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Video: Using a morse taper collet in the tailstock

Bill Boehme

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Alan actually has two videos in the current issue of Woodturning FUNdamentals that just came out the other day. Maybe the other one is a little older, but I don't recall seeing it before. Anyway, both of them can be seen by going to page 29 of the January 2015 issue of Woodturning FUNdamentals (if you are an AAW member). If you aren't a member, I think that it is worth the price of admission. There is also another article by two members of my club, Neal Brand and John Solberg on turning a Tippe Top on page 13. While turning a top might seem to be a rather simple thing, this one is much more sophisticated. For anybody interested in the physics behind it, here is an article that I found. It was amusing to see the picture of physicists Wolfgang Pauli and Niels Bohr being fascinated by a tippe top.
 
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Alan, I enjoyed this video and learned a few things! Thank you for taking the time to make these and share your knowledge and experience. You mention turning off the lathe before removing the bit. Did you mean before withdrawing it from the wood or taking it out of the collet? If the former, could you elaborate? The latter seems to be a no-brainier but maybe good to remind folks.

Next to watch the others Bill mentions!

Doug
 

AlanZ

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Douglas,

You are most welcome.

When boring holes on the lathe, particularly with larger Forstner bits, there is a tendancy for woodchips to build up (and sometimes become compacted) behind the cutting head, especially if the hole is deep and you are not taking the time to clear the chips as you proceed.

When you attempt to withdraw the bit, it's not unusual for the bit to bind in the wood, causing the bit to spin in its collet or chuck... or worse yet, the chuck or collet to become loose and spin in the taper. A drawbar is great for removing the opportunity for the taper to come loose.

More than one turner has seen a demonstrator try to wrestle a bit or Jacobs chuck that was dangerously close to leaving the tailstock while the work was spinning. When it happens in your own shop, you are not likely to forget it.

So, it's a safer procedure to turn off the lathe before attempting to retract the bit. You were likely going to turn off the lathe in a few seconds anyway...

I hope this helps.
 
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Bill Boehme

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I won't mention any names, but I know somebody who uses my lathe and tools who has personally experienced this. He tells me that it both embarrassing as well as potentially damaging to man and machine.

I was present when this unnamed turner experienced this situation and here is my observation. Going deep with lots of packed shavings means that the bit gets very hot, even turning blue. The heat caused the wood to get very hot and moisture in the wood produces steam. Steam causes the shavings to swell up tight making the bit even hotter ... you might see where this is leading. As if things weren't packed tightly enough, pulling back on a Forstner bit packs the shavings even tighter.

Anyway, I'm not naming names and I'm glad to report that this person has mended his ways.
 
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how bout using a small air hose taped to the bit shaft ----- will aid in cooling the bit and blowing the chips out
 

AlanZ

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Gun drills are very useful tools for boring narrow deep holes. However, they are rarely replacements for Forstner bits. As far as I know, they are not available in large diameters, for example the sizes necessary to create a pepper mill.
 

hockenbery

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Gun drills are very useful tools for boring narrow deep holes. However, they are rarely replacements for Forstner bits. As far as I know, they are not available in large diameters, for example the sizes necessary to create a pepper mill.

Yes for all practical purposes.
Sterling has gun rills up to 1 5/8 diameter but that big is over $500.00
You can buy a lot of Forstner bits for $500.

The 3/8 to 1/2" sizes which are great for hollow forms are $70-$80.
Al
 

john lucas

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The solution is to be patient. Drill about an inch deep and withdraw the bit. The repeat as often as needed. Very early on I got a forestner style bit stuck in a hollow vessel and decided after that to the slower but fool proof method of backing the bit out often to self clear the shavings.
 

AlanZ

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Fred,

For hex shank bits, a three jaw Jacobs style chuck would hold better than a round collet. I have never seen a Morse taper collet with a hexagonal opening.

I replaced my hex shank bits with round shank bits, it was a minor cost in my case. Save the hex shank for drill press use.
 

AlanZ

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I got mine from littlemachineshop.com, but they are available on Amazon, ebay and various sources on the web. Search for Mt2 or 2MT collet.
 
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