Semi-frozen Morse 2

Hi,

I have a Delta 46-460 lathe. The center is quite difficult to remove from the tailstock. If I use the knock out bar, it just knocks out the central attachment leaving the revolving center in the Morse 2 of the tailstock.

If I use a wood block on the back of the bearing and hit it with a hammer, nothing happens. If I use a half inch dia. steel bar and hit it with a mallet, nothing happens. If I hit the steel bar with a ball pein hammer a few times, it will come out.

A less radical method of removal would be appreciated.

Thanks and Enjoy,

JimB
 
Jim, how often are you removing the item? If I leave the spur drives in the headstock of my mini lathes in the school shop over summer, I encounter the same situation you talk about. Once I knock them loose and students are taking them out and putting them in daily, this issue disappears. Maybe when done for the day, take the spur drive or whatever is the issue out?
 
Jon, I think it's the live center that's stuck in the tailstock. ;)

Jim, most tailstocks these days have a self-ejecting quill. You should be able to turn the handle counter clockwise to the point where the quill is pulled all the way into the tailstock. Then turn it a little more, and the live center should come out. If you have really jammed the live center into the quill, it may take a fair amount of force, but you should be able to do it with the handwheel alone.

From the User's Manual:

46-460 User's Manual said:
REMOVING THE LIVE CENTER

To eject the live center (F) Fig. 9, turn tailstock crank (P) Fig. 8 counterclockwise to retract the quill. As quill retracts, the live center contacts an internal ejecting pin. When it does, you will feel the crank get harder to turn. Turning further past this point loosens the live center for
easy removal.

If it's difficult to get the live center out that way, it's an indication that you're cranking it down too hard onto your workpieces. (That can be hard on the headstock bearings.) If the spur center is well-seated into the wood, you shouldn't need more than firm pressure from the tailstock to keep a piece on the lathe. I often make an "X" with a chisel for the spurs of the spur center to engage with. Actually, I do these steps:

1. Use a mallet to lightly tap the spur center into the spot on the wood where I want it to go. This is just to mark the "X" where the spurs hit the wood.

2. Remove the spur center and using the "X" mark it just made, take a 1" bench chisel (I use an old beater with a broken plastic handle), and give it a good whack or two in each half of the "X" to deepen it.

3. Put the spur center back in place on the wood, aligned with the newly-deepened "X", and drive it firmly into the workpiece with a mallet.

4. Then mount it on the lathe.

5. Turn, turn, turn. :D
 
Jim,

as Vaughn stated.....most are self-ejecting but.....

tighten the lock on the quill....then unlock it but don't turn the lock handle more than 1/2 a turn when you do. Then back the quill out and see if it will self-eject.

On mine, when you unlock the quill, if you turn the locking lever/knob more than 1 turn or so, it will not auto-eject the center....
 
:doh::doh:That is what I get for not comprehending what it was I was reading! Eyes contacted the fingers before turning on the brain. :eek::eek:My brains have begun to leak!!:dunno::rofl::rofl::thumb::thumb:

Disregard my post Jim and go straight to Vaughn's. Yep, self ejecting.
 
Dont feel bad Jonathan, I did the same thing a few weeks ago. completely forgot about the self eject feature and was pounding away with a mallet and the brass knock out rod...... I figured mine out accidentally when I cranked tail stock all the way and the live center just popped out.....:doh::doh::doh::eek:
 
My first thought was the inside needs a good cleaning.
Remember Tod's technique for permantely installing the chuck into a drill press that has an M2: spit on quill, insert and leave alone for a while. :eek:
Works.
For easy removal they need to be clean.
 
Jon, I think it's the live center that's stuck in the tailstock. ;)

Jim, most tailstocks these days have a self-ejecting quill. You should be able to turn the handle counter clockwise to the point where the quill is pulled all the way into the tailstock. Then turn it a little more, and the live center should come out. If you have really jammed the live center into the quill, it may take a fair amount of force, but you should be able to do it with the handwheel alone.

From the User's Manual:



If it's difficult to get the live center out that way, it's an indication that you're cranking it down too hard onto your workpieces. (That can be hard on the headstock bearings.) If the spur center is well-seated into the wood, you shouldn't need more than firm pressure from the tailstock to keep a piece on the lathe. I often make an "X" with a chisel for the spurs of the spur center to engage with. Actually, I do these steps:

1. Use a mallet to lightly tap the spur center into the spot on the wood where I want it to go. This is just to mark the "X" where the spurs hit the wood.

2. Remove the spur center and using the "X" mark it just made, take a 1" bench chisel (I use an old beater with a broken plastic handle), and give it a good whack or two in each half of the "X" to deepen it.

3. Put the spur center back in place on the wood, aligned with the newly-deepened "X", and drive it firmly into the workpiece with a mallet.

4. Then mount it on the lathe.

5. Turn, turn, turn. :D

That is some good advice I just learned.........thanks:thumb:
 
Removing stuck Morse 2

Thank You All,

Jon, I have not turned a bowl for a couple months. I did not remove the spur nor the revolving center from the lathe during that time. I just did spindle work. The spur came out with just a slight extra pressure. The problem was on the tailstock end. No, the self-eject did not eject.

Vaughn, I turned the knob as hard as I though prudent. It was like turning a bolt into a steel plate; it felt like that was the absolute end.

Ken, thanks for your info. I normally spin the the lock lever a rotation or two. I will try to be less exuberant.

Frank, I clean the Morse 2 tenon and mortise parts each time I change things. My shop may not be neat, however, I tend to be very clean with machine parts.

Thanks Again Guys (No gals replied. Maybe I should shower more often.) (Just kidding. I am a very clean person.)

Enjoy,

JimB
 
Thank You All,

Jon, I have not turned a bowl for a couple months. I did not remove the spur nor the revolving center from the lathe during that time. I just did spindle work. The spur came out with just a slight extra pressure. The problem was on the tailstock end. No, the self-eject did not eject.

Vaughn, I turned the knob as hard as I though prudent. It was like turning a bolt into a steel plate; it felt like that was the absolute end.

Ken, thanks for your info. I normally spin the the lock lever a rotation or two. I will try to be less exuberant.

Frank, I clean the Morse 2 tenon and mortise parts each time I change things. My shop may not be neat, however, I tend to be very clean with machine parts.

Thanks Again Guys (No gals replied. Maybe I should shower more often.) (Just kidding. I am a very clean person.)

Enjoy,

JimB

Sniff sniff sniff hmmm must be the brains....
 
Jim, if the live center is still stuck, you might try spraying some penetrating oil (or even WD-40) into the quill from the side opposite the live center. I'd even take the tailstock off the lathe and turn it 90º so the quill is vertical and the live center is pointing down. That way the oil will hopefully have a chance to work its way into the nooks and crannies of the stuck part. After it has soaked a while, then see if the self-eject mechanism will work. On my lathe, sometimes it takes some pretty substantial torque on the handwheel to get the live center to let go. Since yours has a smaller handwheel, I think you might have to lean into it a bit more than I do on mine. In other words, you might have to crank on it a little harder than seems prudent.
 
Jim, have you checked the length of Morse taper shank on your tail stock revolving centre?

Some makes are shorter than the Morse 'standard', this results in the tail stock quill coming against the front of the retaining stop groove before the worm thread comes into contact with the back of the taper shank.

On a solid taper I have, I fitted an additional bolt in the end to lengthen it. With a hollow centre you may need to epoxy a couple of thick washers on the end.
 
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