My spur drive is getting stuck in the head stock. I can't knock it out with the knock-out rod and have to use a hammer. I am sure using a hammer will break the knob off the rod. I have used #0000 steel wool on it trying to smooth it. That didn't help. Any suggestions why this is happening and how to fix it. Thanks, Dennis

Anonymous wrote:

Dennis,

How are you mounting your pieces to the spur drive? Are you hammering the spur drive into the piece with a wood mallet prior to inserting the spur drive with the piece attached into the head stock, or are you inserting the spur drive into the headstock and then hammering the piece onto the spur drive ? If it’s the latter, that’s the problem. Another issue could be a dirty Morse taper on the head stock. They make a silicone Morse taper cleaner stick for cleaning the Morse taper , which should be done periodically.

Hope this helps.

Mike

Mike, I usually just put the spur drive in the head stock and tighten the wood by twisting the tail stock forward as need to hold wood in place. Then when I try to remove spur drive to install chuck it's almost impossible to get the spur drive out. I've seen hundreds of videos and it looks like with just a couple of taps the spur drive should pop out. What is and where can I get the silicone cleaner you suggested? Thanks for your knowledge, experience and willing to help.

Mike made a good point. We have to clean up and maintain the parts of the lathe. We, at least myself, expect our equipment to work without any routine maintenance. Thanks for the advice Mike!