SPINDLE TYPES: A-5, A2-5

[INTERPOLATE]

Greetings group..

First of all are these the same thing;A-5 and A2-5?

Can any one out there refer me to some on-line reference information on spindle types.

Waiting for machine to be delivered...
Getting ready to buy a 8" bison set-tru chuck and backplate for the A2-5 spindle.
While looking at catalogs photos and such I got to thinking about procedure on how to get her hooked up to the machine correctly.
I only have experience with this on a D1-4 spindle.
On the A2-5 spindle what is the procedure for getting it trued up right?
Do you machine a register for the plate to chuck interface?
And is the register going to be bigger than my 6" calipers?? I'm thinking it is going to be a pretty big trial and error process to guess to it?
Thanks for any tips and info.

DJ

[John Stevenson]

DJ.
A good page is at this location.
http://www.workholding.com/prattadaptor.htm
You have to be very careful here as a lot of manufactures call these by diffent names and they are not always right.
When they say A5 do they mean A2-5 or Din 5. tapers are the same but stud layout is totally different
Not a lot of people realise this but the tapers on the Din 5 / A series are the same as the D1- x series. All that differs is the mounting studs and in the case of the Din / A's you have a spigot hole.
Spigot on a 8" chuck will be about 6 1/2"

Forgot to mention I have three lathes on DIN spindles and one on a D1-4.
Really trying you can get the D1-4 to come loose on largish work with interupted cuts.
No way will the DIN's come loose and thats at 26" diameter, out of balance, interupted cuts and 'REALLY' trying.

John S.

[This message has been edited by John Stevenson (edited 10-20-2003).]

[wierdscience]

We got two old turret lathes at work both have A-2 spndles,I neede to identify to order chucks and found a chart in the chuck section of MSC'S catalog,very helpful.

Our bolt through the face of the chuck,no studs only a short taper like the D1-X',you just bolt them up and indicate,try all holes,sometimes you get lucky and don't have to true the jaws.

[John Stevenson]

This is where the DIN series differ from the A2 series.
As WS has said the A"'s bolt thru.
The DIN's have 4 stepped studs with flanged nuts filled to them that you don't remove.
The spindle of the machine is a large flange with clearance holes for the studs and nuts to pass thru.
On the rear of the flange is a plate with 4 circular keyholes machined in it.
You push the chuck onto the taper with the studs and nuts going thru the flange and keyhole plate, they rotate the keyhole plate to engage behind the nuts and nip them up.
Just like fitting a D1 - xx, no clocking etc and you need a spanner instead of a key.
Very good, very secure and quite quick.
To remove slack the nuts off, rotate keyhole plate and pull off.

These DIN's seem to be pretty standard on European machines, notably the Russian, Czech and Polish ones.
Over here the long L00 series has long died and the DIN is rapidly taking over the D - xx series.

When I bought my last TOS lathe I joked with the salesman that if I had two 3 jaw chucks it would be quicker to change chucks than jaws, a job I detest.
When they deliveed the lathe that had supplied an extra chuck so now I just swap chuks instaed of winding jaws in and out, far quicker.

John S.