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"Bob Ivey"

I have a Woodfast lathe with a #2 Morse taper in the spindle. The drive
center has become increasingly difficult to get out with the knock out bar.
I have cleaned both the spindle and the drive center. Any suggestions??

Don't know the lathe--if the center is removed axially (from outboard the
headstock) or radially (from the side).

If it's axial, the back of the center or knockout rod may be mushed. Grind
them flat. Use a heavier diameter knockout, if possible.

if the knockout hole is on the side of the spindle, a worn center end may not
stick far enough into the hole. Can you either use a longer dead center, or
add a piece of metal to the end of the current one (if soft), or file to
elongate the knockout hole a tad, or use a drift pin with a quicker angle.

The usual problem with a taper in the headstock is the opposite--spinning in
the bore, so you want to avoid doing anything that might make the taper fit
less tight.

A smart blow with a steel drift or punch is the way to go, making sure that you
have a cloth or such over the tip of the center so it doesn't come flying out
of the spindle, especially if removal is from the back of the HS.
Frank Morrison