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Tailstock replacement

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Apr 29, 2006
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Is it possible to replace the shaft in a tailstock with a shaft that has a Morse taper? I have an old rockwell 46010, it has a threaded shaft in the tailstock and I would like to have a live center. Thanks for your help.
 
A little more info would help: what is the diameter of the threaded shaft in the tailstock? Is that shaft threaded directly into the tailstock cast iron? (I assume it's cast iron, if not, then ?) Posting a pic as an attachment to a message in this thread would help also, if you can.
 
Well, after looking at the schematic, which I referenced for you previously, I'd say it's a real stretch to do so with this lathe.

Though a machining type might find a way to mount a taper with a shoulder that ran through the opening in part 19 to be captured by a threaded shaft which could be adjusted with the part 23, I have a feeling that even a #1 MT might stick out quite a way, and the travel would be quite limited.
 
Andrea:
I read your post and I have a lathe similar but older than yours. Yours appears to have a cup center which threads onto the tailstock spindle. My tailstock spindle had a cup center machined into the end. I had a machinist friend bore my headstock spindle for a #1 morse taper. For my tailstock he machined a cone center, pressed it onto a sealed bearing and then machined the end of the tailstock spindle to accept the bearing. Presto! A live center. I do all my drilling with a jacobs chuck in the headstock and so far things work a lot better than having the non-rotating cup center.

Ken Cawley
Powell River, B.C.
 
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