Wilton Drill Press Morse Taper Arbor Removal Mystery

Tony_H · Oct 20, 2019

I have a mystery I'm hoping someone can help shed light on. I purchased an (oldish - ~1980s) used Wilton 20606 Gear Head drill press. The machine appears to be in excellent shape. I believe it has an MT3, but I can't figure out how to remove the Morse Taper arbor. There are slots in a collar around the quill at 90 degrees from each other. Two opposing slots are filled with a key of some kind that appears to go all the way through and appears semi-permanent, and the other two opposing slots go through the collar, but don't allow access into the quill.

I am probably not using the correct terms, but the bottom line is that I have a very nice gear head drill press with no obvious way to get a drift into it. In desperation, I tapped gently with a ball joint fork between the chuck and the bottom of the quill, and the chuck (Jacobs 14N) popped right off. However, the arbor is still in the drill press. I'm sure there is a way to get the Morse taper arbor out, but I'm stumped. Any suggestions or insight would be greatly appreciated.

ballen · Oct 20, 2019

Normally you would insert a triangular wedge into the slot and use that to drive out the MT arbor. However it appears that a drawbar has been added. This means you have an MT arbor which is threaded on the back and held in from above. So take a look at the top of the spindle. Is there a drawbar there?

Tony_H · Oct 20, 2019

Ballen - Thanks for your reply. There is no access from the top (directly above the spindle),so I can't see how it would have a draw bar accessible. The pictures show the quill all the way down. I'm assuming you mean could I push the arbor out from above the spindle. Am I misunderstanding your suggestion? Any other thoughts?

LKeithR · Oct 20, 2019

Definitely looks like there might be a drawbar of some sort in there. Normally with a drawbar you would loosen it
off a half turn or so--there would be a nut at the top--and then give the top of the nut a good sharp rap with a
hammer to pop the taper out of the spindle. After that the drawbar is just spun out of the arbor by hand.

If there is no direct access to the top of the drawbar is there a a possibility that the drill has a power setup for
loosening and tightening? If that's not the case is there a cover that can be removed so you can access the top
of the drawbar? A picture of the top of the spindle might help...

Andy St · Oct 20, 2019

Hi
I think better photos of the bottom of the spindle and the drill head might help. I believe all of Wilton's older gear drive drill press were either Solberga, Strand or Arboga. All of them were Swedish made and I think are now under one company.

Strands Machinery - High Quality Drilling Machines for Metal

When I use to have a home shop I had a Strand and an Arboga. At work we have an Arboga. All three of them use a different system and I have also seen them with a forth setup.
The Arboga at work has an ejector for the tang that is actuated by turning the quill feed up above the normal retracted position. That one is a #4 Morse tang taper.
My home shop Strand used #3 Morse tang taper and just used a normal drift to eject the taper. I think that is what you have but in a modified (screwed up) way.
My home shop Arboga used a combination set up with normal #3 morse tang taper and also special #3 morse tang taper.
The special #3 stuff had a threaded collar to retain tooling in the spindle on the bottom. That set up was used for milling and boring work.
In your second photo it looks like some one has retained a short section of a drift with screws or pins in the spindle?
It is possible that the stuck arbor did not have a tang and could not be easily removed.
Again better photos might help us help you.
You should be able to get the manual for the press and that might help.
Andy

Andy St · Oct 20, 2019

A quick google search turned up this catalog that has your drill press model in it.

https://www.sterlingmachinery.com/m...Wilton-Geared-Head-Drill-Presses-Brochure.pdf

From that info I think you have the normal drift removal setup but that someone has tampered with.

Might need to pull the arbor out from the bottom and see what is up with the piece in the drift hole?
Andy

moonlight machine · Oct 20, 2019

My Wilton Strands uses the normal triangular wedge to pop out the morse taper. Are you rotating the quill to line up the slot so you can get the wedge through?

Tony_H · Oct 20, 2019

All - Thank you for your suggestions. I attached some picture to better show the drill press. I don't think there is an easy way to get access to the top of the spindle without performing major surgery. The drill press does not show any signs of abuse and the table is unmarked. I can't think of a reason why someone would have tampered with it in manner than renders it useless if one needs to replace the MT Arbor (but anything is possible).

Two of the pictures I attached are better images of the quill with the sleeve that has a plug and 90 degrees from that, a slot that doesn't access anything. Is it possible that the "plug" was factory installed, and I need to drive it out to get access the the arbor with a wedge? Thanks again for you suggestions!

Tony_H · Oct 20, 2019

Snip from parts diagram

One other note: I attached a snip from the parts diagram in a manual I found online. The diagram shows the spindle (1108) with a "Push Sleeve" (1166)around the spindle. It also shows a key (1169) holding the sleeve to the spindle. I may be misreading the diagram, but it appears my setup is per factory (unless I am completely off base). Which leaves the mystery - how do I get the bleeping arbor out?

Thoughts aprpeciated.

Tony_H · Oct 20, 2019

Andy - You observed: "In your second photo it looks like some one has retained a short section of a drift with screws or pins in the spindle?".
I don't think it is a drift because it fits the slot very well on both sides. The little spots above and below appear to be where the metal was hit with a punch to peen it and retain the plug or key.

Andy St · Oct 20, 2019

Can you post a link to the manual that you found online?
If that is your setup then I believe you have the type that is self ejecting.
On the one at work there is a stop that you pivot out of the way. So in normal use the quill can only retract up to that stop. When you want to remove the arbor / drill you swing the stop out of the way. Once out of the way the quill can go up another 3/16" or so but hits the tang first. The quill feed lever is push up to eject the arbor.

I can post photo's later if needed.

Andy

Tony_H · Oct 20, 2019

Andy - The link to the manual I found is here:

Wilton Corp. - Publication Reprints - Geared Head Drill Presses, Series 20600, 24200 | VintageMachinery.org

Andy St · Oct 20, 2019

Ok, it looks like the 1169 key is retained in the 1166 sleeve. The sleeve and key can slide up and down a small amount on 1108 spindle. When a tanged arbor is seated the key and sleeve slide up allowing the arbor to seat. When removing the arbor the quill is retracted up and the sleeve hits a stop allowing the qill to go up further but the sleeve and key remain at the stop. This pushes on the tang and out pops the arbor.
The only thing I don't see is the quill up limit stop?

Andy

Tony_H · Oct 20, 2019

I am assuming the knob of the left side of the head is for the depth stop. Is it possible that it is also used for the Quill up limit stop?

I posted a link to the manual - I think it needs to wait for approval before it will be visible.

Andy St · Oct 20, 2019

I really like this setup on the one at work. I have a 3/4" ball bearing Jacobs chuck and Walstrom automatic 1/2" that I go back and forth using all the time. I keep the Walstrom in most of the time but use the Jacobs for heavy duty stuff and bits that wont fit in the 4 jaw Walstrom.
We got that press used and when we first got it the Arbor was really in there. I don't think it had ever been removed and it took lots of force to remove.

Andy

Andy St · Oct 20, 2019

Tony_H said:
I am assuming the knob of the left side of the head is for the depth stop. Is it possible that it is also used for the Quill up limit stop?

I posted a link to the manual - I think it needs to wait for approval before it will be visible.

Maybe, that depth stop setup is the same that was on my home shop Strand.
In the 3rd photo of the bottom of the quill / arbor is the quill fully retracted?

Andy

Tony_H · Oct 20, 2019

No - in that photo I had the quill down a bit just to show more of what is going on. Please let me know if there are any other photos I could provide that might help with the "Mystery"

Andy St · Oct 20, 2019

In the photo that shows the stop it looks like there are 2 flippers one might be for the up and the other for down?
Hard for me to see in the photo.

Andy

Tony_H · Oct 20, 2019

Those flippers can be used for both up and down stops. But I don't think that will help with ejecting the arbor as they work by having a plastic tab hit a set screw.

Andy St · Oct 20, 2019

The O-ring might be all that is used for the up stop? The quill return spring (clock spring) would not have enough force to push it up further. A nice quick hard push on the lever would compress the O- ring?

Andy

Wilton Drill Press Morse Taper Arbor Removal Mystery

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