3520B Quill won’t retract

[Paul Ray Moore]

I was drilling a pepper mill using the tail stock using a Jacobs chuck and drill bit in my 3520B tailstock and after I finished I wasn’t able to retract the quill. I took it completely out and tried to push it in but it goes in to around the 3” mark and get stuck. It is almost like it has swelled at the end and now won’t go in. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I really don’t know if it is the quill or the tail stock hole. I wondered if while drilling I either misshaped the quill or the hole in the tail stock. Neither seems like that could have happened.
I would really appreciate any help I can get.

[Melvin Feng]

I would check the groove in the quill for the locking bolt. On my Laguna 12/16, there have been a couple times that the locking screw actually scraped against the side of the groove in the quill and raised a burr, causing things to nearly jam up entirely in the tailstock. What I did to fix this, is to completely remove the quill from the tailstock and use a card diamond hone to remove the burr and then hone that edge. I also then spray in a dry teflon lube into the tailstock as well as the exterior of the quill, but check what your instruction manual recommends.

[Paul Ray Moore]

Thanks Melvin. I actually took the locking bolt off and the screw that moves the quill in and out and tried sliding the quill in but it won’t go. If the quill is the problem I am looking at around $130. If it is the tailstock then I am looking at $700. Hope I can figure it out and fix what I have.

[Melvin Feng]

Thanks Melvin. I actually took the locking bolt off and the screw that moves the quill in and out and tried sliding the quill in but it won’t go. If the quill is the problem I am looking at around $130. If it is the tailstock then I am looking at $700. Hope I can figure it out and fix what I have.

when you took out the quill, did you do a visual and physical inspection of the quill to see if there were any rough spots, galling marks, etc.? You can also feel around the parts to see if there are any inconsistencies, or something that could cause the binding. You can also feel the inside of the tailstock to see if there is any rough parts there as well. I would personally be tempted to try using some 1000 grit sandpaper to lightly polish things to see if that helps - but only do this if you feel comfortable with it.

[Mike Nathal]

There is a YouTube video by Mike Peace, on tailstock maintenance. It might not solve your problem but it is good general info

[Sam Force]

How straight is your quill? Had a friend with the same issues. Somehow his quill had a slight bend, he took it to a local machine shop and they were able to straighten it out. If I remember right they only charged him $30

[John K Jordan]

How straight is your quill? Had a friend with the same issues. Somehow his quill had a slight bend, he took it to a local machine shop and they were able to straighten it out. If I remember right they only charged him $30

A gentleman brought one to me that got stuck on retracting. When I rolled it on a flat surface I could easily see how it was bent. The bend was extremely slight. I have no idea how it got that way but I was able to fix it with by removing metal with sandpaper on the flat surface.

JKJ

[Earl McLain]

A gentleman brought one to me that got stuck on retracting. When I rolled it on a flat surface I could easily see how it was bent. The bend was extremely slight. I have no idea how it got that way but I was able to fix it with by removing metal with sandpaper on the flat surface.

JKJ

Hard catch with a heavy blank maybe?? Just guessing--i'd have not thought it possible to bend one, but makes me a believer in the forces at play!!
earl

[John K Jordan]

A gentleman brought one to me that got stuck on retracting. When I rolled it on a flat surface I could easily see how it was bent. The bend was extremely slight. I have no idea how it got that way but I was able to fix it with by removing metal with sandpaper on the flat surface.
JKJ

Hard catch with a heavy blank maybe?? Just guessing--i'd have not thought it possible to bend one, but makes me a believer in the forces at play!!
earl

He didn't say. It does seem practically impossible to bend, even with a massive catch. To add injury to insult it was stuck fully retracted on the threaded part and unable to extend so he had a friend work on it. When it came to my shop I had to use an incredible (unreasonable) amount of force to remove the threaded shaft - I almost suspected the first person who worked on it turned it the wrong way with a lot of force, not knowing it was a left-handed thread although he did say the first guy was aware of the thread direction. Who knows - I wondered if heat was used at some point to try to break it loose and the heat warped the quill. I had to use a large vise and large tools sized for working on big equipment to get it apart which, of course, scarred the smooth quill surface. After cleaning it up and flattening to remove the warp it works smoothly and easily in the tailstock. I considered trying to remove the warp with the hydraulic press but that seemed risky.

For Paul's quill I'd probably first clean things well, inside and out, make sure the hangup is not in the threads, use a micrometer to assess the diameter down the length, check the inside of the hole in the tailstock casting at the point it hangs up for a burr and measure the ID (if the proper tools are available), and check the quill for warpage. Maybe the solution will be revealed. An internal burr in the casting might be removed with a round file or sandpaper on a stick.

JKJ

[Bill Dufour]

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use a good micrometer and measure the diameter at several locations and angles. Also use a straight edge and check for bow. If possible remove the arbor. Put it all in the freezer for a night then heat the outer bore up to cookie sheet temps and try again, quickly. Does removing the feed handle help? Pull the spindle lock knob or lever and look for anything jammed or not releasing. You may have to tap a wedge down inside under the screw. tap the lock knob/handle down before removing it all the way.
Bil lD

[Paul Ray Moore]

Thanks everyone for their help. I took some sand paper 1000 grit and a file and sanded/filed down the groove in the quill. It now moves pretty freely. I think that the screw that sets in the groove must have moved in and the grove in the quill wasn't flat or smooth so the screw was bottoming out as it was being retracted. I wasn't having the problem before drilling and the nut that secures the screw was tight or I thought it was so I'm really perplexed on what caused it to move in. Just glad I was able to get it working again.
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[Fred Belknap]

I may not completely understand your problem. My 3520 has about 4.5" movement then it runs out and won't go back in unless you put a bit of pressure on it. It runs freely.