Drop bed lathe

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Larry$

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How many of you have ever taken the drop block, (correct term?) out of their drop bed lathe?
Was it difficult to get back in?
 
I think they call them 'gap bed' lathes. Never had one, so I can't ansewr.
 
Gap bed is what you’re looking for.

I had one but the gap was broken, then missing, then I got rid of it.

There’s different opinions, but we’re machinists so go for it.

john
 
We have one at work. A 14” Cadillac. That one is bolted and doweled. Nice snug fit not too hard to remove. Make sure everything is clean when putting back in.
Only remove when you need it.


Cutting oil is my blood.
 
Some people claim removing the gap is a terrible thing to do. Me? I have no problem - it was not there when they made the bed, it is designed and intended to be removed - no issue in my book. I ensure it is removed and installed carefully, it must be absolutely clean and when removed treat it carefull. In 40 years, I’ve had my gap section out about 15 times - no problems with how the machine is performing.
 
I bought a used 13x40 China-made lathe. The prior owner had taken the gap out and not cleaned it well before reinstalling it. You could feel the step in the ways. I took the gap out, cleaned everything well (including prying out the chips that had embedded in the mating surfaces), stoned the burrs, and put it back together. It lined up perfectly.

It has two dowel pins and four bolts. The dowel pins have nuts so you can use them to pull them out when you remove the gap. A very good system.

The bad fit made a good bargaining point when I bought the lathe!
 
There are 'Gap Bed' & then there are, 1 step further, 'Adjustable Gap'. With this design, simply adjust the entire bed in or out as needed! NOTES: I probably got the actual name wrong on this version. This version will require more space lengthwise.
 
Since 2001 I've had the gap out of my 12x36 somewhere between 50 and 100+ times as I've lost count, never had a problem.

I always clean it properly as suggested above, and only rely on the 2x taper pins for rough alignment, then use a dial indicator on the saddle sweeping both sides of the V way and flat wat at the rear to make sure it's spot on.
 
My lathe has one and I removed and replaced it a few times,no problem. BUT,the desighn suck,because with it you remove the last section of rack aswell and therefore the apron can't go further than that point and 90% of the time it needs to. So most of the time I end up putting back the piece of bed without having done the job because the toolholder could not reach and I had to make other plans using the mill or rejecting the job.

Do you guys have the same problem?
 
That’s why I sold my Bolton after I determined I wasn’t getting the gap back.
 
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