Wheel versus Quill

[dusty]

It is most useful when in vertical drill press mode. I believe that is the intention.

You may have a point. I'll put mine on the shorty, since it will be used most as a drill press, to see if I like it there.

It always seemed to be in the way on the Mark V, except when in drill press mode.

[robinson46176]

My 3 lever quill handle lives on one half of the Push-me/Pull-me drill press where I find it very useful. I would like to have another for the second headstock on it. As far as having one on a unit in most horizontal functions I quickly found that its main effect was to have a handle in the way three times as often as a single handle...

A nice option might be to have quill handle hub where the levers snap in place rather than screw in. Then you could instantly add / remove levers as desired. A way to lock them in place or remove them with the push of a button would be good. Think of the locks now on many ratchets in socket sets that lock / release the socket to the ratchet square drive by pushing a button on the back.

Another interesting attachment would be a 2 piece quill hub where one part would attach to the quill handle shaft pretty much permanently and it would have a spline and the second part would have a matching but opposite spline. There would be any number of possible ways to use some sort of quick release to be able to rotate the lever hub to a new position (one of many positions instead of just three) and snap it back in place rather than unscrewing and screwing in the lever(s)...
It could even be made much like a socket ratchet except instead of ratcheting one direction or the other it would just release to change position then lock in one spot.

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Here is one I have considered that is even a little more off the wall.
You may need your imagining cap on for a few minutes to visualize it. Picture a smallish (maybe about 2") roller chain sprocket on the back of the quill handle shaft (with a guard disc to keep a finger out). Then a shaft passing front to back through the headstock body somewhere down on the lower left of the headstock in a location determined by what is in the way internally. I'm pretty sure that there is an acceptable spot there somewhere that will clear the workings.
Now, that shaft would have a matching roller chain sprocket on the back aligned with the one on the quill handle shaft and also with a guard disc. A roller chain would connect the sprockets (no surprise there ). The front of the new lower shaft would be machined to accept the lever handle or the 3 lever quill handle.

Off of the top of my head I can recall of no time in all of the years I have used SS's where a handle in that location would have been in the way or want to hit the table etc. If it were or it was desired it would just as easily as now be moved to the regular locations which would still be there.

I just went down to the woodshop (I like having it in the house) and looked inside of one of mine and while I do see a spot that would clear I think a better location for the lower shaft may be externally mounted to the belt guard either just above or just below the way tubes. That location would maybe reduce lathe turning length by about 3/4" but would keep the whole thing very simple.
I may be forced to pursue this one because quill handle / table interference is one of my more annoying work-around's.

Does anybody else but me think that the spring clip that holds the emblem over the hole on the back must have been designed at 4:30 PM on a Friday night on a holiday weekend??? That thing should attach like a gas cap...


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[JPG]

Nothing 'off the wall' found!

4:30? 16:55 maybe!:D

Gotta admit, low $ and a minimal modification from the 'original' clipless design.