On 12/10/2015 12:04 PM, timh2870@yahoo.com [SOUTHBENDLATHE] wrote:
having a similar problem at the moment trying to turn a 20.5" long length of pipe. i know my tailstock is aligned to the spindle to within half a thou, but i keep cutting a taper because the work heats up and binds the centers, so i cut slower, it cools off and is now loose, so by the time i get close to the spindle with a pass, the work is being pushed away almost 0.005" and rattles on the spindle center. short of buying a spring loaded center, my workaround right now is to stop the machine, leave the feed engaged, back off my cross slide and re-adjust the tailstock every couple of inches of cut, then bring the cross slide back to my number and turn it back on. using the follow-rest helped a bit, but means i have to flip the work over, set up the dog and follow-rest again just to finish off the last 3 inches of the part.
So you need to set it up with a flood cooling system. Deep chip tray with a sump, filter, pump etc.
Could also be the wrong cutting angle and/or wrong cutting tool type for the material.
