Beaver Model 3400 Lathe

[Graham Gilbert]

I just acquired one of these in good shape and am getting it set up. It has a hefty-looking 4-spur drive center in it right now, but came with 4 great faceplates of varying sizes.

My problem is I can't figure out how one would remove the drive center. The outboard end of the shaft has a long nut going into the [threaded] shaft, but this just comes out and nothing happens. Similarly there are two small set screws with allen heads outboard on the side of the shaft, but removal of these accomplishes nothing either... The thread on the outboard end of the shaft is smaller than the thread on the face plates.

The spur drive center has a large (1 1/8?) hex head but there is nothing to turn against.

Help!!!

[J.]

There should be a stopped hole just to the left of the base of the

4-spur drive center. Insert the end of a shaft or bolt in it and use it as a lever. Apply an open end wrench to the spur center itself. The spur center will screw off toward you.

I think they used to have a special wrench that would fit in the hole at the shaft, so maybe look around the pile of loose parts that you may have picked up with the lathe.

Nice lathe, IMO.

J.

Graham Gilbert wrote:

[CW]

[nailshooter41]

drive center. Insert the end of a shaft or bolt >in it and use it as a lever. Apply an open end wrench to the >spur center itself. The spur center will screw off toward you.

I think J is probably right. A very few of the older lathes used solid spindles and screwed on drive spurs and accessories. I saw an old Walker Turner where this was the case, and the owner of the lathe mistook the hollow end where the handwheel was mounted as a sign of a totally hollow spindle shaft.

He beat the absolute hell out of that thing trying to drive out the spur thinking it was a taper fit of some kind. Of course it never moved. Being old iron he didn't hurt it, but he didn't get the spur out either. He took the headstock to his buddy in the welding profession who took it for granted that the spur screwed on because that was the way his accessories mounted on his metal lathe.

He took it off exactly as J. described.

BTW, I had to do the same exact thing to a 30 year old Sears lathe about 2-3 years ago. Liquid Wrench, a 12" pipe wrench and a 12" crescent broke it loose.

Robert

[George]

Hoping you look at your owners' manual. CW is speaking from below the bellybutton. The 3400 should be similar to this

a threaded spur center. IIRC, there are flats on the spindle to keep it from rotating as you unscrew. It will be a right-hand thread, so Leftie will get Lucy. The one in the picture here shows threads and the locking setscrews on the other end.

Recommend a bit of WD40 or your flavor of rust-busting item prior to the attempt.

[Graham Gilbert]

Eureka!!!

You were right, J. A couple of strategic applications of WD 40, a couple of hours of patience, a pipe wrench outboard and presto. (There was no stopped hole)

Thanks to every>> There should be a stopped hole just to the left of the base >of the

[J.]

My old Rockwell/Delta is a bit younger than your Beaver but it's essentially the same lathe. (I guess the stopped hole was a later improvement.) With the bed extension on you're probably going to need or want a steady rest. And if you ever decide to get a scroll chuck for it you'll find that the Nova series is the only one around that has a

7/8-14tpi headstock spindle adapter. (I believe it is highly likely that your inboard thread size is the same as my later model.)

Happy turning!

J.

Graham Gilbert wrote:

[Kevin Maughan]

replying to J., Kevin Maughan wrote: I searched high and low to find an adapter for my head spindle. My lathe is an old Beaver 3400. Spindle is a 7/8 14 tip. In need an adapter to go up to be able to put a chuck "jaws" assembly on it. When I got my lathe given to me it came with no Faceplates. I am limited to only spindle pieces.