What is this adapter that came in my lathe's toolbox?

[LVLAaron]

MT3 on the inside.... outside taper unknown. Came in the red toolbox with my 1440 - what is it?

 

[seasicksteve]

That is a bushing that goes in the head stock spindle typically to hold a center

 

[LVLAaron]

Ah ha! That explains how I'm going to align things. Thank you!

 

[xr650rRider]

You might want to check it but the adapter on my lathe has a sweet spot, depending on where it's oriented. You can have .005" of runout in 1 place and as little as .0001' in the sweet spot.

 

[Firebrick43]

Lathes of your size have morse taper 5 tapers on the spindle. As seasicksteve said, its for a center in your spindle, or to use an mt3 drill or tool in a morse taper 5 machine. Had a lot of them at work for drilling "small" 3/4" holes on a absolutely massive radial arm drill

 

[xr650rRider]

If you cut your own center in whatever chuck you want to use, it will be centered with lathe until you remove it.

 

[Firebrick43]

If you cut your own center in whatever chuck you want to use, it will be centered with lathe until you remove it.

if its not carbide tipped

 

[xr650rRider]

If your making your own center it probably wouldn't be carbide tipped. Now trying to recut a factory center that could be true.

 

[benmychree]

Generally, the center for the headstock is left soft, so it can easily be recut to run true, these centers usually have a shallow ring cut near the 60 degree point so that they may be distingushed from the hard tailstock center.

 

[seasicksteve]

I have a “soft center” that I grab in the chuck and true it when I need it I can count on One hand how many times I have used the bushing and a center