Stuck Drive Center in Walker Turner

[Mark Berenbrok]

Hello all. I do mostly flat work and want to do some spindle work to jazz up my pieces. I've acquired a Walker Turner L951 lathe that's in good shape and doesn't appear to have been used much. From what I can gather it was made in the late 1940s or early 50s. The inboard end of the spindle has a knurled collar that screws over the threads, and it's a MT2. I tried using a 1/2 inch oak dowel to remove the drive center, but after a couple of whacks it wasn't moving. I want to get some advice from more knowledgable folks before doing something really dumb. Anyone have a suggestion on how to remove it?

Also, the lathe has the motor mounted to the side of the headstock (not below it). How do you adjust/maintain tension on the belt?

Thanks folks, this is a great forum.

[Jim Becker]

I use a piece of steel rod to whack a center out of the spindle...put a glove on your right hand to "catch" the drive center and use your left to insert an "move quickly" the rod like a ram through the spindle. Wood is not going to give you the "omph" you need. If this drive has been "stuck" in the lathe for a long time, let a little penetrating oil soak in first...and be sure to clean it all out of the MT after you free up the little bugger...

[Mark Berenbrok]

Thanks Jim, the metal rod suggestion worked after a few taps.

[Jim Becker]

Good deal, Mark! It's the mass that does the trick!

[Clem Wixted]

... I've acquired a Walker Turner L951 lathe that's in good shape and doesn't appear to have been used much. From what I can gather it was made in the late 1940s or early 50s. ...

Mark,

I have that same lathe that I inherited and it has almost all of the accessories made for it. It's a good spindle lathe. The only odd ball spec is the spindle thread. It's a 1 X 12 and accessories are available but not real common.

Clem

[Bill Boehme]

Thanks Jim, the metal rod suggestion worked after a few taps.

It is best to not use multiple light taps because all of the energy gets absorbed by the bearings when the drive center does not budge. A really fast and sharp blow with the steel knockout rod will do much better and almost always do the trick on the first try if you put sufficient mojo behind it. By doing it this way, essentially all of the momentum gets transferred into the drive center. This requires a word of caution, the tighter it is, the faster it will come flying out of the spindle bore so have something to catch it in. If it has sharp points, which is almost certain, then use something besides a bare hand -- a leather work glove works nicely.

Bill