Fitting a taper attachment on a Jet 1440ZX

Machinist@Large · Jul 19, 2019

I heard somewhere that a person can fit a Grizzly taper attachment on a Jet 1440ZX lathe. Is this true? And which one?

Are there any other taper attachments for a 1440zx around that does not break the bank?

TeachMePlease · Jul 19, 2019

Machinist@Large said:
I heard somewhere that a person can fit a Grizzly taper attachment on a Jet 1440ZX lathe. Is this true? And which one?

Are there any other taper attachments for a 1440zx around that does not break the bank?

FYI, both Jet and Grizzly are verboten here, due to their passing resemblance to what most here consider "real" lathes.

Sorry to say it, but this thread will likely be locked shortly. There is a sticky at the top of the forum labeled "Machinery Discussion Guidelines", I suggest you give it a quick perusal.

They will have better answers for you over at the Home Shop Machinist (google it, it's a pretty good forum with lots of answers about machines like Jet and Grizzly).

That's not to say you shouldn't stick around here, you can learn plenty about machining, and get lots of good answers to your questions... Just don't post about your Green Bear or Airplane type machines specifically.

Welcome to the forum.

ripperj · Jul 19, 2019

The jet 1440zx is a 5200# machine, not a typical home shop bench top machine

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Machinist@Large · Jul 25, 2019

Just an FYI. I have made a decent living for the past 9 years on someone else's Jet lathe. I have a customer base that includes several large oil companies who's names include words like Weather and Baker in them.

I just came across the ZX and decided it was time to cut ties with the "someone else". Greed is never good in a business relationship. We agreed on a percentage years ago and when he decided it wasn't enough, I said fine, I'll take it all and leave.

So now I was having difficulty finding a taper attachment since about 75% of the work I do is cutting tapered threads, so I asked here. I have my info on doing the retrofit, I just want more input from others here as I am the type of person who values other peoples input and try not to be a know-it-all and belittle others.

Besides, I had an old instructor tell me, "You can't be a good machinist on a good machine. You know you are good when you can make good parts on junk equipment."

Perhaps he was saying that a machinist like me with crap equipment, could machine you with your top of the line equipment, under the table any day of the week.

Peter from Holland · Jul 25, 2019

Machinist@Large said:
Just an FYI. I have made a decent living for the past 9 years on someone else's Jet lathe.

Well buy a decent lathe then and you can start making some real money

Peter

thermite · Jul 25, 2019

Machinist@Large said:
Perhaps he was saying that a machinist like me with crap equipment, could machine you with your top of the line equipment, under the table any day of the week.

Uhh.. noooo. Probably not.

Those with top of the line equipment NOW generally started-out on machines so shabby as would make a clapped-out Jet look good. First World War (and now and then EARLIER) Niles, etc.

So, too, the DS&G this very "Jet man" was braggin' he usta beat a newer Mazak with, every go.

Not by OUR choice. Nor his. "Company" machines. Turn out work to spec, regardless. Or go hungry.

Along the way.. the lesson was learned that BETTER equipment - a wore-out 1930's Large & Shapely beat a wore-out 1920's Niles, any shift gave us back more TIME.

TIME .. is impossible to "buy back", whether you give a damn about earning more money or never.

Shorter Answer:

Those running better goods have at least exhibited superior JUDGEMENT.
Skills usually match. Part of how each tranche of better equipment was paid-for.

Curious the embrace of a Jet from a DS&G "veteran". Tough times?

yardbird · Jul 25, 2019

Machinist@Large said:
I had an old instructor tell me, "You can't be a good machinist on a good machine. You know you are good when you can make good parts on junk equipment."

Perhaps he was saying that a machinist like me with crap equipment, could machine you with your top of the line equipment, under the table any day of the week.

Easy there bub. No need to get your panties in a wad. It's the rules here. It's been that way long before I got here. A couple years ago when the owner watched these boards more closely your thread would have been locked before you got the first reply. I'd hang around if I was you. This place is a wealth of information like no other.

Like the guy above me mentioned, your machine may be less expensive or not as well built as some for big name MTB's but I highly doubt its consider a clapped out piece of shit like most of us have been forced to make precision parts on.

Brent

moonlight machine · Jul 25, 2019

If you know you need a taper why buy a lathe without one? I use a taper pretty often and have 4 lathes, 3 with taper and one CNC, so it has a taper as well. All are factory equipped so it is properly integrated with the cross feed lead screw.
I'd just find a lathe with a taper.

thermite · Jul 25, 2019

moonlight machine said:
If you know you need a taper why buy a lathe without one? I use a taper pretty often and have 4 lathes, 3 with taper and one CNC, so it has a taper as well. All are factory equipped so it is properly integrated with the cross feed lead screw.
I'd just find a lathe with a taper.

Jet? He probably already has a "lathe with a taper".

What he needs is a lathe without that problem.. and a taper "attachment".

If no CNC atall? Then maybe even a tracer, as Mimik still sell, brand-new.

Hydraulic tracers

See the remark on "tapered threads". PM at work, doing what it does best.

Oil patch work? Plan to grow, not fossilize? L&S or LeBlond Heavy-duty (NOT "Regal") for used (Monarchs usually have too-tight a twa.. er.. "spindle bore"..) .. ToS, Summit, Hwacheon and their re-badged for new(ish)... and more...

Plan for the future. Or give up expecting to have one.

Ducks.. Waddles off. Stage left.

Nmbmxer · Jul 25, 2019

1440ZX doesn’t look like a hobby lathe to me, looks like they make them still and they are $25k and have a large spindle bore. Hell Don himself started a thread about one: JET 1440ZX "Big Bore" lathe...anyone here have one ?

Have to tried to just get the parts from Jet instead of trying to fit a different taper attachment form a similar import?

thermite · Jul 25, 2019

Nmbmxer said:
1440ZX doesn’t look like a hobby lathe to me,

True enough. Basic "Taiwanese generic", poor-man's "industrial"... but no match for a comparably-sized South Korean legally-cloned Mori-Seiki AKA Hwacheon.

Don himself started a thread about one:

..coming up thirteen years ago, though....

... tried to just get the parts from Jet....

Scary thought. They might CHARGE for those?

TeachMePlease · Jul 25, 2019

Machinist@Large said:
Just an FYI. I have made a decent living for the past 9 years on someone else's Jet lathe. I have a customer base that includes several large oil companies who's names include words like Weather and Baker in them.

I just came across the ZX and decided it was time to cut ties with the "someone else". Greed is never good in a business relationship. We agreed on a percentage years ago and when he decided it wasn't enough, I said fine, I'll take it all and leave.

So now I was having difficulty finding a taper attachment since about 75% of the work I do is cutting tapered threads, so I asked here. I have my info on doing the retrofit, I just want more input from others here as I am the type of person who values other peoples input and try not to be a know-it-all and belittle others.

Besides, I had an old instructor tell me, "You can't be a good machinist on a good machine. You know you are good when you can make good parts on junk equipment."

Perhaps he was saying that a machinist like me with crap equipment, could machine you with your top of the line equipment, under the table any day of the week.

Easy there dude... Wasn't condescension, those ARE the rules here, I was just informing you, because lots of people sign up, make a thread like this, thread gets locked by the mods, they get their feelings hurt, start another thread about how unfair the lock was, and then leave and never come back to the site, which means less knowledge being shared here.

Like I said, welcome to the forum.

4GSR · Jul 25, 2019

Grown up in the oil patch, I have adapted different brands of taper attachments to lathes that did not have one in the first place. Never done it with a Asian brand lathe, though. It's not an easy task to do in the first place, and I'm not going to write up how to do it either. Just too much involved to do so. I doubt any of the Grizzly brand lathes have taper attachments big enough or heavy enough to put on you Jet lathe. Maybe, the one's in the South Bend lathe side of Grizzly may work. I'm surprise Jet doesn't off one for sale for your lathe. That would be the first to obtain. Next, you have to purchase the telescopic cross feed screw assembly to go with a taper attachment. I doubt what's on lathe will work as is. As I said, it's not as easy as it looks. To me, you're better off buying a lathe that has a taper attachment already. Ken

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