well you guys were right, its not my bearings, changed them out. exact same finish as before. I did finally find some movement while under light load. I thought I had checked this before I changed the bearings, obviously I hadn't. the whole saddle is moving horizonal side to side on the v way. I ran an indicator on the vertical side non worn side of the v and every time my finish changed the indicator would move, I really don't want to tackle taking apart that saddle, all Im going to see is massive wear and then I have to fix it. I dont think this lathe is worth the time and money its going to take to fix right. but when its hammering its way through welding build up I really like this old thing. I guess I will start saving for another quite a bit smaller lathe and move this one out under a lean to for when I need the length. I have been looking at 14x60 or 16x60 polish lathes but not sure what route to go. I usually dont find cream puff deals so american is probably out.