Dumb Morse taper question

[MontanaLon]

So my lathe has a #2 Morse taper in the head stock according to the catalog. SB 10S catalog #999A. The tailstock is also a #2MT. I haven't needed a headstock center so never really cared to look into it much. But I am looking for projects to do and decided a dead center for the headstock would be a good idea to have. So I got to looking at it and the 2MT tailstock and the 2MT headstock are clearly not the same size.

Looking on the web gives me size of a 2MT as .700 at the large end and .572 at the small end with 2-7/8" length between the 2 diameters. The minimum bore size of the spindle on the lathe is 1.05 so a .700 MT will slide right through.

So the question is, how is that a #2MT?

 

[Mitch Alsup]

So the question is, how is that a #2MT?

There is probably an adapter that fits the spindle taper and accepts a 2MT taper.

 

[benmychree]

Yes, nearly all lathes use a taper sleeve in the headstock bore, this was done, for one reason to allow a large spindle bore and have both centers with the same taper, to allow the tailstock center to be trued in the headstock; often the headstock center was left soft so that it could be easily trued with a cutting tool, unlike the tail center which has to be ground.

 

[RJSakowski]

From your description, it sounds like the headstock is a 4MT.

 

[MontanaLon]

From your description, it sounds like the headstock is a 4MT.

I will have to see at what point the spindle tapers down to 1.05 as I just measured it at chuck and the other end and not in between so not sure the measurement of the length. That would certainly make it easier to find the part but probably pretty expensive.

 

[benmychree]

I think you could cut down a 2 - 4 MT sleeve and make one yourself. I have done this for several lathes that I have owned.

 

[RJSakowski]

I will have to see at what point the spindle tapers down to 1.05 as I just measured it at chuck and the other end and not in between so not sure the measurement of the length. That would certainly make it easier to find the part but probably pretty expensive.

If your bore is greater than 7/8", the smallest your Morse taper could be is an MT4.

 

[ddickey]

4.5MT?
Didn't South Bend make a short MT5 or some sort on some models?

 

[Cooter Brown]

Looking on the web gives me size of a 2MT as .700 at the large end and .572 at the small end with 2-7/8" length between the 2 diameters. The minimum bore size of the spindle on the lathe is 1.05 so a .700 MT will slide right through.

So the question is, how is that a #2MT?

It just uses the same angle as the MT2......

 

[RobertB]

There is probably an adapter that fits the spindle taper and accepts a 2MT taper.

At one time (10 years ago?) Miller Machine sold replacement adapters, don't know if they still do.