On Mon, 06 Oct 2014 17:49:18 -0400, clare wrote:

On Mon, 06 Oct 2014 14:19:03 -0500, Tim Wescott
wrote:

I have a motor that has a keyed shaft, and I need to remove the key.

The shaft is about 15mm diameter, the key is about 6mm wide (it's a
German motor, so it's all in mm), with rounded ends. The keyway is only
slightly longer than the key. It looks like the keyway was milled with
an end mill, and the key either glued or pressed into the keyway.

The thing came from the factory with a rubber retainer* around the key,
which gives me hope that the key can be removed -- but I haven't been
able to do it just by grabbing it with a vice grip and pulling.

Any suggestions about how the key may be retained in there, and how to
get it out without damaging the shaft?

* Really it's a rubber band. But it's not a piece of office-supply crap
-- it's a rubber band sourced by German machinists who take pride in
their work, so it's black and thick and can probably be soaked in
gasoline for a day, be wiped off, and still be like new. So I can't
quite call it a rubber band.
To remove the key - which, from your description, is a "woodruff" key
bump it on the end with a drift - a brass one if you are really fussy -
and it will walk right out of the keyway.

No, the keyway does not extend to the end of the shaft -- that's what I
meant about "looks like it was made with and end mill" and "is only a bit
longer than the key".

But, I got it out.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com