Drive centre stuck in headstock - help please

[APH]

If you're worried this might happen again, these may be worth having on the shelf; http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Chucks/Wedges-Drifts/Chuck-Removal-Wedges---NEW

[Wooddust]

Why are people suggesting not leaving a chuck on a lathe?

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Hi
 I would not ream it for two reasons (1) the spindle may be harder than the reamer in which case you can kiss your
Your reamer good bye.
(2) if the spindle is soft then you could scrap it reaming it oversize.
Leave well alone keep the taper clean  and a smear of oil on the female taper.
I think someone on this forum has already suggested that you drive the centre into the wood  rather than wind than wind the center using the tailstock handwheel it's surprising haw much force you exert using the handwheel.

Redtails I am not an engineer so may be speaking from ignorance.But surely if a tool (a reamer) has been made to do a job it should be hard enough to cope? I assume this is what a reamer is used for in the first palce? The other thing about cutting oversize, whilst I appreciate that the deeper the reamer goes the bigger in theory the hole becomes would not the hole just become a deeper morse taper instead of a bigger diameter morse taper? Do you know what I mean? If the reamer is the size of the MT surely the angle would stay the same? As I said I am not expert in this so if I am wrong please let me know.

[bodrighywood]

I don't think I have ever put a drive centre into the morse on the headstock as the drives I have all fit into the chuck. I suppose f you are doing production work with a large number of spindles to turn there may be merit in using the morse but otherwise I am not sure I see the benefits.

Pete

[Les Symonds]

If the reamer is the size of the MT surely the angle would stay the same? As I said I am not expert in this so if I am wrong please let me know.

....you are absolutely right, John....the only difference to the female taper would be that by reaming a tiny amount off the surface, you're setting the taper back, but we are talking insignificant amounts. Cleaning an MT with a reamer need only remove a fraction of a millimetre, so the male-MT accessory would sit maybe a millimetre or so further back into the spindle. Generally not a problem!
Les

[seventhdevil]

Hi
If your knockout bar is on the light side you can take off the plastic knob and replace it with a piece of steel say two inch in diameter by say three inches long good luck.

the knockout bar is substantial on the 3520b...
about 18" in length and nearly 1 1/4kg in weight and all metal construction.

[seventhdevil]

i use the same method as pete and rarely put a taper in the headstock.

stebcenters are my choice for turning unless i need the full capacity of the lathe.

[seventhdevil]

You have had some good advice on this, but note that seventhdevil left his in for two weeks, with centre drives and chucks, dont leave them on for any legth of time or you will get  the same again.
Plumbers have a wire brush shaped like a bottle brush, available from a DIY Shed near you. This is ideal for cleaning out the junk you get in the headstock.
Ron

this was the set up that i left in the lathe. it's an extension sleeve for the morse taper and it got a little stuck as it was cold when i tried to remove it.

[Redtails4]

Hi
 The reamer will made M2 tool steel minimum and harded to 60-65 Rockwell about the same has your gouge etc the spindle could be a lot harder the reason for this it's quite possible it's been caseharden with little or no tempering
Unlike your cutting tools, drills, reamers etc.
And also a good pointer is if the original taper in the spindle is ground to take any ovalty out . steel used for making these spindles will go like a dog's hind leg after hardening.
If the spindle is soft then you could in theory go quite a bit oversize using a reamer

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Redtails thanks for that, not something that would have crossed my mind so on a learning curve here. See I always thought that "engineered" stuff was always accurate  and only changed with temerature ( a bit like the steel rule that is accurate at 11 degrees) so thank you for pointing this out and opening my eyes.
I have to say that I always use a drive centre in the morse taper, I normally use a steb centre, especially if I am teaching as they are more forgiving in the event of a catch. I still use 2 and 4 pronged centres but normally those are used on big pieces of spindle turning. I also do such a variety of turning during the week that some times a chuck is only on the lathe long enough for me to make one cut! If I am going on holiday I always remove morse taper drives and chucks from the lathe.

[Wooddust]

If I am going on holiday I always remove morse taper drives and chucks from the lathe.

Can you explain why?

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Because I sometimes have wet wood in the workshop and because the walls are made of wood there is a residual dampness in the workshop. This can cause a bit of oxidisation, not enough to show on the surface usually but enough to require a little more force than normal to remove these items on my return. However I have to say that I do spray the bedways and tapers during normal usage or maintenance. I don't have actual maintenance days but if I notice anything unusual I service. One of the things I use most is wax polish, solves a multitude of problems, that and WD 40 and dry powder lubricant. The other thing is I always have a block of candle wax in my smock so a quick rub here and there makes things work easier.

[Lazurus]

I use a wax coating on the inside of the spindle and the 3MT drives on my VB36, all good so far!!!!