Headstock alignment tool

All metalworking lathes have the facility to align the headstock to the bed in a horizontal plane. Assuming that the machine has been properly installed and the bed is not twisted or out of level, the headstock is adjusted as follows.

STEP 1. Chuck a test piece that is long enough to give an accurate reading. STEP 2. Using an accurate dial gauge ensure that the test piece is running on the centre line the full length of the test piece by rotating the piece and tapping it onto centre. This ensures that the test piece is aligned to the headstock only. Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website.

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It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. Headstock alignment. Thread starter Olin Start date May 25, Olin Active User Registered. Joined May 24, Messages To get it in my basement I took it apart including taking the headstock off the bed. I must have done a fairly good job of realignment when reassembling, at least on short cuts I don't notice taper.

However, on internal boring I do seem to have a very slight taper. Now this might be tool flex of the boring bar, but it might be mis-alignment of the spindle with the ways.

The headstock sits on flats and has a flat base without any locating pins etc. A very brief search of for my manual didn't turn it up, but as I recall the headstock has adjustment screws on on the left as you face the lathe but not on the right of the headstock.

My question is: What are the methods for checking headstock spindle alignment with the ways? I know how to check if the headstock and tailstock are in alignment, but the test bar method only tells you that your centers align with your ways.

I have thought about a laser center finder, still a bit on the expensive side but with a wider range of uses. Then I thought; how do you know you have the laser reasonably aligned with the spindle bore.

I know I am only going to achieve a degree of alignment, as a hobbyist I know I'm likely not going to achieve the repeatability that the machine is capable of achieving. Nonetheless this potential misalignment has me scratching my head and I'd like an inexpensive way to check spindle alignment.

Thanks for any thoughts. Richard King Registered Registered. Joined Jul 1, Messages 1, We did a series or tests with the 2 collar test on our thread. This should answer your questions. If you do not have a center pin then I would check for one of the corner hold down bolts to see if it is a reamed swivel hole.

If not losen all and keep one snug but not tight and use it to swivel on. This can be reduced further in size by turning the laser cap to refocus the beam.

I put the laser in the self centering 3-jaw chuck. I place a card in front of the tailstock, firstly to refocus the laser, and then also rotate the chuck and laser by hand at least degrees to make sure that the laser dot remains in the same spot, indicating that the laser is concentric with the chuck and there is no runout. Indeed I find out that the label stuck on the laser prevents the tube to be chucked concentrically so I inserted only the bare part of the cylinder.

I have since removed the label so that I can insert the laser more fully into the chuck. A bright laser dot appears to be a little fuzzy because of glare around the fringes. However if viewed through a pair of laser protection goggles the glare is cut out and the tiny spot becomes crisp and crystal clear. I put a dead centre in the Jacobs chuck on the tailstock. The laser dot falls slightly to one side which indicates that the tailstock is not quite concentric with the headstock.

I am able to adjust the tailstock until the laser dot falls squarely onto the dead centre. I am also able to align the tip of a tool bit mounted on the tool post so that it is just illuminated by the laser beam. I intend to use the laser to line up work, particularly those mounted on the milling attachment, to locate drilling or milling centres accurately. The laser focusing lens is held in place by a helical spring and is liable to be disturbed from time to time.

Also, even though the laser cylinder is reasonably round and great care has been taken to pierce the pinhole aperture and lined up at the exact centre of the lens, I found that the narrow laser beam still had a minute deviation from true centre. I turned it on the lathe to make it round and concentric with the headstock.

I bored a I secured the lens and cap with a drop of locktite blue on the threads. I placed the laser, lens side first, into the cavity. I then inserted three grub screws into the tapped holes to hold the laser cylinder firmly in place.

I used two black and one silver grub screws. The silver colored screw helps the laser orientate at the same location in the chuck everytime. I mounted the laser with its new housing in the chuck and pointed the laser dot onto a card placed in front of the endstock. By tweeking the three grub screws, I was able to move the laser dot into a fixed position which does not change nomatter how I rotated the chuck. I then secured the grub screws with a few drops of locktite blue.