Don’t want to be lazy but I haven’t figured out an easy way to pop off the tailstock quill (the pointy holder that goes into the tailstock). You can’t use the long hex screwdriver like you can on the spindle. I tried to use the hex screwdriver to wedge it off but all that did was bend the screwdriver. Was able to straighten the screwdriver, but gave up on removing the tailstock quill because I didn’t want to hose any equipment. Any advice?
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To remove the quill you retract it fully, once you have done this it pop out.
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Thanks, am hanging my head because that is too easy of a solution.
Appreciate the help.
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You are welcome!
Don’t feel bad, I had to learn this in a similar manner!
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pretty sure we all did (some of us still haven’t “acquired” the skill, even if we know the how…)
I had to ask the same question as well
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The correct name of that part is a center, not a quill.
There are live centers that spin on bearings and dead centers that dont spin but are lubricated with wax that liquifies from friction heat so the wood spins on a film of liquid wax.
A quill is the movable part of a drill press or mill or other machine, it is the shell that holds the bearings for the spinning part which is called the spindle.
Our lathes have spindles, and centers, but not quills.
Some of the part names make sense, i have no idea where quill came from.
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The quill is the part that holds the live center. Which resides in the tailstock that sits on be bed ways
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from here
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-function-of-a-spindle-in-a-tailstock
Never knew the word “quill” in this sense at all until walking into DMS… Now it’s bloody everywhere!
I suspect someone way back when thought it resembled other ‘quills’ like those of porcupines, and it DOES kinda meet the #2 definition…
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Oops i stand corrected. You retract the tailstock quill to extract the live or dead center. ISHGT (I should have googled that) to check my memory,
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