Machine Tapers

The machine taper is a simple, low-cost, highly repeatable, and versatile tool mounting
system. It provides indexability, as tools can be quickly changed but are precisely located both
concentrically and axially by the taper. It also allows high power transmission across the
interface, which is needed for milling.
Machine tapers can be grouped into self-holding and self-releasing classes.
Self-holding Tapers: The male and female wedge together and bind to each other to the
extent that the forces of drilling can be resisted without a drawbar, and the tool will stay in the
spindle when idle. It is driven out with a wedge when a tool change is needed. Morse and
Jacobs tapers are an example of the self-holding variety.
Self-releasing Tapers: The male will not stick in the female without a drawbar holding it
there. However, with good drawbar force, it is very solidly immobile. NMTB/CAT and HSK are
examples of the self-releasing variety.
For light loads (such as encountered by a lathe tailstock or a drill press), tools with selfholding tapers are simply slipped onto or into the spindle; the pressure of the spindle against
the work piece drives the tapered shank tightly into the tapered hole. The friction across the
entire surface area of the interface provides a large amount of torque transmission, so that
splines or keys are not required.
For use with heavy loads (such as encountered by a milling machine spindle), there is usually
a key to prevent rotation and/or a threaded section, which is engaged by a drawbar that
engages either the threads or the head of a pull stud that is screwed into them. The drawbar is
then tightened, drawing the shank firmly into the spindle. The draw-bar is important on
milling machines as the transverse force component would otherwise cause the tool to wobble
out of the taper.
All machine tapers are sensitive to chips, nicks (dents), and dirt. They will not locate
accurately, and the self-holding variety will not hold reliably, if such problems interfere with
the seating of the male into the female with firm contact over the whole conical surface.
Machinists are trained on keeping tapers clean and handling them in ways that prevent them
from being nicked by other tools. CNC tool-changing cycles usually include a compressed-air
blast while one tool holder is being swapped with the next. The air blast tends to blow away
chips that might otherwise end up interfering between the tool holder and spindle.

There are multiple standard tapers, which differ based on the following:

the diameter at the small end of the truncated cone ("the minor diameter")
the diameter at the large end of the truncated cone ("the major diameter") and
the axial distance between the two ends of the truncated cone.

The standards are grouped into families. Though a family of tapers could be designed that all
taper at the same angle, existing families all differ.
One of the first uses of tapers was to mount drill bits directly to machine tools, such as in the
tailstock of a lathe, although later drill chucks were invented that mounted to machine tools
and in turn held non-tapered drill bits.

Brown & Sharpe

Brown & Sharpe tapers, standardized by the eponymous company, are an alternative to the
more-commonly seen Morse taper. Like the Morse, these have a series of sizes, from 1 to 18,
with 7, 9 and 11 being the most common. Actual taper on these lies within a narrow range
close to .500 inches per foot.

Size Lg. Dia. Sm. Dia. Length Taper (in/ft)

0.2392
0.2000
0.94
0.5020
1
0.2997
0.2500
1.19
0.5020
2
0.3753
0.3125
1.50
0.5020
3
0.4207
0.3500
1.69
0.5024
4
0.5388
0.4500
2.13
0.5016
5
0.5996
0.5000
2.38
0.5033
6
0.7201
0.6000
2.88
0.5010
7
0.8987
0.7500
3.56
0.5010
8
1.0775
0.9001
4.25
0.5009
9
1.2597
1.0447
5.00
0.5161
10
1.4978
1.2500
5.94
0.5010
11
1.7968
1.5001
7.13
0.4997
12
2.0731
1.7501
7.75
0.5002
13
2.3438
2.0000
8.25
0.5000
14
2.6146
2.2500
8.75
0.5000
15
2.8854
2.5000
9.25
0.5000
16
3.1563
2.7500
9.75
0.5000
17
3.4271
3.0000
10.25
0.5000
18

Jacobs
The Jacobs Taper (abbreviated JT) is commonly used to secure drill press chucks to an arbor.
The taper angles are not consistent varying from 1.41 per side for #0 (and the obsolete #2 12)
to 2.33 per side for #2 (and #2 short).
There are also several sizes between #2 and #3: #2 short, #6 and #33.

Taper

Small End
mm
inch
5.80 0.2284
#0
8.47 0.3334
#1
12.39 0.4876
#2
#2 Short 12.39 0.4876
15.88 0.625
#2 12
18.95 0.7461
#3
26.34 1.0372
#4
33.43 1.3161
#5
15.85 0.6241
#6
14.23 0.5604
#33

Big End
mm
inch
6.35 0.2500
9.75 0.3840
14.20 0.5590
13.94 0.5488
17.20 0.677
20.60 0.8110
28.55 1.1240
35.89 1.4130
17.17 0.6760
15.85 0.6240

Length
mm
inch
11.11 0.4375
16.67 0.6563
22.23 0.8750
19.05 0.7500
26.80 1.055
30.96 1.2188
42.07 1.6563
47.63 1.8750
25.40 1.0000
25.40 1.0000

Jarno
Jarno tapers use a greatly simplified scheme. The rate of taper is 1:20 on diameter, in other
words 0.600" on diameter per foot, .050" on diameter per inch. Tapers range from a Number
2 to a Number 20. The diameter of the big end in inches is always the taper size divided by 8,
the small end is always the taper size divided by 10 and the length is the taper size divided by
2. For example a Jarno #7 measures 0.875" (7/8) across the big end. The small end measures
0.700" (7/10) and the length is 3.5" (7/2).
The system was invented by Oscar J. Beale of Brown & Sharpe.
Jarno tapers
Taper Large end Small end Length Taper/ Taper/ Angle from
ft
in
center/
0.2500
0.2000
1.00
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#2
0.3750
0.3000
1.50
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#3
0.5000
0.4000
2.00
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#4
0.6250
0.5000
2.50
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#5
0.7500
0.6000
3.00
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#6
0.8750
0.7000
3.50
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#7
1.0000
0.8000
4.00
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#8
1.1250
0.9000
4.50
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#9
1.2500
1.0000
5.00
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#10
1.3750
1.1000
5.50
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#11
1.5000
1.2000
6.00
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#12
1.6250
1.3000
6.50
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#13
1.7500
1.4000
7.00
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#14
1.8750
1.5000
7.50
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#15
2.0000
1.6000
8.00
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#16
2.1250
1.7000
8.50
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#17
2.2500
1.8000
9.00
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#18
2.3750
1.9000
9.50
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#19
2.5000
2.0000
10.00
.6000
.0500
1.4321
#20