New to me Takisawa TSL-1000 reconditioning

[arsenix]

I picked this lathe up during the pandemic and have been cleaning it up for my garage use. Have been having fun with it but am a little confused right now. I've cleaned out the headstock and changed the oil. Verified that the head runs well. Extensive scrubbing/cleaning (including a putrid archaeology dig into the coolant tank). This lathe was unfortunately damaged at some point in its life as the handles were bend when I bought it. My theory is that it wasn't completely dropped, but something whacked the apron and forced the saddle up since the front saddle gibs were broken. I tore down the apron completely, replaced all seals and bearings. Repaired and straightened the shafts, handles and replaced the carriage handle bushing and that all seems good now. My confusion is around assessing the way and saddle wear. I'm hoping some other Taki owners could provide some advice.

I made up some leveling screws and I have it leveled to around .002. I leveled it using the two flat ways. The saddle gib running surface under the bed appears to be unworn, so I took measurements of the saddle ways against that as a reference. I'm reading about .001" of wear in the bed on the flat way, and around .003" of wear on the front V way. Oddly the V angle gets narrower close to the headstock. A V block placed on the V way will rock about .002". Here's the odd part though: with the machine leveled across those flats, the cross ways on the saddle are off level about .02"! It is lower at the front V way. At first I assumed the saddle was just worn that amount, but there does not appear to be a wear ridge of any kind under the saddle.

Some of my assumptions here that maybe other owners can confirm or crush:
1. Are the tailstock ways in plane with the saddle ways? I assume that leveling across the two flats is a good leveling reference.
2. I assume that the saddle cross way is parallel to the flat ways on the bed? This isn't necessarily true but I don't know why it wouldn't be?
3. Is there any way that the saddle wouldn't have a wear ridge under it?

This situation has left me scratching my head. As with any old machine I have to consider "meddling" by previous owners which could easily have been misguided. I wonder if maybe the saddle was machined on the bottom to eliminate the wear ridge on the V, but then not brought back up again?

My inclination is to machine the bottom of the saddle, turcite it and bring it back level with the flat ways. If I'm going to that trouble I'm also thinking I may as well have the bed ground. So this is the rabbit hole I've been orbiting for the last few weeks on this project!

Google photos album of my journey thus far: https://photos.app.goo.gl/WFTk1gwRZgQgEQ8U7

 

[arsenix]

I added a google photos album but removed the link since I am still a newbie! Will add it back once I hit three posts!

 

[arsenix]

The top of this V on the saddle does look a little suspicious to me. Maybe it was machined on the bottom.

 

[Janderso]

Someone will be along that knows a lot more than I do.
Those ways look great to me, from this pic.
Welcome to the forum.
Takisawa makes very good lathes.

 

[arsenix]

After scrubbing, stoning and more scrubbing the ways do look decent! I also know they have a few thou of wear, which isn't terrible. My last lathe was a 1960's Southbend which I believe had been used for quite a long time as a grinding machine. Despite having a hardened bed the ways had over .01" wear and the saddle would rock!

 

[Aukai]

That picture is where you mount the way wipers, I don't think it is a bearing surface.

 

[Winegrower]

Looks like a great job of digging in and figuring it out on the fly. Mine has not needed much attention, but I did have to tear the apron apart to get to the oiler and replace the O-rings. I’m sure you found what manuals exist. Do you have change gears?

 

[mksj]

The top of the V saddle is of no consequences, there is always a bit of a gap and the irregularity may be the casting. Most of the wear seems to be under the saddle, this could be built up and scraped if significant. The Tail stock ways may not be in parallel with the saddle ways, it is all how the sit on the ways. In addition the carriage may not be level with other portions of the machine. You need a higher resolution level and need look at the bubble with the level on the carriage to see if it changes as you move away from the headstock. Level is relative, what counts is that it is the same as you move down the ways. I would also check the run-out starting with Rollie's Dad's Lathe Headstock Alignment Method.

By the ways nice job on the rebuild, seems like some damaged and bent parts, they are industrial lathes but often have a hard life.

 

[arsenix]

I have a master precision level. The saddle tilts about .002 thou downward from the end to the headstock. It is true I could probably twist the bed slightly to take some of this out. I was planning to machine and scrape the top of the saddle, but I'm unsure now what to use as a leveling reference.

The thing that confuses me is why there would be no wear ridge on the bottom of the saddle despite .003" bed wear. I would think the base of the saddle (soft cast iron) must wear more rapidly than the bed (hardened), and I see no wear ridge in the V way. I would think I would see some sort of wear ridge in these areas. Note there is nothing visible underneath either.

 

[mksj]

There does appear to be appreciable wear on the saddle V grove and flat surface as there is no scraping marks at either end and only slight traces in the center. New, I would expect consistent flaking on all wear surfaces. Agree that you might have some slight ridge marks where you have indicated but depends on the top relief/grinding as to how they interface. Richard King would be the person to contact on these matters, and also as to recommendations for repair. Looks like some of the oil channels may have been blocked, I would clean and check all of them.