Drive spur

[dahlia]

Hi,
I have borrowed my son in laws workzone 400w lathe, very basic, seems to be rebadged by numerous other company's
The drive spur is on a 3/4in 16tpi thread, very crude, flat edges, difficult to bang into wood
Does anyone know where you can buy better threaded spurs to fit this machine
No way to fit a Morse taper spur
Many thanks

 

[marcros]

I haven't seen any, but haven't looked specifically for them.

could you file the flat edges to sharpen them?
do you have a chuck for the lathe? if so, a chuck mounted centre would be easier to find. obviously if not, then it isn't an option.

 

[dahlia]

I thought about filing the edges
I have thought about a chuck, must admit I find the choices confusing
I assume I just need one that fits the thread measurements I gave?

 

[marcros]

yes you do, but putting it nicely you are quickly going to find the limitations of that lathe.

3/4 x 16 is one of the older standard thread sizes, used for many years on record power lathes and others, but most newer things are coming out with different threads. If you enjoy turning and want to upgrade your lathe, you may find that you can't use the chuck on it. Chucks are available with a removable backplate or an insert but they tend to be more expensive. If you are not careful, you will end up spending £120+ to make a scrap value lathe work! I wouldn't buy a chuck for that lathe.

I would start with filing what you have. a picture would help to advise you.

A faceplate is another option but really you need to option of turning between centres.

 

[dahlia]

Hi,
Thx for that, I agree with everything you say, I belong to a man shed where we have access to 2 good lathes with all accessories
This one is to keep me busy whilst everything is shut, I do have a face plate so that's a bonus.
I have attached a picture of existing drive spur, any comments/suggestions would be appreciated

 

[Trevanion]

Drill a hole about as big in diameter as the centre point is before the spurs engage with the timber in the end of the workpiece, it takes a lot of force to try and drive such a large point into the end so drilling a hole helps with that.

 

[Paul Hannaby]

You could just sharpen the spurs on a grinder.

 

[peter-harrison]

If you hand sharpen it, it would be a good idea to mark one of the spurs and make sure you mark where that spur goes on your workpiece. Then when you take it off the lathe, you can replace it with the spurs in the same hole.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I mark anything that comes off the lathe, whether using a centre or a faceplate. (A steb drive excepted.) It's a good habit to get into - more often than not it doesn't matter, but on the occasions it does you'll be glad you did it.

 

[Lons]

My brother had an old Draper lathe a few years ago and for a while he just drilled a centre hole and cut diagonal saw cuts then the drive worked no problem, he later sharpened the prongs and fettled the centre point by putting the lathe on slowest setting and filing the point carefully while it was revolving. I thought it might be a bit risky but he insisted it was easy enough.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

His prongs aren't on the diagonals, though. I suppose he could put four cuts in instead of two.

 

[Lons]

#-o hadn't noticed that Phil

 

[xy mosian]

Machine Mart sell Clarke lathes which have 3/4" x 16 tpi spindle threads. You could try them for spares.
https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke- ... -with-ele/
xy