A "Nut" Case

by Phil Colson
Woodturner

Note: click any picture to see a larger version.

Well I've done it again. I know you thought I was over the top when I used spray foam in my bandsaw, but it worked. Now I have done something to save time. I do a lot of hollowing and drilling on the lathe. No problem advancing the drill bit, but boring and time consuming retracting the tail stock quill. I turn the crank in and out a lot. So, Rich from Newnan, GA was in the store and we got to talking about this problem. He said he put tape on the end of an extension and jammed it in the hole of the quill and retracted it. The tape had to be replaced frequently. So, I thought about a nut. You'd think it was me, but no, a real nut. A 15/16" (outside dimension) nut. I disassembled the crank from the back of the tailstock and mounted it in some pin jaws. I inserted a live center in the quill and moved it up until it centered the hole in the crank. After mixing up a small amount of JB Well, I centered the nut at the end of the crank and glued it. Off to the hardware store to buy an extension for the 15/16" socket I already had. I needed the extension so the handle on the crank would not interfere with the rotation of the nut. Eazypower makes a connector that has a 1/4" drive on one end for the drill and a 3/8" drive to fit the socket extension. Voila! Does it work you ask? Is the pope catholic? YES. So now when I have to drill a lot I can speed up the process by using the updated drill.

Happy Turning!

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Phil can be reached directly via email at woodturnerphil@gmail.com .


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