What am I doing wrong??? Long

Using Tail Stock?

Thomas Skaggs, Foothills of Mount Level

>Do you start with your tailstaock engaged into the blank? Just wondering.

Tommy

Re: Using Tail Stock?

John Lucas

>I agree with Thomas. If you have mounted a piece directly to a faceplace it will wobble unless the area where the faceplate was attached is perfectly flat or even concave.

I rough out my pieces between centers and then turn the tenon with a flat shoulder for the chuck. When it's in the chuck I still use the tailstock as long as possible.

Re: Using Tail Stock?

KurtK in Indy

>Yeah, I do Tommy and where I mounted the face plate..it wasn't necessarily dead flat. I must also admit that I only have a 3" face plate (the one that came with lathe), but the thing weighs alot. The blanks I turned probably were at least 8-10" diameter. Hopefully I'm making alot about little....Do you think a bigger faceplate makes a huge difference??

Like I said...it was late last night and I was getting frustrated...

Kurt

Re: What am I doing wrong??? Long

floyd knapp

>14 years ago I purchased a new lathe and ran into the same problem as you did.My problem wasn't as bad as yours though.After much frustration I discovered that the csst iron faceplate had a crack where the plate and the hub came together.The hub and the plate should have had a larger boss.Good luck'

Floyd

stock faceplate is fine.

Mike Schwing from Md.

>Kurt, I'm a new 3250 owner as well. I recently turned an 80 pound, 18" diameter block of wet tulip poplar using only the faceplate that came with the lathe - that is a nice heavy faceplate, but its only 3", 1.5" long #10 screws and the tailstock. No wobbles, no shakes, no worries at all. I mounted the blank bottom end and kept it on that same mounting all the way through to finish. I've started doing that a bit lately as opposed to rounding 'tween centers and reversing with a tenon. I keep the tailstock in place till I start on the inside.

If your workpiece face isn't terribly flat, and you screw that first screw down tight, the plate won't mount flat at all and I can see how a little pressure will cause the wobble you describe. Tighten down gently, but evenly on the screws as carefull as if you were torquing a cylinder head and you'll eliminate that particular worry.

A bigger faceplate won't hurt, but I don't think its the size of the plate that is causing your problem.

Re: Using Tail Stock?

Russ Fairfield

>A couple observations...

You might be asking too much from a 3" faceplate. Most 3" faceplates come with 3, or at the most 4, holes that are quite small. This isn't enough holding power for most 10" bowls (My Opinion) A 4" plate with at least 6 holes and #10 or #12 screws sounds more like it.

You might try drilling more and larger holes in the faceplate that you have, and see what happens.

The faceplate needs to seat solidly on the wood. If it doesn't, spread a layer of epoxy between the wood and the faceplate. Smear a thin film of Vaseline on the faceplate to keep it from sticking to the epoxy. Mount the faceplate, tighten the screws, let it cure, and then give them another twist before putting it on the lathe. That will cure any seating problems.

Re: What am I doing wrong??? Long

Ron Sardo in PA

>I just use a 3" face plate with no tailstock. Last night I just maxed out my Jet1236 with a chuck of hichory that was 11-3/4" round and 6" deep. Roughed out the outside shape and turned a tenon, flipped into a chuck. If I can do that in a little jet, you can do that on a PM3520.

(I gotta get some ballast!)

Re: What am I doing wrong??? Long

Bill Grumbine, Kutztown PA

>Hi Kurt

My experience has been a little bit different than some here. I don't worry about getting the faceplate dead on flat. Sometimes there may be a jagged surface because of the chainsaw. That has not been a problem for me. However, I have turned pieces where the wood is of different densities throughout the piece, and that has affected the stability of the piece. Another itme to check is to make sure all of the legs are firmly in contact with the floor. Even just a little bit of space can cause the lathe to rock, wobble or vibrate on big pieces.

Good luck with diagnosing your problem.

Bill

Re: What am I doing wrong??? Long

Bill Hale / The Wood Spinner

>Try not using a faceplate. Unless I am turning a giant piece, over 24 " I never use one. Start your turning between centers, turn the tennon and turn it around in to your jaw chuck.

I do use the Jumbo center on the live end and you must keep the work tight. I also lock the tailstock to keep it from moving out.

Good turning and be safe

Bill

This is why I love this place!!

KurtK in Indy

>Thanks guys. Lots of good info and I'm sure I'll discover the problem. Let you all know tomorrow after another attack on the piece tonight!!

Kurt

Re: What am I doing wrong??? Long

John F.

>At our meeting we had a demonstrator use our pm and he experienced that problem, seems he forgot to tighten down the headstock....