I promiosed chumbucket I'd post this...

Thanks Joe.
I think I have to put some kind of serated/toothed washer on #43 to get more bite on the tailstock.:wall:

"I think I have to put some kind of serated/toothed washer on #43 to get more bite on the tailstock."

mine seems to slip too, ...i did split a plug when it grabbed too hard,,maybe a good thing it slips a little

Replace #42

the casting of the underside of the bed rails is poor on some of the models... my lathe bed is fine, but the extension bed is terrible.... I suspect that the actual suface area that the cam washer face is contacting is in reality unfinished and therefore small allowing the tail stock to slide under pressure.... the toothed washer or possibly resufacing the area that you want the tail stock ( undeneith) to ride on may be the only answer...or use a small C clamp on the back side of the tail stock clamped to the rail to aid in keeping the tail stock from walking back under pressure....

My guess is.. that when PSI originaly made these lathes, they primarily targeted pen makers... the mandrels for the pens require very slight tail stock pressure so tail stock movement was never an issue...

the new Comander series seems a little better built... aimed at heavier work... My wife asked me if I wanted one ( perhaps for Christmas or my birthday in February) I replied that i was perfectly happy with the one I have.. with a pause of coarse.. If by chance.. I should get a new one.. my current lathe will be up for sale ( I allready have a larger so I dont need 3) I'll post it here in the for sale section first..

Yep, the casting underneath is lousy and hardly machined flat. I heard of "Scrape-ing" metal by hand/files or specially made metal scrape-ers but I dont know how to do it and dont want to risk ruining the lathe bed. I think #42 is good because no matter where I set the nut it holds. The tailstock is what slips. I want to turn some baseball bats on this thing but don't want to get smashed in the skull by a half-finished bat.:smash: