The lathe tailstock is not just a support for between-center turning work. With the right attachments, it becomes a precision drilling, tapping, and threading station that keeps the tool aligned exactly on the spindle centerline without marking out or repositioning the workpiece. Tailstock attachments transform the tailstock quill from a single-purpose center holder into a versatile secondary tool station, dramatically expanding what you can do in a single lathe setup without removing the workpiece from the chuck.
Buyohlic's lathe tailstock attachments cover the most useful additions to the lathe tailstock for American machine shops and home machinists. Drill chucks for Morse taper mount allow accurate drilling on the lathe spindle centerline without a drill press. Easy tapping attachments make hand tapping from the tailstock safe and consistent by providing a torque-limited drive that prevents tap breakage. Die holders allow external threading with a die guided by the tailstock for straight, square threads on turned parts. Sensitive drill attachments provide high-speed precision drilling of very small holes with tactile feedback through the feed mechanism.
Most Used Lathe Tailstock Attachments
A Morse taper drill chuck is the most fundamental tailstock attachment. It accepts standard straight-shank drill bits and mounts in the tailstock via a Morse taper arbor. Drilling in the lathe with the workpiece rotating is faster and more accurate than moving a workpiece to a drill press because the drill enters exactly on the spindle centerline without layout or positioning errors.
Easy tapping attachments solve the most common lathe tapping problem: tapping by hand while advancing the tailstock quill requires coordinating forward feed with rotation while maintaining alignment, which is difficult and fatiguing. An easy tapping attachment advances the tap automatically at the correct rate for the thread pitch being cut, leaving the operator to focus only on consistent rotation speed and reversing at depth.
Die holders with a stop that rests against the tailstock face keep the die square to the workpiece as the die is advanced by hand rotation. Without a guided die holder, hand-cutting a thread with a die produces a thread that runs slightly off-axis, which causes problems in any precision assembly.
- Drill chuck with Morse taper arbor: for centerline drilling without removing workpiece from lathe
- Easy tapping attachment: for consistent machine tapping from the lathe tailstock
- Die holder: for guided external threading with a die, ensuring square thread start
- Sensitive drill attachment: for precision small-hole drilling with feel-through-the-feed sensitivity
- Revolving center: for between-center turning workpiece support (see our live revolving centers)
For the complete range of lathe tooling, see our lathe tools and accessories. For threading tools, see tap and die sets.
Frequently Asked Questions - Lathe Tailstock Attachments
Yes, and drilling from the lathe tailstock is more accurate than drilling on a drill press for round workpieces already mounted in the lathe chuck, because the drill automatically enters on the spindle centerline. Mount a Morse taper drill chuck in the tailstock bore using a correctly sized arbor (MT2 for most benchtop lathes, MT3 for larger machines). Insert the drill bit, advance the tailstock until the drill touches the rotating workpiece end, then advance the quill steadily while the workpiece rotates to drill the hole.
An easy tapping attachment mounts in the tailstock and provides a friction clutch drive that automatically advances the tap at the correct rate for the thread pitch selected. When the tap reaches the bottom of a blind hole, the clutch slips rather than breaking the tap. Reversing the lathe spindle extracts the tap. The attachment eliminates the coordination challenge of hand-tapping from the tailstock while providing a much lower tap breakage rate than purely manual tailstock tapping.
The arbor Morse taper must match your tailstock bore: MT2 for most mini and benchtop lathes, MT3 for mid-size lathes, MT4 for larger machines. The arbor's drill chuck end (Jacobs taper or threaded) must match your specific drill chuck. Common combinations for US mini lathes are an MT2 to Jacobs 33 arbor with a 1/2 inch keyed drill chuck. Check your tailstock bore size and chuck specification before ordering.
The tailstock holds non-rotating tools for drilling, support, and threading. Common tools include:
- Centers: Revolving Live Centers and Dead Centers support long workpieces.
- Drill Chucks: Hold twist drills, reamers, and countersinks.
- Threading Tools: Die Holders and Tapping Attachments for cutting threads.
Parts of a Tailstock
- Base: Slides along the bedways and clamps into position.
- Body: Houses the internal spindle mechanism.
- Spindle/Quill: The movable tube with a Morse taper inside to hold tools.
- Handwheel: Rotates to advance or retract the quill.
- Clamping Lever: Locks the tailstock body or quill in place.
Accessories expand a lathe's capabilities beyond basic turning:
- Workholding: 3-jaw and 4-jaw chucks, collets, faceplates, and steadies.
- Cutting Tool Holders: Quick-change tool posts, boring bars, and parting tool holders.
- Attachments: Milling attachments, radius ball turners, and electronic edge finders.
A taper attachment is a mechanism mounted to the back of the lathe bed. It guides the cross-slide along an angular guide bar, allowing the machine to precisely turn or bore conical surfaces (tapers) without offsetting the tailstock.
