Replies

1. 
   sharptools | Jan 28, 2003 10:46pm | #1

   Irg:

   Being a fan of vintage equipment, I always prefer a good used tool to a new one, especially if the price is right. 

   I guess you have to ask yourself what you want to use the lathe for, and if it comes with everything you will need.  If you only want to turn spindles, and the lathe has a tool rest, a drive center, and a tailstock center, you might be fine, especially if the lathe is cheap enough.  If the threads match another common lathe, you should be able to get a few more accessories, like a screw center for turning bowls.

   That being said, anyone who uses a lathe suddenly explodes with all kinds of project ideas that may require accessories that are not readily available for your particular lathe.  That's where the morse taper comes in handy.  Any attachment that uses a morse taper (of the proper size) can now be easily attached to the lathe and used.

   I personally have a vintage Delta 1460 (12"X36") wood lathe that uses a #2 morse taper in both the headstock and tailstock.  I didn't give this much thought before I bought the lathe, but now I wouldn't own a lathe without this feature, simply because of the flexibility it provides.

   Also keep in mind what parts you will need when looking at any used tool.  Will you need anything else to get it running?  A bare lathe with only a headstock and tailstock may seeem like a bargain until you have to spend time searching for and buying a banjo, various tools rests, etc.  Older parts can be hard to locate and can get expensive very quickly.

   Kevin

2. 
   UncleDunc | Jan 29, 2003 02:22am | #2

   If the spindle is large enough, and isn't hardened, you can bore a Morse taper socket in it. The big end of an MT2 is .700" and the MT3 is .93 something. The tricky parts would be slowing the thing down to metal cutting speeds and finding a way to feed the boring bar in a straight line. Of course all the tooling for this might cost you enough to make the whole package less than a bargain. :)

3. 
   DennisS | Jan 29, 2003 08:59am | #3

   Most spindles are both threaded and hollow, at least on current lathe machines. If your spindle is hollow, perhaps it does indeed have a MT bored but just doesn't have anything stuck in it.

   ...........

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

1. 
   lrg | Jan 31, 2003 01:39am | #4

   the spindle is solid. the current owner has been using floor flanges as faceplates and mostly turned bowls. What kind of fixtures or type of turning will I be denied if I lack a taper?

1. 
   Trees2dust | Jan 31, 2003 05:07am | #5

   Irq,

   Does it come with a spur drive? (it would be a special one that threads on to the spindle)

   Is the spindle thread standard? 3/4x16, 1x8, 1-1/4x8, etc.

   You couldn't do conventional vacuum chucking, but there is an adapter available which doesn't require a hollow spindle.  Not that you would need a vacuum chuck just starting out.

   I sometimes drive the whittled end of a slender spindle right into the morse taper, to minimise whipping.  But you could do the same with a drilled, turned block mounted on a faceplate. 

   Other accessories that I use with a Morse taper:

   Work arbor for buffing wheels- could be done with a faceplate adapter.

   Drill chuck- here's one application that you won't be able to do.

   Screw chuck- again, could be done with a faceplate adapter.

   Pen mandrel- either Morse taper or straight, for use with drill chuck.  You might be out of luck with this one.

   Custom drive cones- I have made up Morse taper wooden drive cup centers for centering and driving the finished end of things like tool handles.  Could be done with a faceplate and turned block.

   So it comes down to: spur drive, drill chuck and pen turning.  The right scroll chuck with the right accessories could overcome these deficiencies, for a price of course.

   Rick

1. 
   Rockiness | Jan 31, 2003 05:11am | #6

   Sorry- What IS a morse taper?

1. 
   UncleDunc | Jan 31, 2003 08:09am | #7

   A Morse taper is one of a series of 9 different sizes of tool shanks that allow rotating tools, such as drills, to be held concentrically in a complementary socket in a machine tool spindle without requiring a chuck. The tapers are designed so the tool can exert a significant amount of torque before it begins to slip in the socket.

   The advanatages of Morse taper tooling, compared to a chuck, is that it reduces tool overhang, offers better concentricity, and costs less, for the spindle. The cost of the tooling is somewhat higher than for straight shank tools.

   Here are the configurations and a link to the dimensions, straight from the horse's mouth.

   http://www.morsecuttingtools.com/reference/taper.html

2. 
   DennisS | Feb 03, 2003 03:36am | #8

   About the only thing I can think of that you'd be missing out on would be anything that would require a drive spur; eg spindle turning. It the drive spindle is one of the common thread sizes, diameter and pitch, you can adapt the more popular (One Way, Nova, etc.) scroll chucks to fit. You could conceivably do spindle turning by gripping the end of the stock in the chuck without using a drive spur.

   Vacuum chcuking, as was mentioned in another reply, wouldn't be available I suspect. You almost absolutely need a hollow drive spindle for that from what little I know about it. (Don't own or use one myself)

   ...........

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]