11/16 spindle 14 TPI

[Nathan Strome]

Hello,
I bought a cheap wood lathe to get started on some projects I have always wanted to do. It is a 14X40 lathe and I have turned bats, bowls, and turkey calls on it so far. I wanted to try my hand at pens next. My spindle seems to be a step down rather than a Morse taper. Pictures attached. It seems to measure 11/16 at the threads, same in the middle then step down to 5/8 and then down to 1/2. I would like to find an adapter that has a more versatile thread size for chucks and pen mandrels but have had no luck. I supposed I could try my hand at turning the pens without a mandrel. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[Bill Boehme]

It appears to me that the spindle threads are ¾ X ?. Looks like it is coarser than 16 pitch which would be a standard size for small lathes and for Oneway live center accessories (and several others). It's probably a metric size.

 

[hockenbery]

I’m not sure what you are asking.
Morse taper centers and mandrels slide into hollow spindles that are machined with a Morse taper.

It appears that you have removed the spindle from your lathe and that your spindle is solid.
Lathes with Solid spindles will not take a Morse taper.
Are you looking to replace the spindle in your lathe?


Pen parts can be turned between centers if you have cones in each end.
You could turn a wooden cone for the headstock side. not the best but will get you there.
There are pen bushings that take a cone center on each end rather than slide over a mandrel.

You can make a mandrel by putting a 1/4” steel rod into a block of wood mounted on a faceplate.
Simple way to do this is wth the lathe running, sink a 1/4” drill bit into the center of the block leave 2” out.
Slide the pen part over the rod and hold in place with a cone tailstock center.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Most of the 14x40 style wood lathes were made overseas, the thread on the spindle might be metric.
You could take the spindle into a hardware store and try the different sized standard and metric nuts
until you find the correct thread that fits the spindle. Once you have verified the correct thread you
could machine a coupling with the spindle thread and a smaller thread for the pen mandrel. Sourcing
a threading tap the same size as your spindle allows you to make your own face plates and adapters
for various projects when needed.

 

[john lucas]

Some pen mandrels have a separate rod attached that is threaded 1/4"x 20TPI. Since you have the spindle out have a machinist center drill it and tap it for 1/4"x 20 and then you can purchase one of the pen mandrels that has this rod and simply use that without the morse taper. Mine came with a #2 morse taper and the pen mandrel simply screws into this. Wouldn't be any different screwed into your lathe if it was tapped.

 

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I would say that it could be either ¾X10 or metric 18 or 20 X2.5, as these thread sizes are pretty near identical, 2.5mm times 10 would be the 25mm and one inch is that, or very close.
If the OP wants a new spindle made with a mt in it, he is probably better off to get a small lathe that has a mt in it, used little Jet 10X18 or similar are not expensive, machining a new spindle would be a little less maybe, but selling his lathe and buying a used mini/midi would probably cost less with a better lathe as the outcome.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Those 14x40 import lathes can be used as a buffing station with multiple buffing wheels
mounted on a shaft between centers.

As Leo mentioned above a lathe with a Morse taper spindle opens the door to a multitude of accessories
designed for use with wood lathes.

 

[Jesse Tutterrow]

You could find a machinist that could take a Jacobs drill chuck and drill & tap for your spindle. They make pen mandels that can be held in a Jacobs chuck. You could also use the Jacobs chuck to hold other items.

Or you could look into getting a SuperNova2 chuck that takes an insert / adaptor. Have the machinist make a special adaptor to fit your lathe. This would give you the flexibility that comes with a standard chuck. When you want to expand to a newer (more standard) lathe all you have to do is replace the adaptor in the chuck. You could even sell the old (machinist made) adaptor with the old lathe.