Cutting a Keyway into Motor Output Shaft

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Thread: Cutting a Keyway into Motor Output Shaft

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Dallas, Texas
    Posts
    178

    Cutting a Keyway into Motor Output Shaft

    Picked up another hustler (a 980 this time) that came with 2 spare vanguard 18 motors. Only problem with them is the output shaft is threaded, not keyed. Is there a way I could lock down the keyed clutch to the threaded shaft? Or would I need a new keyway cut. If a new keyway is in order, what are yall's suggestions to going about that?
    Meep Meep

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Texas
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    2,158
    Any good machine shop can mill down a tapered shaft and install a keyway.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Waldo Wi
    Posts
    941
    A bit harder to do it while its still in the block but it can be done..

    Don't think its a tapered shaft
    Last edited by Nubs; 07-09-2016 at 06:29 AM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    shenendoah valley,va.
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    2,627
    i have cut a 1/4'' keyway on a shaft with a small cutting wheel on a dremal tool. i marked the width with the key, then slowly ground the slot, checking as i went. if you take your time you can get it almost exact. mine has held for many years. hope that helps. johnboy va.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Mississippi
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    1,108
    I worked in a machine shop once upon a time, and occasionally we would have to cut a keyway by hand as Johnboy described. We would take a piece of angle iron and lay it along the shaft as a straight edge to scribe a line down the shaft representing each side of the keyway. We would grind out the keyway slightly narrower than the needed key width and then use a piece of square tooling stock (square piece of high speed steel or something similar...like lathe bits are ground from) and use the square stock to actually chisel, by hand, the keyway to final width. This gets the precise width.

    Check with a machine shop, though. They may be able to mill your keyway without removing the crank from the engine.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Dallas, Texas
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    178
    Thanks guys, I'll take them both to a shop and see what they say on Thursday. If they can't, then I'll be doing it by hand.
    Meep Meep

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
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    Waldo Wi
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    I've cut a few on a horizontal mill with the crank installed, just need to lock the flywheel to the table.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Dallas, Texas
    Posts
    178
    Got the keyways cut now. Where I work, we have a Bridgeport mill stashed in a corner. Forgot about it till the other day. Locked the motors down at the bases and went at it. Figured that a light passes on the shaft would keep the output shaft from trying to turn, and it seems to have worked for both of them.

    Thanks for yalls help
    Meep Meep

  9. #9
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    Sep 2013
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    Waldo Wi
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    941
    Nice...

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Dallas, Texas
    Posts
    178
    New problem. The output shaft on the motor does not have a tapped hole to run a bolt in to keep the primary clutch from walking. I was able to drill it fairly easily with a used dewalt drill bit (there was a pre-existing hole in the shaft, but was very shallow), but I am unable to tap it. I am using a harbor freight tap set, which is probably why I am having trouble, but I'd think that a brand new tap would be able to cut at least one thread out. The tap is getting stripped.

    Any ideas?

    I've heard carbide taps work, but I've also heard that they break fairly easily.
    Meep Meep

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