Man trying to remove odd shaft key needs advice

Man is trying to remove book press operating lever/crank from worm shaft and key only accessible from one end. Photos and story on this other forum. Anyone know how that kind of key comes out? Maybe meant to be permanent so non-removeable?

Help removing shaft from handle of book press (shaft key?) | Antiques Board

Cannonmn said:

Man is trying to remove book press operating lever/crank from worm shaft and key only accessible from one end. Photos and story on this other forum. Anyone know how that kind of key comes out? Maybe meant to be permanent so non-removeable?

Help removing shaft from handle of book press (shaft key?) | Antiques Board

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A clever design. If my thoughts are correct the key needs to be extracted outwards along the keyway. It's probably tapered and the
keyway in the handle has a matching taper. My first thought would be to drill and tap a hole in the key and thread a screw in there,
and extract it with a small slap hammer.

I cannot get a good feel for the scale of things - the key may be too small to do this.

If the taper idea is correct, then pushing the handle farther onto the screw would loosen it. But apparently the handle is
bottomed on the larger portion of the screw with the threads. Clever design as I said.

Last ditch effort would be to accuratly drill a small hole into the top of the handle so a small drift punch could push the
key out from underneath.

What's a book and why do they need pressing?

More seriously, been decades since I took a book press apart. I used mine to make a dry mount press back in the early 70's. Usually it's just a nut at the top, then pull off. Could still be the case with this one -- just rusted from nut to handle. My recollection is that the handle was a light press fit down to a circular clip cut into the threads. A nut put it tight.

The other possibility is that the "nut" and handle were cast as one piece -- to be screwed down tight to the giant circlip, then the key inserted, and the circlip moved to capture it. In that case the key has to come out first before unscrewing the entire handle/"nut" casting. Maybe try to pick it out OR drill/top/pull from the bottom OR drill or mill access from the top and punch it out.

Oops -- Jim beat me to most of that.

Is the head of the casting pressed on the shaft, or screwed on the shaft?

Looking at those photos, I don't think the installer made any provision for removal of the key. If the casting is pressed on the shaft, then you can pull/press it off with a suitable shop-made jacking device. If the casting is screwed on the shaft, then the only thing that comes to mind is having someone TIG a small extension to the key (if even possible) and then using a slide hammer (or similar) to yank it out.

From the look of it, that key has been pretty well cocked sideways, so I don't think it's going to come out easily!

Added in edit: Well, beaten to the punch by several other folks here!

sfriedberg said:

...If the casting is pressed on the shaft, then you can pull/press it off with a suitable shop-made jacking device.

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If the key is tapered, using a puller only makes the key tighter. And the handle cannot be pressed on farther to slack the tension on the
key! Clever indeed.

This is sort of what happens when you run a B'Port knee down all the way and jam it there with the bottom of the gib being pushed on
by the base.

Or, maybe I'm wrong, it's only a tight press fit with a straight key? But if that were so, the side to side wiggle present would suggest
it could simply be lifted off the top.

The one I had - had a straight key.

Given that this looks to be a somewhat economy version for the time -- I'd think straight key as well.

PeteM said:

The one I had - had a straight key.

Given that this looks to be a somewhat economy version for the time -- I'd think straight key as well.

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It looks like the parts are threaded together and the key is likely tapered to lock it togeher.

If you can get to back side you may be able to drive it out.

If not you may need to drill it out enough to allow it to loosen up and come out.

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