Tailstock ate my spindle

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

I have little expierence with my lathe (a super adept) and while trying to fit a workpiece on without moving the tailstock I seem to have retracted the centre too far back. Once I got the workpiece in and tried to move the centre forward again it jammed. I can take it further in but going out again makes it feel like I'm tightening a bolt. I considered getting a big spanner and trying to turn by brute force but I don't want to rupture part of the lathe. I did get the centre out with molegrips but the spindle stays stuck.

I have no idea if it is a problem just on my lathe or all adept lathes. Google didn't show anyone else having similar problems.

Does anyone have a way to release the spindle again?

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

[Capstan SpeakingParticipant @capstanspeaking95294]

Is it the screw or the quill that goes tight?

A misaligned or damaged clamp cam or tenon ?

Can you remove the handle and slide the quill out?

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

Managed to dissect the tailstock. The handle had ridden to the end of the screw on the spindle and tightened up.

Put the spindle in soft jawed vice and twisted the handle free with molegrips so its all good.

Now I just have to get the crossslide screw back in its socket after accidently over extending it. Hasn't been a good day for the lathe.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Wow! Someone who not just owns one, but uses it too!

Neil

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Hope he lives far enough away from you Neil so they can't accidentally breed…….

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

Breeding lathes? "I'm simply saying that life, uh… finds a way" comes to mind Considering how simple the construction is I might one day use my aluminium foundry to make one. If ebay gets flooded with aluminium adept lathes one day assume I have been succesful. :^)

That said I have been a right ninny and can't get the cross slide to move back onto the carriage. Cue more fiddling tomorrow.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Well at least if you muck up with the Adept, it's not costing you thosands.

Ian S C

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

My thoughts exactly, be unlucky to kill myself on a 90w motor too. Perfect for someone who isn't adept at lathes

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

Rainbows.

Have you ever been a Sun Headline Writer?

Martin.

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

I better check if Freddie Starr is squatting in my tailstock ready to pounce on my spindle again.

[Robert DoddsParticipant @robertdodds43397]

Rainbows,

I know that you managed to release the quill but did you have to refurbish any parts when you got it together again? If nothing else has changed Sod says it will happen again. I think you should follow Captain's advice and check the tenon and clamp screw. You might also check that the keyway on the quill is free from damage at the left hand end.
Mine has some signs of mis-use in the past but not enough to cause problems.
You also mentioned using mole grips to get your centre out. Is that your standard technique? My Adept centres have little cross holes to insert a tommy bar and then back wind the quill and use the bar to extract the centre. I don't know if this is standard Adept practice or not. Its certainly different to all other lathes that I've encountered but non the less effective. I have a similar extract shoulder on the 0MT / 3/8" x 24 adapter for the tailstock drill chuck.

Bob D

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

Bit late to check the lathe now but after googling what a tenon and camp screw is I will be sure to check them. A visual inspection shows nothing wrong with the keyway. All I did in reassembling was cover everything in oil.

I don't usually remove the centre. Only did it then cause it might have been causing the jamn. Your use of the little hole does make sense though, that might be well the official way to do it.

Speaking of centres can the tailstock take a MT 0 taper? I read somewhere that it is a non standard size but now I can't think where I saw that.

[Robert DoddsParticipant @robertdodds43397]

Rainbows,
I was impreciseover the 0MT. You are right in thinking that it is smaller on the adept.I made mine from a bought adapter from RDG and turned it down at the big end to a matching taper to 0MT. I did it on my Zyto which has an offset feature on the tailstock to facilitate a bit of taper turning. The bits are in the picture below with the offcut of the original adapter.

I have stripped down the tailstock to look at the "tenon". Remove the clamp screw and you can see the end of a slug but it can only be accessed by withdrawing the quill assembly from the back end and then pushing the slug into the bore and retreiving it through there.
it should have a tang on the end face that engages with the quill keyway as a good slide fit. The screwdriver slot at the other end is important to realign the slug when reassembling.
My quill has some minimal damage to the end of the keyway but I don't see it impeding operation so I'll leave it for another 70 years
Bob D

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Allegedly it's the small end of an MT0 taper.

Now I could go and check…..

Well I can't find my MT0 centre but I recall that the small end barely enters the taper so it might be better described as 'MT00'

Neil

[Robert DoddsParticipant @robertdodds43397]

Neil,

Don't bother checking.
I did and it didn't fit at all, but if you know a source of these MT00 adapters. That would be good

Bob D

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Sorry Bob, I just named it, there's no spec for it. I assume the tapers and reamers were made in house.

I'm planning to open my tailstock out to take MT0, replacing the barrel with a 1/2" diameter section, keeping the original screw.

Neil

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

I think I read on one site that it was called a 1/2 MT 0, but there was some argument about it, as there seemed to be more that one size, same went with spindle nose threads. Years ago I made a taper for a drill chuck, just started with a bit steeper than on the centres, and reduced it until it fitted, all done on the Adept, it was the only lathe I had back then.

Ian S C

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

So boring a MT0 socket or turning a tiny taper both involve machines beyond what I have. wahay

Yet another question to throw in here though: whats the best way to get the cross slide thread back into its socket? The cross slide itsef doesn't want to budge. I might have to get a rubber mallet out and try and tap it till it reaches the hole again.

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

I wood malleted it off and it was simple enough to get back on again.

However while it was off I noticed a potential problem. the little brass bar on the dovetail (gib?) is bent badly. Will this affect the lathes preicision?

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

> Will this affect the lathes preicision?

It will certainly limit the smoothness with which it works.

Neil

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