Has anybody ever thought about putting a different tailstock on these machines? I had to turn down a big shaft last week and to support the tailstock end without using an extension I had the table travel trapped between the headsock and tailstock with only a 1/8" of clearance at each end of the travel. Even then the tailstock was fully extended and it did not provide much support. I tried using the support thing but it did not line up with the tool so I had to mount it when the cut was started at the tailstock then stop part way through the cut to remove it, otherwise it would have hit the chuck.

I looked breifly at putting the tailstock on backward but the tailstock spindle can't mount to the front side and if it could it would only buy a couple of inches.

What I would have liked is some sort of tailstock that would reach over the table about 6 inches. I though about making something that could interchange with the top part of the existing tailstock, but before I got into welding and cutting I wondered if there was enough tailstock to ways lenght to keep such a part stable. That said, it occured to me to ask if anybody else had thought through this option.

Tom