Lathe: Headstock Bolt Torque

The mini lathe's headstock is a very poor design. Tightening it to the bed puts a lot of force on the channel in the headstock's bottom which mates to the bed's prism, and the outer side of the channel is not well supported. Even worse, a square relief was cut in the channel which concentrates the stress at the corners of the relief. Ultimately, if you tighten the headstock down tight, you run a good chance of cracking it.

After some research by Grizzly, a recommended torque of 96-144 inch pounds is recommended for the bolts, and I would stay toward the bottom end of that. I torque them to 102 inch pounds, or 8.5 foot pounds.

Crack originating from inside corner.