What are the various tapers (Morse, JT, R8, etc.)?
Unfortunately, there are many different tapers, and not enough space to tabulate them here. For details, consult a good reference such as Machinery’s Handbook, or Machinists’ Ready Reference. There is also a nice table of tapers at http://www.loganact.com/tips/tapers.htm First, why use tapers? Two basic reasons. At shallow angles, a tapered rod will tend to stick in a matching socket. This is frequently used to hold tools such as drills or centers in a lathe tailstock, allowing rapid change. At steep or shallow angles, a taper allows mating parts to line up very accurately. Note that the shallow tapers such as Morse may tend to get stuck if too much force is used, and this can turn into an interesting problem when you try to separate them! Tapers are poor holders for large side-loads, in which case you need a drawbolt or drawbar. Here, a threaded bar is used to pull (draw) the tool into the socket and hold it in place. This is commonly used in milling machines and for collets. Shallow
