Morse Tapers

[2G's]

I am a complete newb, and am curious about Morse tapers, so I'm looking for an explanation of them, why all the different numbers of tapers and since there are different tapers what are the better tapers to have on machines?
TIA

Greg

 

[RJSakowski]

Morse tapers are a type of locking taper commonly use to couple a spindle to tha rotating tool. The taper is a locking taper meaning that it is capable of transmitting a driving torque solely due the the friction of the joint. The sizes range from less than 1/2"in diameter to over 3" in diameter. Size is dictated by the machine they are used on A larger taper might conceivably be a better choice if a choice is available as adapters are available to use a smaller taper in a larger socket but not the reverse.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjqh5eZj-_1AhUPGTQIHRofCvIQFnoECAkQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FMachine_taper&usg=AOvVaw3_-Y9YLaQMb0JJui4iXbep

 

[MrWhoopee]

Machine taper - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

edit: I just learned that Morse Tapers are utilized in some orthopedic replacements.

 

[whitmore]

I am a complete nub, and am curious about Morse tapers, so I'm looking for an explanation of them

Welcome to the mechanical arts! There's a benefit to joining a shaft to a tool while keeping them exactly co-axial
(that way, if you keep the shaft from wobbling, the tool will also be non-wobbling), and many joints to rotating shafts are
improved by making one item a conical socket into which the other item is a conical plug. At sixty degrees apex full
angle, this is the familiar 'between centers' lathe workholding principle, and at smaller angles is how mills and
LeBlond lathes fit keyed toolholders and chucks for quickly dismounting. At still smaller angles (usually
specified in inches per foot) they become locking tapers, and that's where the old Morse Twist Drill
and Tool Company comes in.

Roughly making a conical socket, and (with the same setup) turning a matching exterior cone on a shank,
Morse tapers are so closely matched that the axial force of pushing them together, with the wedge-angle
advantage of the slight taper, is enough to put large pressures on the mating surface, and make a
drill (or other tool) never slip in its socket. Unlike other metalworking items, oil on a Morse taper is
a no-no.

Morse made these with simple tooling, in the absence of modern measurement, and that's why #1, #2, #3...
tapers are slightly different angles (they were aiming for 5%) on the order of 5/8 inch per foot. The
quality of drilled holes with a drill shaft and drill mated using these tapers was very good. So, the
original prototypes became standards (but not measurements of the prototypes, I mean the actual
century-and-a-half-ago manufactured models). The US adopted those standards (Bureau of Standards
presumably had the metal lumps in a case).

Drills getting stuck in the drill press was 'solved' by putting a tang on the small end, and slotting
the drill press spindle so that a wedge could be driven in to force the drill out.

In modern times, NIST has replaced the Bureau of Standards, and 'official' measurements of the
originals have replaced the metal lumps. It's still a viable standard, albeit not suitable
for robotic tool-swap.

 

[2G's]

Thanks RJ and Whitmore for the the detailed explanation. As I look around trying to figure out what components to look for in a machine and to aide in helping me produce a quality part( yes I am aware the person making the part is just as important or more important) but I think a better quality machine does as well. I see a lot of cool things that are made with lathes and find myself needing some items made, I have watched a lot of videos on you-tube many by Tubalcain (mrpete) and is the inspiration behind the method to the madness. So basically it boils down to being able to make a informed decision about what to look for and making the right decision.

 

[jwmay]

The only thing not mentioned so far is that a Morse taper 5 is going to have a much greater holding force than a Morse taper 1, simply due to greater surface area of the mating parts. This matters if the things you plan to make have big (1"+) holes in them. Drilling is much faster than boring, so if you plan to run big drills, get a lathe with a big taper socket in the tailstock. A Morse taper can and will spin under the right conditions. But the bigger ones will bend or break something first. In practice, I haven't spun one larger than MT2. But I bet some here have. And the more experience you have, the less likely you'll do it. Most likely, all lathes have a taper socket sized suitably for the intended utility of the machine. I wouldn't use taper socket size as a criteria for choosing a lathe, unless I had a ridiculous amount of tooling that was already of a certain size that I didn't want to replace.

 

[2G's]

Thanks jw the reason for asking this question is because I wasn't sure if the Morse taper had anything to do with quality of part, apologies if the question sounds dumb but you don't know if you don't ask!

 

[brino]

Greg,

There are no dumb questions here!

Ask anything you want, several times in different ways if you need to get to a particular point of understanding.
As you see above the group will have a useful discussion, provide info and links.

We all are at different level, but no one here will flame you for wanting to learn.

Brian

By the way, my drill press uses MT4, my lathe spindle is MT3, but the tailstock is MT2.
My old mill uses B&S #11 tapers.
It's likely that by the time you fully "tool up" you will have a variety in your shop too.

 

[mmcmdl]

By the way, my drill press uses MT4, my lathe spindle is MT3, but the tailstock is MT2.

This reminds me of when I buy shoes . I know I where size 10s so I tried on 11s and they felt so good I bought 12s !

 

[Ultradog MN]

Morse taper size is also a function of machine size.
You won't find a small lathe with a big morse taper.
I am picking these numbers out of thin air just to serve as examples.
A lathe with MT 1 would likely have a 1/2 hp motor, a 6" dia chuck and weigh about 6-800 lbs.
A lathe with MT 2 might have a 10"chuck, 1.5 hp motor and weigh 1500-2000 lbs
MT 3 a 14 or 15" chuck, 4 - 5 hp and weigh 3000- 4500 lbs

MT 4 lathe maybe 16-18" chuck 7-10 HP and 6500 - 8500 LBS.

Here are some morse taper drills on a 6x9" lined page to give a sense of scale.
Left to right they are MT 1 thru MT 4