Morse taper question

macguy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I bought a lathe over the weekend and it is a gem but there is a drill chuck stuck in the tail piece. I took the barrel out and got the chuck part off. Now I just have the morse taper piece stuck in the barrel. It is not rusted but has been in there for years from what I am told. Any secrets to try, freezing it, heating it, I don't want to damage anything and there is no rush.
 
I have a live center that does not have a tang on the end and gets locked up in the tail stock all the time. I must put a file or wrench end between the live center and the tail stock and then turn the handle or screw on the tail stock to retract the tube and force the live center out of the tube.
 
I bought a lathe over the weekend and it is a gem but there is a drill chuck stuck in the tail piece. I took the barrel out and got the chuck part off. Now I just have the morse taper piece stuck in the barrel. It is not rusted but has been in there for years from what I am told. Any secrets to try, freezing it, heating it, I don't want to damage anything and there is no rush.

at the end of the screw that retracts the barrel there will be a rod that pushes out the tapered bar when full retracted. If the tapered bar has been cut off so that this push bar is to short to reach the Morse tapered bar you can get a longer rod of the same size and put into an arbor press and push it out or even just put the longer rod in and with the barrel vertical to a solid plate slam down until the Morse taper bar pops out. Once out I would replace with one that has not been shortened so as to not go through the process a second time, but I'm sure you have already figured that out.

Dick
 
Mix ATF oil with denatured alcohol ( 50-50 ).
Drop some on the hole.
It might take a few tries and days before it totally loosens up for you to pry that center out.
 
I got it out. I took a piece of steel rod and cut a hole in it a little larger then the barrel. Then in the center another hole a little larger then the piece that was stuck. The barrel was already out of the tail stock. I soaked it in some wd40 for a while then put it in the tool I had just made and gave it a few really good whacks and out it came. There was no rust just really stuck. Thanks for the advice, I guess is was a little impatiant but I don't think with the tool I made there was any worry of doing any damege. Sometimes I guess you just have to hit something hard.
 
Now that it is out, clean it with denatured or isopropol. WD40 is advertised as a lubricant, but is actually a solvent. Steer clear of WD40. I would recommend a good lubricant like LPS1.

If you have any steel pieces that won't be used for an extended period of time, coat generously in LPS3, which will create a great moisture barrier and is easy to remove (with LPS1 or alcohol). These are what we use when sending multi-million dollar machines overseas in containers.

dld

Thanks, I am going to pick up some tomorrow if it is carried locally. I use WD40 just because I have it around, it is kind of the first go to thing when you need something.
I just watched this LPS1 video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kbfgUQjnoQ
I just ordered some Ballistol for my guns that I have been reading about. I am always a sucker for something new.
 
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Some of the old lathes we had at school had a "wrench" of sorts to deal with this problem.

What the old instructor did was take the wrench that was used for the tailstock locking mechanism and welded a piece of steel to the end.

The piece that was welded on kinda looked like a tuning fork,but tapered so the front edges were thinner,and thicker towards the back edge where the radius was. It was also dimensioned so it barely slid over a MT#2 rod.

All you had to do to break your live center loose on those lathes was slide it in between the back edge of the tailstock and the front face of the quill and tap the end with a dead-blow hammer,or usually slap the wrench with your hand in the direction of the tailstock.

Just in case anyone is curious,ambitious,or even bored,Morse tapers are roughly .625 per foot.

The #2 shank for a drill press my instructor asked me to make was cut at 1° 25' 50",using an indicator,a sine bar and a gage block to set the compound. Tommy D.
 
The #2 shank for a drill press my instructor asked me to make was cut at 1° 25' 50",using an indicator,a sine bar and a gage block to set the compound. Tommy D.

I learned a cool trick from Dave Gingery .... use an indicator and indicate a morse taper sleeve in the chuck. Then you can set the angle of the compound from the sleeve ... very accurate and no trig required :thumbup: Wouldn't have made your instructor happy but a great way to dial in a taper.

Dave
 
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