Fix for stuck center

[Paul Williams]

I really stuck my drive center in the morse taper of my Delta 46-460. It was slipping on a bowl blank and instead of switching to a face plate I just tightened up the tail stock. Apparently it slipped enough to heat up the taper and really stuck. I rembered a post from earlier this year and tried all of the things mentioned except taking the spindle out.

Then I noticed that the head of the drive center was smaller than the threads on the lathe, so I threaded a nut on to the spindle, placed a bolt in the hole used to drive the point out of the center. Then I unscrewed the nut which pushed against the bolt and drove the center out of the spindle. Glad I wasn't standing in front of it when it finally popped out.

Thought I would share in case anyone else makes the same mistake and needs to remove a stuck center.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Sounds like you thought your way out of that box! Nice work! Thanks for sharing! Hope the stuck center didn't mess up the spindle taper!

[Roger Chandler]

Paul,

Sharing a technique like you did may help someone avoid a catastrophic event themselves by using the process you did.

Thanks for sharing!

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Where did you buy the nut?
That's a trick that you can use IF you put the nut on the spindle before the drive center if your center is bigger than the threads on the spindle. If there's no bolt hole, an open end wrench against the spur will work. I used it on my old crapsman lathe. But it came with 3/4-16 thread. Not a challenge to find a nut. It was a solid spindle, so getting that spur off was always a challenge.

[Paul Williams]

I had the nut in my junk drawer. Lucky. I punched several from a tractor supply place to make face plates and other items that attach to the spindle. I ended up only making two things, a pendant chuck, and a sanding plate.

[Frank Drew]

if the spindle is through-bored, you could use a knockout bar, coming from the outfeed end.

[Steve Mawson]

Good job, I had to remove the spindle and press in a vise to get mine out. Have not used the spur much since then, always the face plate.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Good info Paul. Thanks for sharing.

[Terry Beadle]

I spray a shot of WD40 up the tail stock tube and I always remove the tail stock spur after each use. Same for the head stock drive. Years ago I did not and the Craftsman lathe had to have a new tail stock piece. Luckily they still carried the part. Last time I checked they don stock all the parts needed to keep the lathe in shape.

So now I spray a bit after each use after freeing up the spurs. They so far have exited the mortice seating no problme.

Therefore a little WD40 goes a long way. IMO

[Paul Williams]

Thanks for info Terry. I did spray penetrating oil on the center after it was stuck and while trying to drive it out with the knock out bar and a hammer (Not reccomended). I was concerned that the oil might stay in the socket and keep tapers from seating correctly in the future.

Also if anyone trys the nut method they might want to put the tailstock or something in front of the center to keep it from flying across the shop. I was happy not to be standing in line with that thing when it "unstuck."