Easy, Cheap Morse Taper Headstock Sleeve

[The Metal Butcher]

Nothing new or special, but following Doc's initiative, I am posting here vs some continuation thread.

So anyway, I was wanting to use the headstock taper in Dad's Lagun. It's a stub MT6.

I could buy the exact thing I needed for $76+13 shipping on ebay, or I could get a Shars full length version for $19+10.50 shipping.

So... I did the latter an cut it off.






I just gripped it in the 4 jaw with a center, parted 'til it was nearly through, removed the center, finished it off, and voila. Done. Not the prettiest finish, but it doesn't matter. One could do the same with a hacksaw, bandsaw, angle grinder, etc.

Final runout on a center was less than 1/2 thou, so it is of good quality. And I've got a nice paperweight from the tail end.

I'm still shocked that China can take the steel, machine and grind a sleeve, then pay to ship it to the US, make a profit, and still do it all cheaper than I can buy the metal for. That's whack. No wonder the US can't compete.

[nickel-city-fab]

Nice clean job! Yah the cost of living is vastly different between here and there, has a lot to do with it. Their middle class is booming but they don't have the same expenses that we do. I'm not above using Shars stuff, sometimes it's the only way to afford something. I buy half a dozen MT blanks in a year, and some tool blocks.

[Dragons_fire]

i just did the exact same thing last night to a 4-3 sleeve.

[Ian B]

Aren't those sleeves hardened? Chinese or not, I can imagine they're not easy to cut (unless you're using a cutoff wheel on an angle grinder that is)

Ian

[The Metal Butcher]

Butter soft.