Hobbymat MD65 refurb' tailstock problems

Hi Engineers, I am having a lot of problems with the tailstock moving along the lathe's bed....I thought it would be easy to move once the locking cap bolts were released but it will not move unless I bash the whole assembly with a hammer....it seems very sticky.

I've tried WD40 and now Plus Gas penetrating oil....no change in the situation

Has anyone any ideas how I should proceed from here?

Should I try to take the right -hand end of the bed to pieces in order to remove the tailstock completely and carry out serious cleaning?

Thank you everyone.

You should definitely not need a hammer to move a tailstock, on any lathe.

Would suggest disassembly, clean, inspect for burrs / dents / galling on both bed and tailstock, remove any burrs, re-oil and reassemble.

There are 2 cap head screws on the rear side of the tailstock

The one nearest the headstock end is as you say for clamping the tailstock.

The other one forces the two opposing sides of the tailstock casting apart and needs to be tightened / adjusted  just enough to allow smooth sliding along the bed rail , be careful not to overtighten this screw or you will crack or break the casting.

Edited By T.B on 10/05/2021 13:53:41

There should be two bolts under the tailstock. One (furthest from the headstock) opens up the slot and allows the tailstock to move freely, the other closes the slot to clamp the tailstock when in use. If both screws are released the tailstock will barely move as you have found.

Be careful with the slot opening bolt, you can crack the tailstock if you open the slot too much.

There is a similar arrangement for the crossslide but with 3 bolts, two clanping and one opening.

Edited By Roger B on 10/05/2021 13:54:32

Hi, scan below shows how to lock and release the tailstock.

Regards Nick.