Shortening the MicroArc tailstock

I have the MicroArc-4 and the lowest tailstock. I don’t foresee ever raising the MicroArc so I can’t see any need for the very obstructive 3 inches of tailstock height adjustment. Is there any reason not to mill off the top unused portion of the tailstock?

The supports are pretty beefy and I don’t think there would be any appreciable axial movement from removing the top. However it would save me a lot of space near the spindle head since I am milling very small parts.
I need some opinions.
I have thought of sawing an inch out of the adjustment space and then bolting the top brace back on to the remaining uprights but I thought that might actually introduce more distortion than just removing the material above the dead center bracket.

Nice one.
Rather than cut that one up, buy a $60 cheapy.
I did, figured it’s there to support and absorb vibes. There is a small one that fits in the center line dimension. 3.150"?
That one is too nice. Save it for heavier work.

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Based on the size of the collet in your microarc, I can’t imagine you’re taking heavy enough cuts that removing the top of the tailstock would make a difference for chatter or surface finish. That said, bolting something back on would probably be better than not. You could always make the through holes on the cap oversized so it can float around until it’s tight. That should avoid any distortion.


This was my solution. I used a piece of 80/20 rail and machined it to accept two line up pins in the table and two bolts. I then bought a cheap amazon tailstock and machined away the bottom so that I could machine my own base with a set of integral keys in the bottom to keep it lined up to the rail. My rail now comes on and off with exceptional repeatability and my tailstock rides up and down the rail without any play. The whole thing usually has less than 2 thousands variance over the whole distance any time you put it on. I flute 24" barrels on it all the time and my set up time has dropped dramatically.

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I have the model if it helps.

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