Quick question: Plugs in tailstock casting

wildo

wildo

Registered
Registered
Before I bondo over these, can anyone tell me why these plugs are here in the tailstock casting for the PM 1236-T? Both sides have these plugs that go all the through the casting.

...And why did PM do such a lousy job grinding them smooth?

294993

294994

294995
 
At first I thought it was the locking arm shaft coming through from the back, however that is not the case. The locking arm shaft goes into a blind hole in the tailstock from the backside (motor side) of the lathe. I didn’t take any close up pics of this plug before paint stripping, but you can see it plain as day on the website. Just curious if there is some functional reason for it to be there, as I plan to smooth the tailstock in an hour or so tonight.

294996
 
i gotta say, that's the first time i have seen plugs like that in the TS casting.

i wonder if there was another option for tailstock retention??? a left hand model as it were.

you'd think with the thin cross section of where the plugs are could create a recipe for cracking
 
Ok, so I’m not crazy!! I had very similar thoughts! Why add in the extra casting effort on top of that? Seems like there must be some purpose.
 
one other thought occurred,
possibly the plugs covered holes meant to retain the casting for machining or grinding, but i'm grabbing at straws here
 
On my lathe the plugs are directly on the opposing side for the quill & ts lock levers which is the exact lathe you pictured above. On your lathe the plugs are not the same case. Doesn't look like the plugs on your ts serves any purpose. Unless someone says otherwise I would say bondo'ing over them wouldn't be a problem. Oh and BTW, it's not QMT/PM to blame for the grinding job, they don't make the lathe, it's the CM to blame. ;)
 
This feels a bit unlikely since the bottom is open, but I wonder if these plugs fill holes that were left from supporting the casting core. Perhaps it makes sense that the core would need side support when pouring the tailstock piece?
 
Ulma Doctor said:
one other thought occurred,
possibly the plugs covered holes meant to retain the casting for machining or grinding, but i'm grabbing at straws here
Click to expand...

Oh! See, I was thinking about the core, but you might be onto something since the quill bore would need to be bored. Maybe they are just there for manufacturing fixturing. Good call!
 
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