# Help with screwed up tailstock - 1624 Nova Lathe



## Thorn495 (Feb 28, 2014)

I've been having trouble turning my tail stock hand wheel. I've greased and oiled it up real well, used a wire brush bit to clean it out, but it is hard to turn the quill through the first half of it.

What I think happened to it -- the alignment plates underneath may have come loose due to vibration while I was turning and extending a forstner bit into a project. I think the misalignment of the plates and trying to extend the bit off center may have bent the quill or the threads inside the tailstock. Anyone else experienced this?

I have a "Nova 2MTNA Acruline 2MT Alignment Lathe Accessory" that I used to align the head and tail stock, then tightened the alignment plates on the bottom of the tail stock, but sometimes when I have a bit in the tail stock MT2 chuck, it seems a little off center still. :blink:

I sent a message to the online Teknatool/NOVA online support site, but have yet to receive any feedback from them (over a month ago..).

Where could I scrounge up another tail stock if there's nothing else to I can do for this one? I was thinking of sanding down some of the threads on the quill (like a hair's thickness off) to see if that could help if I have no other options.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I seriously doubt you bent anything by drilling off center.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Here is what you need to do before we can give you any answers.

Step one, take the tailstock apart. 









Now, insert the quill be hand without the screw. Mine required firm pressure, but you shouldn't need a hammer or anything like that. 









If it passes that test, then screw the screw in the back of the quill. This should be almost effortless.


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## saculnhoj (May 18, 2015)

Also when you take it apart lay a ruler on it and roll it to check all 4 sides to see if they are straight. You could have a burr on the milled slot in the quill so the alignment pin would rub. check to make sure that slot is clean and smooth.


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## tom brouillette (Jan 15, 2015)

I have a 1624, and have never had that issue. I will ask a stupid question, though - are you sure the headstock is straight? Had you turned it prior to the problem popping up?


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## NCPaladin (Aug 7, 2010)

I doubt if you bent the quill. You may have buggered up the treads that the keeper plate drops down into and it is causing it to bind. Take apart as shown on page 24. You may need a little flashlight to see the set screw through the crank handle (the set screw holds the keeper plate in place). It could be the set screw is loose and the keeper plate may twist a small bit causing it to bind also.

I ignore Novas "grease" and use aerosol graphite instead. Do not coat the outside of the quill where it locks down. Do place a drop of oil on the keeper plate. If the keeper plate is worn the replacement is $3 IIRC. 
Hint, most folks put a strip of duct tape over the slot for the keeper plate, this keeps any dust/dirt out. Do pull back and add one drop of oil monthly to the keeper.


http://www.teknatool.com/products/Lathes/1624/downloads/NOVA%201624%20Manual%20August%202012.pdf


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## NCPaladin (Aug 7, 2010)

While drilling, another potential problem. Are you sure the drill bit is exactly straight in the Jacobs jaws? I would put it in the headstock and at the lowest speed turn it on (you can use a little block of wood against the point to make sure it doesn't come out). If the forstner bit isn't running true in the headstock it won't be running true in the tailstock.

Check for other problems as listed on page 26 of the above link. In particular the keyway slot.


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## Thorn495 (Feb 28, 2014)

I'm having trouble dissecting the tail stock more. The manual says to remove a 6mm set screw that's under the hand wheel and can be found via a small hole in the wheel. Whenever I start unscrewing it, it gets wedged between the tail stock and the hand wheel. I haven't been able to center it enough or the hole's too small for it to come out of. Widen the hole a bit? :huh:


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## NCPaladin (Aug 7, 2010)

Thorn495 said:


> The manual says to remove a 6mm set screw that's under the hand wheel and can be found via a small hole in the wheel.:huh:


 IIRC from mine, you do not remove it completely. Just loosen it well. I would not try to make the hole in the wheel larger and maybe bugger up the head of the set screw, then you would have a problem.:blink:

With it loosened you should be able to use a flat screwdriver or the tip of your pocket knife to flick the "keeper plate" up through the slot in the top.
With the keeper plate out I believe the rear end of the quill assembly will simply pull out.
If not I will go out and check mine but that is how I remember it.


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## Thorn495 (Feb 28, 2014)

NCPaladin said:


> IIRC from mine, you do not remove it completely. Just loosen it well. I would not try to make the hole in the wheel larger and maybe bugger up the head of the set screw, then you would have a problem.:blink:
> 
> With it loosened you should be able to use a flat screwdriver or the tip of your pocket knife to flick the "keeper plate" up through the slot in the top.
> With the keeper plate out I believe the rear end of the quill assembly will simply pull out.
> If not I will go out and check mine but that is how I remember it.


All that worked. Quill seemed to screw in effortlessly. I had to head to work after I got it apart. I'll check some more tomorrow. Thanks


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## Thorn495 (Feb 28, 2014)

The quill screws into the hand wheel part of the tailstock fine. The problem I'm finding out now is when I slide the quill into the main tailstock body, there is some resistance (last picture is far as it goes in by hand). So I'm not sure what the problem is in there or what to try next?


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## NCPaladin (Aug 7, 2010)

I don't see anything in your pics that look buggered up. Maybe just a little on the slot for the guide pin but that should not affect it.
Since the cam to lock the quill is out/loose that may be causing the problem of not being able to get it back in.
It is a good fit and if it is off even a little it will hit the quill. If it is not the right height or is turned just a little askew the quill will catch and not slide over/past it.
I had to use a finger inside, and look inside, to align it. You should then be able to install the front section all the way and then install and screw in the crank section from the rear.

By the cam hitting the quill I mean at the rear of the smooth section before the treaded section starts. The cam is milled to the diameter of the quill so if it is turned just a little or too high it will catch. Since you have the tailstock off I would replace the handle for the quill lock, then look inside and you should be able to see if it aligns. Note: Nova may not call it a "cam", it appears they call it a "shaft lock quill" item 17 page 28.

As a quick test: take the locking mechanism all the way out (I think it just pulls out from the top), insert the quill and see if it goes all the way back. If it does then the locking mechanism is catching it.


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## Big Jim (Sep 29, 2011)

*Hmmm!*

A good light might bring the problem into focus.

A cotton ball pulled back and forth might cause the defect to have some cotton adhere to itself and bring the problem forward.

Running a tap thru the threaded lock threads might clear the problem as most likely that is where your problem is.

In any event if the problem is at or near the lock slide that shouldn't be causing an out of alignment problem. As once locked down the alignment is from the opposite side of the quill! The lock side simply holds the quill tightly to the opposite side of the interior slide.

Big Jim


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Did nova never get back with you? That would be my first line of defense. Hopefully they will send you a new tailstock. Are there any burrs on the quill or inside the tailstock? Are there any scratches where it has been forced into the hole? If you can't insert the quill by hand I seriously doubt the screw is the problem.


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## Thorn495 (Feb 28, 2014)

No, I haven't heard back from Nova/Teknatool. I wiped down all the parts and put it together again. Still had the same issue. I used a sharpie marker on the edges of the milled slot for the guide pin to see if there were any spots where it was rubbing. Seems like there are all at the very edge of the slot. There is also a scratch in the tailstock shaft that coincides with the milled slot. That's a burred section right?

Sand/file the burr off?

I noticed some wear spots on the "keeper" plate too. It's also a lot easier to roll the quill backwards than forward.


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## NCPaladin (Aug 7, 2010)

I really don't know of anything else to suggest.
If you thread the handwheel on while the quill is out and it is smooth it should not be that.
If you insert the quill with the quill lock removed and it goes in smooth it should not be the quill.
If you have a fine file or a diamond honing plate I would remove any burr.
I guess if you check the cam from the quill lock it could have a burr but probably not.
The only problem I have had is making sure the cam is set exact so that the end of quill (next to the threaded section) can slide past it. From the last pic in your #11 it looks like the end has cleared but it is difficult to tell from a picture; just going by the amount still extended.
I would try to phone Nova service center rather than email them and they may have other trouble shooting ideas.


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## Thorn495 (Feb 28, 2014)

*Fixed It!*

Eureka! Hallelujah! Mystery solved, case closed! I was getting fed up with it and flattened the edges of the slot some on my Trend diamond plate. Then it slid in with no problem. I also stropped it. So I believe the guide screw warped it that time when the alignment plate got loose causing the ripples along the milled section's edges that were catching on the inner shaft of the tailstock. Thank y'all for the help. I'm going to polish, lube it up, and re-align it tomorrow. I'm happy it won't be such a struggle to turn the hand wheel anymore. It's like getting a new lathe again. :icon_smile:


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## Thorn495 (Feb 28, 2014)

Can still see where the pin warped it:


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Thread that screw in until it hits the bottom of the slot, and back off 1/2 turn. This will maximize the contact and minimize the chance of it buggering up the slot.


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## Thorn495 (Feb 28, 2014)

hwebb99 said:


> Thread that screw in until it hits the bottom of the slot, and back off 1/2 turn. This will maximize the contact and minimize the chance of it buggering up the slot.


The guide pin doesn't have any way of screwing unless I tried pliers or vice grips to grab it and try to turn it. No allen key or screw driver top on it.


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## NCPaladin (Aug 7, 2010)

I went out and checked mine and it appears to be pressed in. I would not mess with it.
Even if the pin were adjusted down the damage to the slot is on the sides.
I wouldn't worry much about the divots in the side of the slot. They may make a small difference while drilling buy not enough to notice.
I'm not saying you don't lock the quill each time (I have seen lots of videos with "professional turners" who do not lock the quill). Just guessing but that damage may occur more from turning a heavy, out of balance, piece and not having the quill locked rather than drilling.

Checking the quill was in one of my three S's shortly after I started turning.

Not having the quill locked may also lead to excessive wear on the keeper plate as everything is jiggling around.


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## Thorn495 (Feb 28, 2014)

NCPaladin said:


> I went out and checked mine and it appears to be pressed in. I would not mess with it.
> Even if the pin were adjusted down the damage to the slot is on the sides.
> I wouldn't worry much about the divots in the side of the slot. They may make a small difference while drilling buy not enough to notice.
> I'm not saying you don't lock the quill each time (I have seen lots of videos with "professional turners" who do not lock the quill). Just guessing but that damage may occur more from turning a heavy, out of balance, piece and not having the quill locked rather than drilling.
> ...


Thanks! I'll lock the quill whenever I'm not driving a bit forward in the tail stock.

I used a 2" self-feed bit in the tail stock today and measured the hole with my calipers and it came out to 2.17"! I think the wobble is caused by the shaft of the bit bending as the blade is cutting and maybe some play in the Harbor Freight MT2 chuck I have : P

I learned something else today too. I have some of those Irwin 3-cutter bits (with 3 blades opposed to 1 or 2) since I thought they'd cut faster, but noticed that a single bladed 2" bit was way faster than using the 3-cutter variety. My guess is it's faster since the wood is only contending with one blade instead of three.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Hi, glad you fixed it. FYI with Nova, don't email their customer service. The email goes where laundry socks go. Call them directly and they are good about helping the customer. I prefer email too, but they've helped me a few times and each time it's required the phone call.


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## NCPaladin (Aug 7, 2010)

Wow, 2" to 2.17" is a lot of error.

Also keep the quill with just enough room for it to slide easily while drilling.
Did you place it in the headstock (at slowest speed) to check for wobble? You can use a section of dowel gently against the point to make sure it doesn't come out and you should be able to see any wobble since it will be extended quite a long way.

I have never used a self feeding bit except on an old brace and bit; I use a standard forstner which just has a point.
I looked and several places on-line (retail sellers) and well know forum say to _never use a self-feed in a drill press_; I assume that would apply to a lathe also???
Is it possible the self feed could actually pull itself free from the MT a little?


Addition: You can also place a point (drive spur) in the headstock and the bit in the tail to check to see if the two points line up. This would relate to your first post of realigning the head/tail stock.


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## Thorn495 (Feb 28, 2014)

NCPaladin said:


> Wow, 2" to 2.17" is a lot of error.
> 
> Also keep the quill with just enough room for it to slide easily while drilling.
> Did you place it in the headstock (at slowest speed) to check for wobble? You can use a section of dowel gently against the point to make sure it doesn't come out and you should be able to see any wobble since it will be extended quite a long way.
> ...


The points line up. Sometimes I've put a 1/4" drill bit in the self-feed bits instead of that screw that's supposed to pull them in. I haven't had anything funny happen with either.

I started to suspect something about the run out this week. I noticed that since I slid my lathe around cleaning up that some of the feet on it aren't flat on the ground anymore and the lathe tends to rock a little bit as I turn. I think that the bed of it could be bending/twisting a little while I'm boring holes. I'll extend the feet a little more when I get home Monday to see if that does the trick.


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## EHCRain (Oct 24, 2010)

I didn't read all of the replies but about 2 years ago I had the same issue but was in the vertical plane, about 1/32" between the head stock and tail stock. I emailed with teknatool and resulted in a new lathe being shipped to me. They were good to deal with and started by sending a new tail stock to me.


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## Thorn495 (Feb 28, 2014)

EHCRain said:


> I didn't read all of the replies but about 2 years ago I had the same issue but was in the vertical plane, about 1/32" between the head stock and tail stock. I emailed with teknatool and resulted in a new lathe being shipped to me. They were good to deal with and started by sending a new tail stock to me.


Hmm.. I might try giving them a call about it sometime this month. They probably have extra parts around to give away for it, lol.


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## Howard LeRoy (Jun 26, 2021)

Thorn495 said:


> Hmm.. I might try giving them a call about it sometime this month. They probably have extra parts around to give away for it, lol.


Had a similar problem. All the above seemed fine. I used an automotive brake cylinder home to clean and smooth the cylinder. Works fine now.


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