Dear Ray thanks for breaking it down like that. The real clear instructions are much appreciated by guys like who don't have any formal training but want to learn. With kind thanks.

Fantastic video, you've made it short and simple for everyone to understand how simple it is to align a tailstock. Great work.

Excellent tool for the job, I'll copy it for sure,it is simple and reliable/functional.

Awesome idea !! Thanks :)

Always good to get a refresher! I remember saying the first time I saw this, I need to make one of those. Guess what? I still need to make one!!! Razor!

Hi Ray, sweet little tool, easy to make and easy to use...nice video too...take care....

Very simple and elegant! Thanks for the great video

Thanks for the video. I have seen several similar methods. The only constructive think I would suggest ( and to the others) is to zero in the mirror, and read the difference in the front , directly. Jody Derrick mentions the coaxial indicator and I have just got one of these and it is terrific for this sort of stuff. I am not a machinist, just an enthusiastic hobbyist who greatly appreciates the effort all you guys go to to share your knowledge.

I actually like this way of doing it. The regular alignemant bar system is meant to be between centers and you cant measure tailstock high or low, just side to side. And since I mostly use my lathe with the chuck and that`s the center I need to be accurate, I think measuring from the chuck gives you a true center relative to the chuck.

Great stuff I use a MT extension it's good for checking like this plus you can check linear alignment as well! I always zero the clock in the mirror then it's easier to read how much you mite be out

Good stuff, man...will definitely be whipping one of these up.

Great method, and thanks for the tip!

Ray, that looks really easy to use. Thanks for the adaptation of Tubalcain's idea! --Bill

Good idea ,must make one, thanks man!

Better high than low, a heavy part b/w centres will tend to push the tailstock centre down. Very nice tool.

I saw Tubalcain's video on Tailstock alignment. I also like the idea of making a jig like this. Great job and thanks for sharing.

Great trick I'm going to make a setup like yours Ray thank you 👍

Thanks dude,,,, front to back alignment is important yes,,, however after many years and arguments with other machinists ive found that the Height of most lathe centers tends to be Low . Having the center at zero high/low minimizes the diferance when the tailstock is moved. it also helps with drilling accuracy as well.

Thank you very much Mylvank, I am happy to hear this helped you, and Thanks for watching! Ray C.

That’s great- going to try that

Thanks for the great tip CHEVI789, I'll give it a try. Also, I recently picked up a Blake Co-Ax Indicator on eBay, and would like to try that method as well. Thanks for watching!

Thanks orange12v, great tip, and thanks for watching! Ray C.

Take a dial indicator with a magnetic base, mag it to the chuck face as close to the ID of the chuck you can go. Move tailstock where you are generally going to have it most of the time, place the indicator needle on the tailstock and spin the chuck and correct any misalignment.

Thanks Man! I've been wondering how to do that!

I used Tubalcains drill chuck arbour method and it also works spot on.

Going to make one of these cool tools.

Great idea

Great! Thanks

nice job!

Pretty smart

I have been a machinist for 30 years. I assume you are concerned with taking out taper when machining a O.D or a bore. All you need to do is use the way adjustments on your tail stock. Use a .001 dial indicator mounted on a flat steel bar across the bed ways, and simply put the tip of the dial indicator on the tail stock arbor. Use your tail stock way adjustment screws to adjust your taper. Each .001 of dial indicator movement clockwise or counter clockwise will adjust .002 of work piece taper. It’s always best to use a scrap piece of round stock and make test cuts from end to end, then use your micrometer to measure the O.D of your round scrap work piece for taper and keep adjusting your tail stock ways until you remove all taper in your work piece. Do not lock down the tail stock when making these tail stock way adjustments. Of course you have to account for tool deflection on long cuts and use a follow rest if needed. On bores, again tool deflection is key. The sturdiest boring bar the better! I prefer carbide inserts, but on long bores I may finish with a high speed tool for less deflection. Keep the Coolant flowing! Maybe leave a few thousands and polish to critical size with a polishing stick depending the material I am machining. Of course your lathe must be properly leveled using steel shim stock. Level the bed ways in both elevations, front to back and end to end.

Hi Ray, good job but please remind people this can only get the alignment as close as the 3 jaw can centre the tool you made. Put your tool in a 4 jaw, centre it with indicator and do the tail stock thing and you will be closer to dead nuts. I think the alignment bar with larger diameter ends fitted method is a good accurate but time consuming way. if you have 3 or 4 bars or different lengths to check if the bed is off as the distance from the head stock increases.

Hi Bill, thanks! I noticed you were using a 5C Collet on the face plate in one of your videos. Grizzly has a 5C to MT5 Adapter, and 5C Drawbar that will work in you lathe with minor mods, let me know if you would like the grizz part numbers. Also, my Quick Change Gear Box Sight Glass started leaking last week so Grizzly is sending me out a replacement to change it out. Wish me luck!

Your tool looks well made Ray! An "Indicol", magnetic base, or some other off the shelf indicator holder does the same job for much less $. Indicating a tapered surface is not recommended. To use this method of tail-stock alignment on an OD/ID grinder would require a .0001" indicator.

So simple... Dude you're awesome! =O

Thank you Waiakalulu1, I'm not the best at making video's, or very good at teaching, but I do my best to share some of he tricks I have learned over the past two years.

Thanks for the tip Griper702, I don't have a coax indicator, plus this tool was was made with scrap metal for free. I do need to invest in a good coax indicator. Thanks for watching!

Nice job!

Just stick a moore gooseneck with a best test indicator in the headstock and sweep the taper in the tailstock

this is very inventive and clever but the reason why we don't do this is because you're dealing with slop in the lathe Chuck slop in your back plate that you may have caused when you made the backplate if you have a back plate excetera excetera excetera. it would be nice to make a tool to mount and to a Morris taper to prorate in your spindle like this. Shouldn't be all too hard maybe I'll give it a shot myself

Your welcome AeroSport, now you have another small project to do in that really nice shop of yours! Thanks for watching!

What happens if your 3-jaw chuck (not generally know for accuracy) has runout? Won't your tail stock adjustment be off?

Why would you need such a contraption, when you can chuck a piece of scrap and turn its diameter to match the tailstock and then use a dial indicator to sweep across both to adjust it? This also has no point of errors as gravity doesn't affect the measurements.

WOW 100, never thought I would have had 10! Thanks man, and thanks for watching!

Your welcome Magnus, it was a fun little project that works very well. Thanks for watching!

Hi Joseph, Yes you could if wanted close to perfect alignment. This method is good for getting your tail-stock close to centered. If you wanted perfect dead center, you would lock the tail-stock exactly where you need it, and turn a test bar, then measure both ends till perfect. Thanks for watching! Ray C.

Clever gadget..... :-)

Problem is unless your lathe & tailstock are in perfect alignment you can't make a tool to hold an indicator on a perfect center axis . Basically, you are trying to make it work as well as a lot of work. In my humble opinion A cheap coaixial Indicator wold be a better choice.

Hi Ray, just reviewed this as i'm resetting my lathe after a refit, Something just occurred to me with this method simply what if the chuck is worn on the jaws etc. I'm just thinking if the slotted bar would de better carried on a MT Arbor of whatever size in the headstock. Any thoughts. I've also seen this done using a hardened rod tapered at both ends to match the relevant tapers just calling for the tailstock to be locked down at the right setting. I'm no expert just seeking options

Thanks Ray, good video. Would this method be more accurate using a collet in the headstock due to the fact that most three jaw chucks are a few thousands eccentric.

Hi Tony, I have not been making videos due to personal issues that have taken most, if not all of my free time. Once everything is resolved, I have a bunch of new ideas, and a PM45 product review to do. Thnaks for your support, and thanks for watching! Ray C.

ray: i have the g0709, i put a magnetic mount on the spindle nose and the indicator on the dead center in the tail stock... i then turned the spindle by hand around the dead center... i dialed in the sides dead nuts, when i went to do top and bottom i 0'd out with the indicator on the bottom and when i spun it to the top it was out .010-.011 which would be .005 a side or .010 (not smart enough to figure).. i had the tail stock torqued to 45 lbs... any more made no difference... so i'm .005 or 010 to high either one is too much for chambering... i called grizzly and well thats another story... is there anything i am doing wrong?

Got ya. i would imagine you wouldn't need the alignment to be perfect unless you did a lot of turning between centers or stuff like chamber rifle barrels.

Nice

Hi Rusty, Yes It would be a very slight bit off but, I have found this method to be pretty accurate. If you want the most accurate method make, and use a test rod of 1" material, set your tail stock exactly where your going to use it, take light cut's off the rod, and measure end to end with a caliper, then make your adjustments. Once you remove that piece of material, and re install it will be off if you have runout in your chuck. Thanks for watching!

Nice job Ray, just came across this...33k views...wow

nice idea ,but to many variations for me. dead centers in tailstock and the spindle, test bar with three or four dial indicators.

There is a quicker way Ray, get a 10-15mm rod through the jaw as close as possible to put a 45 deg point on it, put your tapper in the tail stock and slide it towards the jaw (about 5mm away), tighten the tail stock, get a 10 thou feeler gauge and put between both and 45 deg rod and the morse tapper and squash it, now it will depend on which way it moves which way you have to adjust the tail stock, if the side tilts towards you then adjust the tail stock to the right on it's adjustment, etc.

Thank you bnred4, and thanks for watching!

Wouldn't you need to indicate in the round stock before taking your measurements?

What i usualy do is installing a 12-16mm Rod in The lathe with the length ca 200mm. I make a cutt near the tail stock and One near The chuck. Then i messure the diameter, adjust and make the operation untill its ok. Sorry for My bad english!

One of the things often overlooked is that the bed needs to be properly aligned using precision levels. Otherwise each position the tailstock is in needs to be realigned.

You could make that a "between centres" gadget too.....

Where are the new videos?

could you do the same thing with a coaxial indicator??

What I do is put a piece of scrap in the chuck and turn it to exactly the same diameter as the tail stock barrel , then set up the dial gauge on the saddle with it set at centre height and move the point from the machined piece in the chuck to the clamped up tailstock barrel and record the reading then make the adjustments to bring them to the same reading

Where can I get this kit (Taillstock Alingnment) ?

Why not just mount a Starret Dial indicator directly on the chuck? I do that all the time.

Awesome tool. Can I borrow it? LOL

what screws did you use?

Excellent video, many thanks for sharing. Can you tell me the model number of the dial indicator please, I've got to have one of those ! Best wishes, Brian

how do you know the stock mounted in the Chuck is centered on zero

Why not just stick a magnetic base dti on the chuck and indicate the tailstock spindle bore? You don't need to make anything to do this.

Simple, easy solution - if the chuck is truly centered in the headstock. Apparently Mr. Atlas (has nothing to do with the lathe manufacturer, rather is a term popular in the '50s to identify a bodybuilder) never tightened anything on your chuck or the jaws would likely be splayed out. Seldom is the 3-jaw that is truly concentric.

Ofcource you drill a center hole and run it betwen chuck and dubb.

Hi do you sell this tool? I don't have a mill

Very cool and very savy , i never thought about bad ways mucking up thinks , my ways are like an old tarmac from the 50's i gotta an old southbend heavy ten and this is the only thing that will help me . an alignment bar wouldnt of done me much good

The newer Starrett 196 indicators just aren't the same...the older ones are much better quality internally.

nice job!