Spindle Disassembly

[Firehioka]

HI my name is joe. I am trying to replace the main v belt on my craftsman atlas lathe. I have taken the outer ring and gear off of the spindle shaft. But the woodruff key will not come off the shaft. I have used pliers and everything I can think of to get it out of its slot. I need some advise on how to remove it without damaging the threads or the key. Thank!

 

[Firehioka]

Help anyone

 

[wa5cab]

Fireioka,

You can try first heating the spindle and key with a heat gun as hot as you can get it and then quickly cooling the key with a piece of ice produced in a typical home icemaker (the pieces of ice look like a Woodruff key). Then grab the key with a pair of ViseGrip pliers and tap the pliers side to side with a shop hammer. But if that doesn't work, don't worry about damaging the Woodruff key. They are cheap and readily available. And don't worry too much about damaging either the threads or the spacer. They are easily reparable. The only two consistently reliable ways to remove a thoroughly stuck Woodruff key that I know of are as follows:

1. With a dull chisel. Place the flat of the chisel on the threads with the tip up under the end of the key, raise the tip a few degrees, and strike the chisel smartly with a shop hammer. Then clean up the threads with a thread file (every machinist should have the two-piece set anyway). And go to Ace and buy a new key.

2. With a tool that looks somewhat like a small nail puller, pry bar or wrecking bar. Looks like a piece of flat bar with one end bent 90 degrees and beveled. Run the threaded collar (part that you called outer ring) back onto the spindle. Lay a thin (1/16" or so) piece of aluminum on top of the threads and place the pry bar against the top of the aluminum with the beveled end underneath the end of the key. Run the collar up tightly against the pry bar. Pull back smartly on the top of the pry bar to lever the key out of the slot. Go to Ace... etc.

 

[Firehioka]

Thanks! I will give them a shot!

 

[bill stupak]

The key on the chuck side is tricky as well. If I remember correctly you have to partially push the spindle out until the key is exposed then reach in with needle nose pliers to extract it.

Bill

 

[Kernbigo]

i use a wire side cutter works most of the time or a sharp chisel

 

[Mondo]

WD40 ! Solvent-laden penetrating oil will help. I have found that to remove stubborn woodruff keys it is sometimes helpful to place a small punch on one end of the key perpendicular to the axis of the shaft and rap the punch with a mallet or small hammer. The woodruff key is radiused in the slot and the opposite end of the key will rock upwards making it easier to get a strong grip with small vise-grip or pliers or can then be pried out with a small screwdriver.

The documented procedure for removing the chuck-end woodruff key (AFTER clearing the collar and gear at the gear end of the spindle):
* Wedge two pieces of wood between head and large spindle gear G on both sides of spindle.
* Place a piece of wood against left end of spindle and drive it in direction indicated by arrow until key L emerges from large spindle gear G.
* Remove the wood wedges and remove key L with a pair of pliers.

That woodruff key can be stubborn and is hard to reach. You just have to be persistent and use a strong but small pliers to grip it. If it is stubborn soak it with your favorite penetrating oil (I use WD40) overnight and try again the next day, or day after. Sometimes a small screwdriver can lever up one end of a woodruff key up, but in that space this may not be possible. You will need something more like a miniature pry-bay that has a sharp bend near the working end.

Good luck!

Spiral_Chips

 

[benmychree]

i use a wire side cutter works most of the time or a sharp chisel

Yes, I always use a side cutting plier as you suggest, and it always does the trick. With small keys, you need a cutter with a rather narrow bevel, so as to be able to get the cutting edge as close as possible to the shaft, and bear down tightly on the plier before rocking the plier upwards to dislodge the key, so that it does not slip off the key. Woodruff keys and slots are sized to fit tightly, if they were no, they would quickly loosen in the keyseat.

 

[RJSakowski]

WD40 ! Solvent-laden penetrating oil will help. I have found that to remove stubborn woodruff keys it is sometimes helpful to place a small punch on one end of the key perpendicular to the axis of the shaft and rap the punch with a mallet or small hammer. The woodruff key is radiused in the slot and the opposite end of the key will rock upwards making it easier to get a strong grip with small vise-grip or pliers or can then be pried out with a small screwdriver.
Spiral_Chips

+1 on this. Using a punch on one end of the key does two things for you. 1. it loosens the key and 2. it lifts up the opposite end so you can lever the key out of the keyway. Normally, I would just use a small screwdriver, as suggested. With the threads, you will have to be careful not to damage them. A small prybar made from soft steel would be appropriate. If you do mar the threads, you can dress them with a jeweler's file. An damage would most likely be past the region of contact of the nut.

Bob

 

[T. J.]

Is the bottom of the key slot open to the bore of the spindle? (It is on my Craftsman 6" lathe, yours looks bigger in the pics though). If so, you could try punching it out from the inside.