# Best way of making an MT2 Mandrel



## trapper (Jan 23, 2013)

I need an Mt2 mandrel with a 1/2" shaft. Somehow I think I'll need to make one up. Whilst I have the specs for the MT2 shaft I dont think I have the ability to make oneas i do not have the necessary tooling (ie gauges and guides, my compound and cros slides are not accurate enough to set a taper of 1*25'50". So the option I'm looking at is to bore out,  say an Mt2 hard centre and fit the mandrel rod to it. Anyone got any ideas


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## DMS (Jan 23, 2013)

I would recommend this method

http://www.projectsinmetal.com/shop-tip-how-to-cut-a-morse-taper-the-easy-way/

All you need is a reference taper and a dial indicator. It works quite well. The fit up I got was near perfect.


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## 8ntsane (Jan 23, 2013)

As DMS has mentioned, if you have a indicater to get the compound adjusted to zero, you should be all set. Or you could offset your work in the tailstock if your compound doent have enough travel to do the complete taper. Or, if you don't want to throw the tailstock out of wack, if you have a boring head that you can fit in the tailstock, use that to offset your work. Of course, if you don't use the compound, you will need to turn you work piece on centres.


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## Chucketn (Jan 23, 2013)

+1 on the method shown on PIM. You can also use a Boring Head in your tailstock to offset the blank to turn the taper.

Chuck


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## trapper (Jan 24, 2013)

Thanks for the thoughts so far guys. I had wanted to purchase a machinable arbor from Victornet.Com DCA-BL2 2Mt in their catalogue but cannot get any response from them. Just as an aside why do so many US companies refuse to supply to the UK?

Maybe I should try and start up some sort of collaboration with a group in the US who can act as purchasing agents for us Limeys anyone have some interest in getting involved?


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## wa5cab (Jan 25, 2013)

Trapper,

How long does the 1/2" shaft need to be?  Do you need the 2MT arbor to be drawbar or tang type?  Would it hurt if the 1/2" shaft began about an inch+ from the spindle nose?  

The simplest solution would be to buy a milling cutter holder for 1/2" shank.  I don't have one handy to look at but I'd guess that the 1/2" dia would begin about an inch to an inch and a half from the spindle.  If that won't work, you could buy a drill chuck arbor with the largest Jacobs Taper and grind the JT to 1/2" with a toolpost grinder.  But at a guess, you'd only get about 3/4" of 1/2" shaft.

On your shipping problem from the US, I think a lot of major US companies have gotten gun shy about shipping out of the country.  Plus a lot of companies and individuals don't like the extra hassel of the paperwork on even simple shipments and the moderately poor reliability of especially First Class Mail International.  FedEx, UPS, et al, are so expensive no small buyer is likely to pay the shipping.  That being said, my wife and I ship packages foreign regularly, mostly eBay sales.  Loss rate is around 2% or less.  Off and on I buy vintage radio parts here mostly for hams and re-ship them foreign at a moderate markup.  I shouldn't want to get too high a profile at it, though.  Because of the current political climate here.

Robert D.


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