MT2 drill press chuck vs lathe tailstock chuck

D

dbertheau

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This is probably a silly question...

Some mt2 chucks are labeled as lathe tailstock chucks and others indicate that use is for a drill press.

If a chuck is made with a MT2 taper, why would it not work in both my South Bend tailstock as well as in my drill press...both accept MT2?

Is there a "drill press" MT2 and then a different "lathe tailstock" MT2?

Thanks
 
Generally speaking you can use one in the other, but there can be slight differences. The kind for a drill press usually has a flattened tang that fits into a slotted part of the spindle which is where you use a tapered wedge to remove the chuck. You don't need that in a tailstock since the chuck will get pushed out when you retract the quill all the way....so they leave off the tang and expense of machining that feature.
 
Here's a photo of one from Precision Matthews. They sell for lathe tailstocks. I was going to buy for my drill press.

I called and asked if it can be used in my drill press. They indicated that there was a difference and recommended that I don't use in my drill press. I did not comprehend what they were trying to communicate to me as to why they don't recommend using in a drill press.

MT2-1-13mm-with-wrench-table.jpg
 
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dbertheau said:
Here's a photo of one from Precision Matthews. They sell for lathe tailstocks. I was going to buy for my drill press.

I called and asked if it can be used in my drill press. They indicated that there was a difference and recommended that I don't use in my drill press. I did not comprehend what they were trying to communicate to me as to why they don't recommend using in a drill press.

View attachment 475788
Click to expand...

The tapers are all the same. The difference is the overall length, and the feature (or lack thereof) at the back end. The picture from Precision Matthews shows a drive tang. That will insert into a "flat hole" inside of whatever it's installed in. It'll facilitate positive drive, so it can't slip, and it'll facilitate ejection with a key (typical in a drill press), IF and ONLY IF the drill press spindle has that feature, or it can facilitate ejection from a lathe tailstock by retracting the quill, IF and ONLY IF the lathe has that feature. Otherwise it's hit and miss if it will fit and work satisfactorily. Otherwise it'll probably be too long for a drill press, and won't go in far enough for the taper to seat. There could also be a "plain" end, and/or a plain end, which is just that. Just a blunt end on the taper, with (sometimes) a screw or other mechanism to adjust the overall length. These require that there be some way of ejecting built into the spindle. Or (and it doesn't apply here) you can find them with drawbar threads, such as might be used in a milling machine.

The bottom line is that the TAPER remains 100 percent the same, but the end feature and overall length must be correct for your application, and you must sort that out BEFORE you seat the taper for the first time. Otherwise you might well end up with one that doesn't go in at all, or can't be ejected.
 
I swap my MT3 to both. Can’t remember now which came from where. I had one that was too short to eject from the lathe and I drilled and tapped it, added a bolt and adjusted it out to eject from the lathe correctly.
 
dbertheau said:
Here's a photo of one from Precision Matthews. They sell for lathe tailstocks. I was going to buy for my drill press.

I called and asked if it can be used in my drill press. They indicated that there was a difference and recommended that I don't use in my drill press. I did not comprehend what they were trying to communicate to me as to why they don't recommend using in a drill press.

View attachment 475788
Click to expand...
I disagree with what you were told. a MT2 shank is a standard and the import chuck here in the pic will fit perfectly in any MT2 socket, drill quill or lathe tailstock quill there is no difference .
 
sparkness1 said:
I disagree with what you were told. a MT2 shank is a standard and the import chuck here in the pic will fit perfectly in any MT2 socket, drill quill or lathe tailstock quill there is no difference .
Click to expand...
The taper is standard, but some have tangs and some do not and the length can vary. As mentioned in this thread already, there are times when a chuck is too short to eject from a tailstock. I have one without a tang that won't eject from the tailstock so I had to add an extension.
 
sparkness1 said:
I disagree with what you were told. a MT2 shank is a standard and the import chuck here in the pic will fit perfectly in any MT2 socket, drill quill or lathe tailstock quill there is no difference .
Click to expand...
I agree with your disagreement! There's no reason it can't be used as long as the drill press is made for it. The tang actually takes up too much room in many smaller lathes as well. I wonder who had said that?
 
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