Trouble setting mandrel

[Jason McDonald]

I have a 14" x 40" Central Machinery lathe (product manual: http://www.harborfreight.com/manuals/45000-45999/45276.pdf) and am hoping someone can answer some basic questions I have about it.

The manual lists that it takes a #2 morse taper, however I have been unable to figure out how to get it set up to handle a standard #2 MT mandrel. The spindle comes out of the main housing and is male threaded to what appears to be slightly smaller than 1/2". There is a hole in the center, however it is very small (1/16" - 1/8" I would guess). There are two attachments that came with the lathe that will fit on the spindle: a drive center and a face plate. The only hole big enough to fit the MT2 mandrel is in the face plate, however once it is threaded onto the spindle the mandrel only goes in about 1/2" and is not seated well (it has room to move around).

I realize I could get a chuck, however in doing that I would spend almost as much as this particular lathe is worth. I would like to be able to hang onto this lathe for a while until I get better and decide if this is something that I will do enough to warrant a more expensive lathe.

Is there an attachment that I can get that will let me use the MT2 mandrel? Am I just setting this up wrong?

If I was unclear about anything just ask and I will (try) and draw a picture and upload it.

[Clem Wixted]

...it says that it is the tail stock that has the #2 Morse taper. The headstock apparently is threaded for a fairly small faceplate (Maybe 3/4 - 16) and the small hole could possible be a #1 or #0 Morse but the manual doesn't list that.

Clem

[Jason McDonald]

I know that a #1 morse taper won't fit and wasn't aware that there was a #0. To give an idea how small the hole is, when I take the MT piece off the mandrel, the actual post for the mandrel is still too large to fit in the hole...

Are there extensions or larger faceplates available that I could thread onto the spindle that would allow me to use a #1 or #2 MT?

[Clem Wixted]

I know that a #1 morse taper won't fit and wasn't aware that there was a #0. To give an idea how small the hole is, when I take the MT piece off the mandrel, the actual post for the mandrel is still too large to fit in the hole...

Are there extensions or larger faceplates available that I could thread onto the spindle that would allow me to use a #1 or #2 MT?

Jason,

I am not aware of anything like what you are looking for. It might exist but I am not aware of it, but I certainly don't know everything :-)

You headstock spindle probably does not have a Morse taper in it or it would say so in the manual, hopefully.

What does exist is a mandrel that is threaded to fit on a 3/4 X 16 spindle that would work for you, if your spindle is 3/4 X 16.

Clem

[Jason McDonald]

Thanks - I will see if I can find one. I asked about that at woodcraft yesterday and was told that the best thing I could do is upgrade to a better lathe.

[Chris Barton]

Hi Jason,

After looking at the parts segment on the last page you will notice that the "drive center" (part #8) is most certainly not a #2 MT. It looks proprietary (read cheap short cut) and I don't think a standard #2 MT will fit. They should have included this short drive center with the lathe.

Good Luck

[Clem Wixted]

Thanks - I will see if I can find one. I asked about that at woodcraft yesterday and was told that the best thing I could do is upgrade to a better lathe.


Jason,

That advice from Woodcraft may have some validity. However the lathe will spin wood and if you don't spend a lot of money on accessories that you can't use on an upgrade lathe you can have some fun on this one.
If you recently bought ths lathe and can return it, you might be money ahead in the long run and then get a Jet mini.

Another option might be a real long shot and might not work is this.

Screw a waste wood block onto your faceplate. Bore a #2 Morse taper into it. Insert your mandrel into that. Unless you have some pretty exotic skills or equipment it probably won't work. Another way might be to remove the mandrel from it's Morse taper and insert it into a waste wood block on your faceplate and drill a small hole in the side of the block for a set screw to hold the mandrel and prevent it from turning.

Clem

[Jason McDonald]

I do have the center that was included - I can turn normal pieces, however nothing that uses a MT.

On the first page it lists "Tail stock Quill: 3-1/2" Travel; MT2 Taper". Any idea what this means if the lathe doesn't accept a MT2?

Clem: I had thought about doing what you suggested with the wood attached to the faceplate, however I was worried about safety as it is not a machined fit. If worst comes to worst I will try that - in the meantime I am going to try and find the 3/4 x 16 threaded mandrel that you mentioned.

[Clem Wixted]

I do have the center that was included - I can turn normal pieces, however nothing that uses a MT.

On the first page it lists "Tail stock Quill: 3-1/2" Travel; MT2 Taper". Any idea what this means if the lathe doesn't accept a MT2?




Jason,

What that means is that the TAILSTOCK will accept a #2 Morse. This would include a live center, Jacobs chuck on a #2 Morse or things like that.

Clem

[Robert E Lee]

Jason, this has came up before if you can find the right post. Pen state has a headstock spindle converter I think for that lathe it would be 3/4 x 10 to 1 x 8 #LUB-Y. Then you would need the pen mandrel #PKM-BL. Cost about all together about $40.00. Check and make sure your lathe is for sure 3/4 x 10 or 3/4 x 16. Psi has bouth.
Bob

[Jason McDonald]

Thanks Robert. I found the right ones (either 3/4" or 5/8"), however am not sure how the spindel is measured.

If I measure from the trough of the threads the diameter is 5/8". If I measure from the tops of the threads it is 3/4". I am assuming the 3/4" is the correct one to use but wanted to verify before placing an order.

Can someone please advise? I won't be back on until tomorrow morning so no rush...

Thanks all!

[Kurt Rosenzweig]

Here ya go! Send the guy a message! I bid 20 buck and got it for 18! Made many a pen on my old Ridgit lathe and it works great! I think he also has a 10mm kit for bigger kits!


Moderator removed direct link to e-bay - TOS violation: (check e-bay - search for wood lathe pen mandrel)

[Jason McDonald]

Thanks. I don't know if that is even the right size though...

Does you posting that link imply that I measure from the outside of the threads?

[Bob Aliano]

Jason, I had that lathe when I was trying to decide if I liked turning. I bought the HF el-cheapo four-jawed chuck for about $25 and their dial indicator (also cheap). I used the faceplate to turn the bottoms of bowls and the chuck to turn the insides. The dial indicator allowed me to accurately center the bowl in the chuck. After a year of turning on it, I sold the whole rig at a price I discounted for the fun I had and upgraded to a 14" Delta.

[Tony Sizemore]

Hey Jason
I have been down this road with the same lathe. I will say this with nothing but the best intentions. Take back to H F and trade it in. Tell them you are unhappy with the way it preforms and get the ITEM 34706-5VGA. It is a better lathe for the money, and just went on sale for $199. I tried and tried to get the other setup and couldn't get it to work correctly at all.
Best of luck.

[Randy Meijer]

Jason, this has came up before if you can find the right post. Pen state has a headstock spindle converter I think for that lathe it would be 3/4 x 10 to 1 x 8 #LUB-Y. Then you would need the pen mandrel #PKM-BL. Cost about all together about $40.00. Check and make sure your lathe is for sure 3/4 x 10 or 3/4 x 16. Psi has bouth.
Bob

You can buy a screw-on mandrel from PSI for $26.50 + shipping. They have a 3/4" x 16tpi unit and a 1" x 8tpi unit. Whether either of those will fit your lathe is not certain. Some of the HF stuff has non-standard threading and could be a problem. I second the idea of getting a lathe with a more common configuration.....ie, one that has a #2 MT in the headstock spindle.

[Jason McDonald]

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I ended up getting the parts from PSI and can now at least mount and turn a pen.

Taking it back was not an option as the lathe was a gift and, due to a newborn daughter, has been sitting in my garage mostly unused for almost a year. Thanks to all of you though I now have it working enough to see if this is something that I will spend enough time and effort at to warrant a higher quality machine.

Thanks everyone!

[John Branam]

Jason sent you a PM