Is the center low? (Horizontal plane)

Does it shift when the clamp is tightened?

Dave

Yes, it will be okay to glue the shim with loctite 608 / 638 or equivalent – I’ve had a strip of shim stuck on my Myford carriage for 5 or 6 years.. ..make sure everything is completely grease-free..

Much better to stick shim on than it is to take metal off the base.

It appears that a later model of the Seig C0 baby lathe were fitted with a laterally adjustable tailstock.

www dot amazon dot com dot au search for Seig C0 baby lathe

For some reason I can’t post that URL to show the image.

Click on the main picture & go the thumbnail showing the tailstock, click on it to enlarge it and you should be able to see the mortise and tenon type sliding lateral adjustment locked by a capscrew at the right hand side of the tailstock.

Where’s Ketan when you need him? Any possibility of contacting him?

There you go.

I made a new center for my Unimat (basically the same lathe), as the original one had poor pointyness and poor fit into the tailstock barrel.
The new one is a tight sliding fit.

I favour the shim solution, it is reversable if you find another problem. This is where a test bar comes in handy, they are available from about 7 1/2″ long upwards.

Have to admit that I’ve had the C0 for so many years now it’s difficult to remember (age related) and it was a just do once type of thing.

I kind of think the two sections could be loosened from each other using the hex head screws and one section set over relative to the other.

i will see if there is still any paperwork tucked away (may take many days).

<p style=”text-align: left;”>Perhaps check the headstock end for burrs swarf and correct seating and alignment etc.  if the spindle had an internal MT you would use a test bar to confirm headstock alignment.</p>
If you want a source of shims, just get some cheap feeler gauges and use those. You may have to shim both head and tailstock.

These lathes are not designed or sold as precision tools so you may have to accept some level of compromise.

In the worst case, you could make a ‘set over’’ centre arrangement if it proves difficult to shim to alignment.

Another point. Put blue on part of the main bed and gently set the tailstock down on it. Then examine the imprint on the underside of the tailstock to see if there are any areas not in contact. This might indicate a bend or twist or a high spot you can scrape.

<p style=”text-align: left;”>If you need an extempore test bar, you could use some 10mm silver steel (larger diameter if will fit through the spindle). Let 4 to 6in project in front of chuck and run a DTI mounted on x slide along the side length of the bar using the carriage feed.</p>
This will at least help confirm if the headstock/spindle/chuck assembly is aligned with the bed ways.

The other way is to take some light cuts on a 4 in piece of bar so it is all bright metal then measure each end with a micrometer. Zero difference indicates all is good at the headstock end.

On 9 December 2025 at 17:29 Engine Builder Said:

I have been in the workshop and made up this adustable chuck fitting. It works well. Previously when centre drilling the drill tip did not seem to be on centre.

That looks good & be interesting to hear how you get on with using it.