[Newbie] King lathe spindle question

[hex705]

Hi All,

I am new to this forum and I need some advice about a King 918 lathe ( or any king / similar lathe I suspect). I am an artist with experience probably similar to advanced hobbiest -- I am not a machinist by trade.

I purchased the king machine used so I don't know its full history.

I need to drill and thread a hole into the end of a long piece of 3/4" steel rod. The machine says it can handle this size passed through the chuck and the spindle.

Here is the manual for my machine (image of part in question attached below).
http://www.plansandprojects.com/Enco9x20lathemanual/CT-918 manual.pdf

My questions is about the spindle (part 3 on p25 of above doc, part 3 in image). Can anyone confirm that this should be a straight through 3/4" bored hole? Mine seems to have a piece inside that is causing an obstruction. I feel it is a piece I should be able to remove.

However -- the other possibility is that the obstructing material is one part of many that are all supposed to be there. This part could possibly be an element of the spindle proper and it is out of alignment? I which case removing it 1) will fail and 2) will likely ruin the spindle.

So specific question:

Are king lathe spindle bore's one piece or more than one piece (internally)?

Is it likely that something would be placed inside the spindle my the manufacturer?

Could there be an internal sleeve or shim that is out of alignment?

Will removing this piece destroy my machine ( i Know you can't be certain but gut feeling?).

I need to get a part made ASAP so removing this obstruction is vital. But I want to have a lathe at the end of my effort (more vital).

Any and all advice welcome -- sorry this got a bit long.
Thanks in advance.

steve

 

[JimDawson]

Item 3 is the spindle. The drawing shows that all of the other pieces are attached to the outside of the spindle.

Look at the rear of the spindle and see if you can slip a 3/4 inch rod in there. If so, then I suggest that your spindle was not completely drilled through. Just looking at the drawing, it almost looks like the threaded rear of the spindle is much too small to have 3 /4 inch hole through the center. But with out looking at the spindle I couldn't say for sure.

 

[Ebel440]

Can you fit a smaller diameter rod through the spindle? If its rated for .750 it may be exactly that size and sometimes material is a little bit over size try with .625 just to see if it is clear or blocked.

 

[hex705]

HI ,

Thanks for fast replies -- yes, I can feed smaller stuff through the spindle no problem. The lip on the barrier material is about 1/16".

I know in the drawing it looks tiny! I can slide a 3/4 rod almost half way from each side then it hits the material.

I had not considered the possibility it wasn't drilled / bored through properly / evenly. That would suck because that means I have no fix other than smaller material -- and I really don't want to go that way.

If that were the problem (not drilled through) and I could reach -- I could remove this material then potentially without harm to rest of machine? Or is that a foolish pipe-dream?

I am trying to get my hands on a camera I can slide in and get a better look -- maybe that will help.

Thanks for taking the time -- I really appreciate it.

steve

 

[JimDawson]

HI ,

I know in the drawing it looks tiny! I can slide a 3/4 rod almost half way from each side then it hits the material.

steve

That being the case, I think you would be safe drilling or reaming the bore to clean it up.

 

[12bolts]

Steve,
On page 5 of the manual

It states that the thru hole is 20 mm which is larger than 3/4", and that it is bored for a MT3, so you should be right to go. Aside all that being said, it sounds like you are not. If it was not bored through completely at manufacture it may be something you could ask a machine shop to correct for you ($$$) or perhaps you could have a go your self. But thats going to take a long, narrow, and springy boring tool. The spindle may be hardened so grinding might be an option. To start I would carefully measure how deep the lip is from both ends to get an idea of its thickness, and give it a smart smack with a hammer both ways to see it moves at all. Good luck

Cheers Phil

 

[Tozguy]

My 12x36 lathe spindle (brand new King style lathe) had steps on the inside that had some mean looking burrs on them. They would scratch the work that was inserted through the spindle for turning. Using a large wood dowel wrapped with Sica paper I was able to smooth out the bore.
it was obvious that the spindle had been bored from each end and that the bores were not concentric. The narrowest part of the bore is in the middle like yours. So far I have not needed to open it up but I would not hesitate to remove the restriction if and when the time comes. There is no reason to have a bushing in there and I would certainly not be whacking the spindle for fear of damaging the bearings. My .02

 

[mce5802]

I'd try chuckung a 25/32 drill in the tailstock and running the lathe slow maybe it'd clean up any burrs in there. You don't have to worry too much about the thru-hole being accurate other than the taper. Could even braze or solder an extension on the bit if you needed that's easy enough to do. And I second the "no spindle whacking".

 

[hex705]

Wow -- thank-you everyone for the answers.

With your collective guidance I have convinced myself that it is not a lodged or stray work piece but rather non-concentric drilled spindle.

I was also concerned about the bearings and am not going to engage in any pounding away.

I am planning to attempt drilling the spindle to remove burs and enlarge the opening later today. Failing that I will reduce material size for this piece (less than ideal but better than nothing).

I really appreciate all your help. Glad I found this forum.

many many thanks to all who replied.

steve

 

[John Hasler]

Wow -- thank-you everyone for the answers.

With your collective guidance I have convinced myself that it is not a lodged or stray work piece but rather non-concentric drilled spindle.

I was also concerned about the bearings and am not going to engage in any pounding away.

I am planning to attempt drilling the spindle to remove burs and enlarge the opening later today. Failing that I will reduce material size for this piece (less than ideal but better than nothing).

I really appreciate all your help. Glad I found this forum.

many many thanks to all who replied.

steve

Careful you don't get a drill bit stuck in there.