The plate the chuck mounts to is not perpendicular to the shaft axis. What is the best way to fix this? Hammering it back doesn't sound like a good idea. I thought about taking the shaft over to a machine chop, bolting a plate to the existing plate, then getting that adapter plate machined flat, then tapped for the chuck.
Any other easier/cheaper ideas?
I am a beginner with the hands on operation so please use simple words without too many syllables....
One other idea was to fabricate a different chuck mounting in order to use other brand of chucks. Is this a waste of time too?
A brief history:
I've been saving up for a "real" lathe but do not plan on purchasing for another year. I've been on the lookout for a small bench lathe in order to practice with in the meantime. At a local swap meet last month someone brought this lathe. At least it looked like a lathe under all of the dirt and grime....
But all of the screws felt tight and I couldn't feel any play in the bearings. What the heck. It was only US$25 and the motor alone (1hp GE) was probably worth that much. Plus if nothing else I'll get the education from tearing the thing apart and seeing how everything works.
A month of scrubbing, a gallon of acetone, plus paint grease and oil and the lathe looked pretty nice. I took it to the local club meeting and whereas before when I purchased the comments were composed of advice about getting some chain to go along with that boat anchor now many were asking where I got such a nice little lathe .
So I was happy until I started trying to actually machine something today and found the above mentioned flaw. The chuck must have taken a pretty severe whack at some time in its past. The shaft looks straight, it is the mounting plate at the end that is not square as best that I can tell.
Gene Horr my name as one word at texas dot net