# Stuck Quill Locks on Atlas QC54 Tail Stock



## GerryS (Jul 26, 2018)

Hello,
I am a rank beginner to this.

The quill on the tailstock turns, but with great difficulty.  It seems the quill locks are stuck mostly closed.  I can't get the quill out because once off the thread it is too tight to pull.
Any suggestions on how to free the quill locks?  I think they have sat for a long time not in use as the guy mostly did small pieces using the chuck on this lathe for decades.

Thank you.

[I made this over in Atlas, I don't see a way to delete it here.  Sorry.]


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## JimDawson (Jul 26, 2018)

I guess I would start with a 50/50 mix of acetone and automatic transmission fluid.  Soak anything you can get to. Loosen the lock screw and tap on it with a soft hammer or punch.  Then try to work the quill in and out.  Eventually it should loosen up.


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## GerryS (Jul 26, 2018)

Hello,
Thank you.  That is what I have been trying to do although I have been squirting it in as I didn't want to lose the original paint.  I am not sure the fluid is getting in between as it is so tight. I just put some more in.  Do you think soaking would work?
I will keep trying. I am new to this and afraid to break anything.


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## RJSakowski (Jul 26, 2018)

It depends on the locking mechanism.  Some lathe use a split clamp which is tightened by the locking screw.  Tapping on the screw would loosen the bottom half but do nothing for the top half.  If the screw were removed, it might be possible to insert a hook and pull the upper clamp.  If the tailstock is splot, a simple wedge in the slot would work.

Aside from the lock, consider that the key which prevents the quill from rotating is distorted and is preventing free travel.  This happened on my 602 lathe.

To remove the stuck quill after disengagement of the lead screw, clamp the quill in the headstock chuck and with some judicious tapping on the tailstock. it should come out.  You could also remove the lead scre and insert a rod into the quill socket to drive it out.


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## GerryS (Jul 26, 2018)

Thank you.
What should I wrap around the quill in the chuck to keep it from getting marred?
The lead screw only screws out so far (a little passed the key insert) and then seems to be stuck on the cap on the back of the tailstock.
Is the key the same as that set screw on the bottom?  (I am very new to this.)


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## Superburban (Jul 26, 2018)

On one of my 618's, the clamp pieces were made from the Zmac or whatever its called, and bond up tight. I ended up taking the lock lever out, and screwing a screw into the bottom half, and pounding it loose. Then I could get the quill out. Ended up drilling and breaking up the top clamp. Did not matter, as neither was usable. Made some replacements out of aluminum. I thought about using a helicoil in the bottom half, to give the threads a longer lease on life, but they have been fine without it.


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## GerryS (Jul 26, 2018)

Hello,
Thanks.  
>>Then I could get the quill out. Ended up drilling and breaking up the top clamp. Did not matter, as neither was usable. Made some replacements out of aluminum.<<
Good to know it is an option.  As I am brand new, I am not sure I could machine the parts.  But one day I should be able to do so.


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## Dave Paine (Jul 26, 2018)

Do you have a hydraulic press?   Sometimes consistent force from a press works a lot better than a hammer.   I just had an MT2 taper stuck in my rotary table.   I bent a 3/8in bolt trying to hammer this out.   I then used the hydraulic press and it is now out.

You are about 2 1/2 hr west of me.  If you cannot get this free, we can meet up somewhere on I80 and I will try and get it free, or drill out the screw on my milling machine.


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## GerryS (Jul 26, 2018)

Hello,
>>Do you have a hydraulic press?<<
Thank you very much.  I often travel to Doylestown PA where my brother lives.
I am thinking about going to a meet up of hobby machinists in Allentown PA on the 18th of August, and then down to my brothers.  So I will be making a sweep down through PA in a few weekends.
May I message you my information?


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## Superburban (Jul 26, 2018)

GerryS said:


> Hello,
> Thanks.
> >>Then I could get the quill out. Ended up drilling and breaking up the top clamp. Did not matter, as neither was usable. Made some replacements out of aluminum.<<
> Good to know it is an option.  As I am brand new, I am not sure I could machine the parts.  But one day I should be able to do so.


I did it in my early days. I turned the whole piece down to the right diameter. Cut it in half, and cleaned up the ends. Drilled holes in both pieces (Can use the tail stock with out the lock). Tapped the bottom piece. Then added the curved portion by using a sanding drum on the drill press, but could easily chuck the sanding drum in the lathe. Carefully sanded them to match the contour of the quill. 

Easy beginners project



Dave Paine said:


> Do you have a hydraulic press?   Sometimes consistent force from a press works a lot better than a hammer.   I just had an MT2 taper stuck in my rotary table.   I bent a 3/8in bolt trying to hammer this out.   I then used the hydraulic press and it is now out.
> 
> You are about 2 1/2 hr west of me.  If you cannot get this free, we can meet up somewhere on I80 and I will try and get it free, or drill out the screw on my milling machine.


Don't know about the QC54, but on the 618. both pieces have to come out the top, and the bottom of the hole is not open.


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## Dave Paine (Jul 26, 2018)

GerryS said:


> Hello,
> >>Do you have a hydraulic press?<<
> Thank you very much.  I often travel to Doylestown PA where my brother lives.
> I am thinking about going to a meet up of hobby machinists in Allentown PA on the 18th of August, and then down to my brothers.  So I will be making a sweep down through PA in a few weekends.
> May I message you my information?



You can.   I am planning on going to the machinist group meeting on the 18th, so I can pick up the tailstock at the meeting if you need me to work on it.

Is the bottom of the hole open or like Superburban said it is closed?


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## Superburban (Jul 26, 2018)

If it is that the Zmack has swelled, be careful with a press.


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## GerryS (Jul 26, 2018)

Superburban said:


> If it is that the Zmack has swelled, be careful with a press.


Hello,
I don't know because I am new, but that is really what it looks like to me--that those quill locks look swollen in the hole and onto each other.
I didn't know that was possible.  
The person had gotten this as a first lathe a long time ago and then a machine shop grew up around it.  He kept it to do one off stuff and some gun smithing. I don't think he actually used the tail stock in a very long time.
If they are "swollen" is there any solution but to drill them out?


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## GerryS (Jul 26, 2018)

Dave Paine said:


> You can.   I am planning on going to the machinist group meeting on the 18th, so I can pick up the tailstock at the meeting if you need me to work on it.
> 
> Is the bottom of the hole open or like Superburban said it is closed?



The bottom is open for the bolt to come out, but I don't know if it is open enough for the lock to come out.  I would think it is not, because the bolt has to catch somewhere--although it may be just the bottom of the lock. It is tough to see up in there because of the casting.


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## Dave Paine (Jul 26, 2018)

GerryS said:


> The bottom is open for the bolt to come out, but I don't know if it is open enough for the lock to come out.  I would think it is not, because the bolt has to catch somewhere--although it may be just the bottom of the lock. It is tough to see up in there because of the casting.



If the screw can be drilled out, I think this would relieve the pressure on the lock so that the parts of the lock would then be loose enough to remove.


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## GerryS (Jul 26, 2018)

Superburban said:


> I did it in my early days. I turned the whole piece down to the right diameter. Cut it in half, and cleaned up the ends. Drilled holes in both pieces (Can use the tail stock with out the lock). Tapped the bottom piece. Then added the curved portion by using a sanding drum on the drill press, but could easily chuck the sanding drum in the lathe. Carefully sanded them to match the contour of the quill.
> 
> Easy beginners project.


Cool.  Good to know. I have made only one piece so far, that was on my 618.  Just an adaptor to use a One-way three point on my Shopsmith.  I watched a bunch of videos and read etc.  Not exactly the best job, so I guess I am chicken!  But I needed to do that as there was no three point steady available for the Shopsmith. Right after I did that the QC54 came up with just a ton of stuff at a great price, so I got it.  I may have to sell off the 618, but it is in such beautiful shape.  I am just not sure if I need two metal lathes, but I think if I sell it I will regret it.


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## GerryS (Jul 26, 2018)

Dave Paine said:


> If the screw can be drilled out, I think this would relieve the pressure on the lock so that the parts of the lock would then be loose enough to remove.



I got the bolt off and unscrewed the top, but the lock pieces don't move at all--they are just sort of frozen in place.


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## Dave Paine (Jul 26, 2018)

GerryS said:


> I got the bolt off and unscrewed the top, but the lock pieces don't move at all--they are just sort of frozen in place.



We can drill out most of the metal so that the remaining metal will either be free, or can be removed with some care.

I have had good luck with Kroil in removing rusted hardware in woodwork bench planes.   Perhaps the pieces are rusted in place.


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## Superburban (Jul 26, 2018)

I forgot, I used the milling attachment to make the square hole for the bolt head, on the bottom piece. Could easily be done with a dremmel, or such.

Even though the 618's do not get used much any more, I could not sell them. I guess its a tool hoarder thing.


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## GerryS (Jul 26, 2018)

Superburban said:


> I forgot, I used the milling attachment to make the square hole for the bolt head, on the bottom piece. Could easily be done with a dremmel, or such.
> 
> Even though the 618's do not get used much any more, I could not sell them. I guess its a tool hoarder thing.



I have a milling attachment for the 618 and one the guy modified for the 54.  He welded a full milling vice onto it, so it is pretty cool in terms of what it can hold. So I could try to learn that too.


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## Superburban (Jul 26, 2018)

Worst you can do, is need to start over with new round stock. 


Well, ok ,maybe you could break an endmill or something. But the fun ov trying is worth it.


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## wa5cab (Jul 28, 2018)

The only tailstocks that I have here to look at are both off of the late 12" and the vertical hole containing the two ram lock cylinders is definitely a blind hole.  Which says nothing about whether yours on the 10" is or not.  The late 12" tailstock is for an unknown reason virtually a front-to-back  mirror image of the earlier 12" and 10" in that the pocket for allowing access to the tailstock clamp bolt is on the rear instead of on the front.

I assume that you have already downloaded the latest version of the 10F illustrated parts list which explains well enough how the thing goes together other than whether the hole for the lock goes all of the way through.

Anyway, as you have already been able with the tailstock ram handwheel to run the ram out until it ran off of the ram feed screw, I would follow the suggestion given earlier of using the 3-jaw spindle chuck to hold onto the ram.  Wind a strip of newsprint cut from a newspaper around the ram before clamping.  Place a piece of 1/4" plywood across the ways and then a short length of 4x4 fence post to push against.  I would actually use a scissors jack or a Porta-Power splitter as I have both.  But if you don't have either of those options, use the largest hammer you have to bang against the 4x4 and finish extracting the ram.  An alternative would be to screw a length of all-thread into the threaded hole in the rear end of the ram.  Rig up some method to pull on that.

Once you have the ram out, screw a coupling nut onto the ram lock bolt and an extension stud or length of All-thread into the nut.  Bore a hole slightly larger in diameter than the lock cylinders through the center of of one side of the 4x4.  Using whatever method is available to you, cut one side of the 4x4 so that it will sit level on top of the tailstock with the stud sticking through the hole.  Drill a hole that's a slip fit for the stud through a piece of steel or aluminum plate to cover the hole.  Finally, use a flat washer and nut on the stud to withdraw the two lock cylinders from the tailstock.


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## GerryS (Aug 2, 2018)

wa5cab said:


> Once you have the ram out, screw a coupling nut onto the ram lock bolt and an extension stud or length of All-thread into the nut. Bore a hole slightly larger in diameter than the lock cylinders through the center of of one side of the 4x4. Using whatever method is available to you, cut one side of the 4x4 so that it will sit level on top of the tailstock with the stud sticking through the hole. Drill a hole that's a slip fit for the stud through a piece of steel or aluminum plate to cover the hole. Finally, use a flat washer and nut on the stud to withdraw the two lock cylinders from the tailstock.



I have been traveling and the tail stock has been soaking in home made break free solution as suggested earlier.
Thank you so much for a long reply.  I can actually follow it in my head too!
I think this may be the route I end up taking.


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