"Daniel Koller" wrote in message
...


Hi folks,

I have a machining question for the group. I have acquired a nice
boring head for a lathe tail stock. It has a smooth adjustment motion with
a big dial calibrated in mils and it would be a really nice accessory for my
1952 Montgomery Ward / Logan 200 10" lathe.

However, the integral shaft of the head is 3/4" in diameter and will not
fit the Morse #2 taper of my tail stock. So, what can I do about it?

I was thinking I should cut a Morse taper into the shaft. There is
plenty of diameter and length to do that, and it would allow for quick
swap-outs when I need it. I read through "How to Run a Lathe" and browsed
the various ways to cut a taper:
A) turn the compound to the desired angle and cut at an angle.
B) Offset the tail stock and hold the part between centers. Cut straight.
C) Use a taper attachment.

I don't have a taper attachment, so C) is out. B) seems a little iffy
and I'd need to grind down a center to clear parts of the dovetail
integrated into the head. Also I don't trust how securely the part can be
held at the necessary offset to get the taper.

So, A) seems to be the best option. I can set the angle to better than a
degree by putting a micrometer on my compound and running it along the side
of a known good MT2 taper held in the lathe chuck. ...actually, I just
calculated, if I get the compound parallel to the desired taper by 0.5 mils
over a 2" length, that's within 0.15 degrees of the correct angle.

QUESTION 1: How accurate does this angle have to be to have a good
Morse taper? How smooth does the cut have to be? What are the pitfalls to
cutting a taper by rotating the compound?

And it appears that my boring head shaft is soft enough to scratch with a
hard steel cutting tool, so...

QUESTION 2: Do I have to grind the taper or can I cut it with a carbide
tipped turning tool?

I've never cut a taper before, and I need to get this one right to make
sure I don't screw up my boring head, so advice would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Dan

Being in a simular sitution i used a MT endmill holder in the tailstock to
hold round shank tooling. I later moved on to a
tg100 collet chuck that has a range up to 1 inch.


The easy way. No muss, no fuss.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-4-MT2-mors...AOSwgZ1XqgD O

Best Regards
Tom.



---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com