- End quote ---

Definitely!

stackerjack:
Another method, possible on some lathes, is to re-positon the tailstock in between the chuck and the cross slide.
Jack

Bigbadbugga:

When towing the tail stock, how do you keep it tight down to the bed? If mine was not clamped tight down I'm pretty sure the nose would lift under load.

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