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Live center in live tailstock?

qwikturnin

Aluminum
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Location
Toronto,Canada
Does anybody have any thoughts on using a live center in a tailstock that has a bearing? Good? Bad? No big deal?
Lathe came with a dead center in the tailstock.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Robert
 
I've never seen or heard of a tailstock with with bearings.
common in bigger and higher dollar/heavier duty machines

as far as putting a live center in a live tailstock
i seen it done many times to bypass a locked up live tail stock bearing
not sure why else you would do it
 
Yes the machine in question is a 1992 mori seiki TL-40 that is sitting behind the Mazak 450m that i run daily. The mazak also has a "live" tailstock.
I have only used dead centers in it.
I have been at this company for a year and nobody has run the TL-40 (maintenence issues). Walking by i happened to notice the live center in the quill and thought it rather strange to have a live center in a tailstock with bearings.
Probably the last fellow who worked here had some strange reason for using it:nutter:
 
Can the tailstock quill be locked to allow drilling?

No the quill cannot be locked to allow for drilling. But that would be sweet!
I believe there are some Mazaks that have that option but I have yet to see one or hear from anyone who has used one. Apparently besides drilling you can hone as well! :drool5:
 
I have a big one like that - and the big bearings would git hot. This one has interchangeble heads on it. No MT at all.

I removed the cartridge and made a plug with a taper in it and stuffed a smaller (#5 MT) center in it. Works better for smaller D / higher speed apps IMO.


-------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox
 
Lodge and Shipley lathes

Lodge and Shipley long bed lathes used to have roller bearing morse
sleeves built into the tail stock to take either a dead center, or drill.

These spindle centers had real heavy duty bearings.

There was a keyed locking collar that fit over the tail stock spindle
with a slotted hole to lock the sleeve which had flats.

Live centers introduce a lot of overhang for large heavy shafting
leading to chatter and other problems.

A live center failure will real quick lead to a catastrophic
situation.

If both sets of bearings are good the effects will be minimal.
Two poor bearings rotating at random will induce various finish problems.

Kap
 








 
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