# is there a size between mt1 and mt2?



## soulshear (Nov 28, 2015)

I recently bought a small wood lathe off craigslist. It was just the frame, which worked for me since i have several motors i could use and it was only $40. It was belt driven, i mounted on an old sawhorse and attached a 3/4hp heavy blower motor. After cleaning and lubing, thing runs great. I just needed a center and my dream of making 4 large finials for my bed would be fufilled. However, i have a problem. The hole in which a center should be inserted isnt tapered. Just a straight hole. I bought a mt1 center, too small. Figured screw it, dont wanna ship it back, whats $20, anyway? So i order a mt2 center. TOO LARGE. Now i am confused. There isnt any sizes between mt1 & mt2. How is this possible? I got a digital caliper and measured the inner diameter… 12.6mm (.496in). 
Im now at the point where i grab a drill bit & a unibit and make me a hole… but i figured i would ask some pros before i get all MacGyver on this thing. So, if someone would help me out here i would reall appreciate it. Thanks guys.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

There are more types of taper than just Morse… Jacobs, Brown & Sharpe, and Jarno to name a few. There is no standard morse taper between 1 and 2 (although there is a MT4.5!) that I am aware of.

Here is a good reference for the tapers mentioned over at the LittleMachineShop site:
http://littlemachineshop.com/reference/tapers.php

However, if yours doesn't have a taper, then I'm not sure why you would be looking for one? Putting a taper into a straight bore will cause the front to make contact, while the rear will be floating free - which would introduce a considerable amount of wobble.

Cheers,
Brad


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Exactly as Brad said.
If the hole is not a taper there is NO tapered mount that is going to fit.
Both the hole and the bit (or center) have to have the taper for this to work. Period.


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

what brand is this unit you got? Maybe a picture? I have seen some odd bits and ends at a few places around town so if I had an idea I could ask.


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

Do you have a nice set of drill bits? You can insert various sizes and measure the depth for a few given sizes and derive the taper (if any). Just takes a little trig.


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## soulshear (Nov 28, 2015)

It has no taper, its just a straight shaft. I cant find anywhere to purchase a center on a straight shaft of that size.im hopin yalls experience would point me to somewhere online i could get one, or suggestions on how to drill a receiver for the mt2 centers i purchased. 
As for a brand, i cant find a single indentifing mark anywhere on it. When i get home ill take some pics in the hopes it helps.

and thanks again for all the reponses, i really appreciate it.


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

OK, what size shaft? Somebody ought to be able to come up with something for it.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

If you have access to a metal lathe, you could probably fabricate something… I have made both live and dead centers for my Unimat, which has a straight bore in the tailstock (although a bit smaller in diameter). I have also made adapters with a JT33 taper so I could mount a jacobs chuck, although for that it had an MT1 taper suitable for use with my wood lathe. I know there are various adapters out there, but most are for stuff like MT2 to MT1 and such - I don't believe I've seen one for a straight bore. Also, many live centers are just ball bearings with a taper that can be removed (which lets them put different sized tapers on them, allowing only one center to be made that can then be used for multiple applications), so it might be possible to make an adapter that uses a straight bore instead of the taper and replace the one on there. In a pinch, you might be able to turn one out of hardwood, but I'm not sure how robust that would be.

Cheers,
Brad


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

It is possible to make Morse tapers but without a metal lathe I don't know how you would do it. By the time you make it happen you'll have more money invested than had you just bought a HF lathe or a decent used lathe for a couple hundred bucks.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> It is possible to make Morse tapers but without a metal lathe I don t know how you would do it. By the time you make it happen you ll have more money invested than had you just bought a HF lathe or a decent used lathe for a couple hundred bucks.
> 
> - Rick M.


Yup, a metal lathe makes it pretty simple to do… I find it worth it's weight in gold as I'm constantly needing parts for old machines I'm restoring that are either very difficult to find or just plain impossible. But… I have actually made a few taper adapters out of hardwood on my old Delta lathe, such as this one:










I will admit, it's not an ideal solution and requires a lot of careful measurement to get it right - but in a pinch, it can be made to work for many applications. Fortunately, for use in the tailstock, the force is pretty much all longitudinal along its axis unless you have something that is wildly off balance. It won't take the forces (or wear) like a metal equivalent would, but it can be used if the stresses are not too great. I've also made stuff for the lathe out of HDPE, like a cone cup that fits over a bearing to be used as a live center, usefull for mounting hollow tubes for cleaning/polishing. That might be another option for a straight bore adapter as well. Lots of ways to do stuff if you think outside the box a bit!

Cheers,
Brad

PS: If a suitable sized drill bit or metal rod can be found, it might be possible to use it to make a dead center for that lathe… cut it to proper length and grind a point on one end.


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