Thread: 9" Hercus tailstock disassembly

Dear members,

Would a kind Hercus owner please tell me how to disassemble the tailstock.

In particular, how is the lever fitted to the eccentric shaft. Is it a press fit, or is it screwed in. I've looked at a few diagrams I have, but can't make out the detail due to the poor quality pdf copy I have.

Assuming the two can be separated, will the eccentric shaft just slide out of the body?

I wish to strip the tailstock down, as part of an overall sympathetic restoration job.

Attached are two pictures to help clarify matters.

Regards,

Ken

There is a pin that retains the eccentric shaft in the body. I think it is to do with the hole in the main body neear the handle, but can't recall.

With the lever to the shaft, that is a press fit out of memory. Although, When I overhauled on of the Hercus lathes at school we didn't even try seperate the two, mainly because there was no need.

Never had to dismantle the tailstock,looking at it after removing your tailstock spindle crack the nut at the rear of tailstock and remove the complete assembly.
In regards to the locking lever its some type of pin that retains the shaft,the pin only locates the shaft(stops it coming out,the shaft floats).
It may be a selock pin or some other type,never taken the shaft apart.
You could try a small pin punch,give it a tap and see if it moves ,if it does, should fall into an open cavity.Remove shaft and reuse pin on assembley.
If it is a selock pin you will have to use a pin punch that suits the OD of the pin.
If you dont you may burr the end of the pin and make it very awkward to get your pin punch out.
Other choice is to drill the pin out and replace with a new one.
Never having taken it apart this is only my educated opinion.

I pulled a tailstock from a Herus 260 apart a few weeks ago and it took awhile to work out how the locking lever came out.
There was a grub screw that screwed in from underneath, I think, that located in a groove machined in the shaft of the lever.
I think the tailstocks are the same as the older models.

Some clarification needed.

I can remove the eccentric shaft and lever, as one, from the tailstock body, it is retained by a screw, no problems. What I really want to know is, how to remove the lever from the eccentric shaft so I have two parts for easy polishing.

Some of the older Hercus lathes did not have an eccentric shaft and lever, they had a small spanner that locked the tailstock onto the bed.

Mine is the later type.

Ken

You would probably find that the end of the lever that goes into the shaft is probably knurled like the other end,probably just a slight interferance fit.
If you have access to a small press try and push it out,if not place in vice with soft jaws and give it a tap with punch and hammer.
(Just for my benifit what size screw,type of head was retaining the cam shaft thankyou)

Hi Pipeclay,

Rather than attempt to describe the screw, as requested, I have attached a pdf drawing dimensioned in imperial units.

The tailstock eccentric shaft retaining screw is located in the underside of the body, and is accessible by separating the tailstock body from the tailstock base. Just release the set-over screws on each side of the tailstock, and the base will come off.

Ken

thankyou