Accessories Question

[mjmeldrum]

Are all #2MT accessories interchangeable with other lathes with #2MT or are there proprietary accessories for say a Jet? Just curious to know if this is something I need to be aware of when I get my lathe. I know that #1MT and #2MT are not compatible. I just wanted to know if say a Nova and Jet lathe accessories would work on each other or not. Sorry for the rambling, just trying to be clear in what I'm asking. Thanks for the help.


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[Jim15]

To the best of my knowledge they are all the same.

 

[designer]

Morse Tapers are all standard, just different sizes. Anything that fits a #2 MT will work, never mind the brand. Here are the sizes for the different sizes.
http://www.toolsandmods.com/library/morse-taper-dimensions

 

[designer]

If you don't work in the metric system, just take the metric size and divide it by 25.4 in order to get into the imperial or inch size.

 

[mjmeldrum]

Morse Tapers are all standard, just different sizes. Anything that fits a #2 MT will work, never mind the brand. Here are the sizes for the different sizes.
http://www.toolsandmods.com/library/morse-taper-dimensions

That's what I was thinking just needed confirmation. Thank you.


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[magpens]

Thanks for posting the link to toolsandmods.com

 

[Marmotjr]

or are there proprietary accessories for say a Jet?

There are also sets of accessories that will work on only specific makes/models of lathes. Some duplicators will only fit ways that have a given dimension. Bed extensions are usually for a very specific make/model.

Spindle size also has to be accounted for, a chuck designed for a 1"x 8 tpi spindle will not work on a 1 1/4" x 8 tpi spindle without an adapter. Adapters seem to be fairly trivial to acquire through.

But once you account for the required dimensions, then an accessory will work on a lathe that meets that requirement. Ie a MT2 tool will fit all MT2 lathes. A 1" 8tpi chuck will fit all 1" 8tpi spindles.

 

[KenV]

Michael,

There are some fine points with MT tooling. The back of MT tapers come in different forms. The ones I get for my lathe I want drilled and threaded so a "drawbar" can be installed. The MT arbors for drill press use come without a hole and have a "bar" of steel across the small end.

I like the hole to be the same thread as I can purchase all-thread rod locally. 10 mm threaded rod is not available locally and 10 mm threaded hole arbors are cheap.

 

[mjmeldrum]

Michael,

There are some fine points with MT tooling. The back of MT tapers come in different forms. The ones I get for my lathe I want drilled and threaded so a "drawbar" can be installed. The MT arbors for drill press use come without a hole and have a "bar" of steel across the small end.

I like the hole to be the same thread as I can purchase all-thread rod locally. 10 mm threaded rod is not available locally and 10 mm threaded hole arbors are cheap.

You've lost me a bit there Ken. What is a "drawbar"? I was unaware that you could have a threaded open end on the arbor. What is the purpose of it? I'm trying to learn as much as possible about turning, but I'm afraid I still have lots to learn. All I know is that I've been bitten by the turning bug and the itching won't go away!


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[monophoto]

You've lost me a bit there Ken. What is a "drawbar"? I was unaware that you could have a threaded open end on the arbor. What is the purpose of it? I'm trying to learn as much as possible about turning, but I'm afraid I still have lots to learn. All I know is that I've been bitten by the turning bug and the itching won't go away!

A drawbar is a threaded rod that passed through the headstock spindle and screws into the MT fixing.

In many instances, the MT fixing is one end of a 'between centers' mounting arrangement in which the taper cannot possibly come out of the spindle while it is spinning. But there are a few instances (such as using an MT jacobs chuck in the headstock) where the piece being turned in held in the jacobs chuck alone, and the tailstock isn't used. In that situation, it is possible for the taper to work its way out of the spindle, and if that happens while you are turning, it can be dangerous.

So a drawbar is just a rod that screws into a female thread in the small end of the morse taper, and with a knob on the other end that can be tightened to keep the taper firmly seated inside the headstock spindle.

Tapers that are designed for use in the tailstock typically don't have the female thread since tailstock tapers generally aren't hollow and can't use a drawbar. Furthermore, anytime the tailstock is used, the workpiece is between centers so there is no chance of the taper coming loose.

By the way, there is a clear specification for morse tapers that defines the length of the tapered portion, and also the angle of the taper. But, occasionally you will encounter a 'short taper' - a fixing with a morse taper shaft where the angle of the taper meets the standard specification, but the length is shorter than standard. Fortunately, this is relatively rare and I suspect will only be the case for some old accessories - I've never seen a 'short taper' on a new accessory. This isn't a problem if the fixing is used in the headstock since you will typically use a knockout bar to remove it. But it can be a problem if you use a short taper in the tailstock because it may not engage the auto-eject feature where the taper pops out as you withdraw the tailstock ram.

 

[mjmeldrum]

Thanks for that detailed explanation. I'm glad that there are experienced folks like you to help me with getting a better understanding of the finer points of this hobby!


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[nava1uni]

My tailstock is hollow and I can use a drawbar in certain applications such as drilling with a Jacobs chuck when drilling. The hollow is also used to knock out ends from my Beale chuck of drilling lamps.