# MT 4.5



## matthewsx (Aug 1, 2021)

Does anybody sell a dead center or adapter for my MT 4.5 spindle?

If not, how would one go about making one? Can you cut it with the compound? How about turning on centers (oh wait, I need a center for that).......

Thanks,

John


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## Ulma Doctor (Aug 1, 2021)

You could hold a piece of stock in a 3j chuck and turn a 60* center , then install a dead or live center into the tailstock.
Offset the tailstock for .624” taper per foot and  punch one out!

grizzly used to sell adapters if I’m not mistaken


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## extropic (Aug 1, 2021)

matthewsx said:


> Does anybody sell a dead center or adapter for my MT 4.5 spindle?
> 
> If not, how would one go about making one? Can you cut it with the compound? How about turning on centers (oh wait, I need a center for that).......
> 
> ...



If MT3, call Grizzly, parts. I think I bought one from them a few years ago.

If 5C, JFK Precision Products can fix you up.

Other ???


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## Asm109 (Aug 1, 2021)

If you really want to roll your own....
Mount a dial indicator with a rocker lever to the compound. 
Set it dead center on the spindle bore height wise.
Adjust the compound until you get zero movement as you go in and out of the spindle bore with compound. Indicate on the rear side of the bore.

Mount up a chunk of material in a 3 jaw, and turn the od with the compound.
Remove chuck, push your new part into the spindle and turn a 60 degree point on it.
DONE.


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## ttabbal (Aug 1, 2021)

I've used this technique a few times with great results for cutting tapers.


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## ddickey (Aug 1, 2021)

I think @erikmannie made a bunch of those.


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## erikmannie (Aug 1, 2021)

ddickey said:


> I think @erikmannie made a bunch of those.



I made four MT #6.5 dead centers for my PM-1660TL.

It was not a difficult project. I chucked up some 3” round stock (1018, 1045, and then 4130PH) in a chuck & turned the taper. At that point, the tailstock was supporting the end of the workpiece with a live center.

After I got the taper to where I wanted it, I used the compound to cut a 60° taper for the tip. That was a lot of cutting!

Part it off & you’re done.

I was surprised how forgiving the spindle nose was for variations in my work. I was sure that I had cut too steep of a taper on the first one, but it held just fine in the spindle nose. After making four dead centers, I really nailed the angle on the last one, and it seemed to work no better or worse than the first dead center that I thought I had butchered.

As everybody knows, a Morse taper dead center is held really tightly in the spindle nose after working with it. I put a dowel through the pass through hole, and knock out the dead center by tapping the dowel with a BFH. One time, the dead center got past my right hand and fell on the ways, which was awesome. I had a foam pad down there, but apparently the foam pad wasn’t big enough.


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## benmychree (Aug 1, 2021)

You should make a knock out bar instead of the dowel, a long piece of about 1" dia. bar, knurled on one end and radiused or chamfered  and a hunk of brass on the other end the hit the center.


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## erikmannie (Aug 7, 2021)

benmychree said:


> You should make a knock out bar instead of the dowel, a long piece of about 1" dia. bar, knurled on one end and radiused or chamfered  and a hunk of brass on the other end the hit the center.



Is that because it can be a bad idea to get little pieces of wood in the spindle, chuck or ways?


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## benmychree (Aug 7, 2021)

It is just more convenient to use, no hammer required, note that toolroom lathes such as the Monarch EE and the Pratt & Whitney come equipped with them and hooks to hold them on the machine.


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## matthewsx (Oct 21, 2021)

I don't know why it didn't show up in my previous searches but here it is.









						SPINDLE SLEEVE MT#4.5-MT#3 at Grizzly.com
					






					www.grizzly.com
				




Guess I first had to call them and have someone tell me there was no such thing as an MT4.5 taper
Once I had the part number the second guy had no problem telling me they had it and would ship it out today....

John


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