However the gib key is designed to stay in place if it is fitted correctly. A lot of lower powered drives use parallel keys nowadays - and probably a lot of higher powered machines as well. They are quicker to change but would not be quite so good in the cyclic environment of a chugging Lister, I think. Yes they taper-fit shafts and flywheels too - just positioned with a woodruff key and tightened onto the taper. They all work good if they are fitted appropriately in the first place. By all means use a collar to prevent the flywheel coming off the shaft, if you need to worry about the way the job has been done.Â
Regards, RAB
Well, the downside of loosing a flywheel could be extreamly large. You could kill somone or destroy a lot of property if a wheel came off. Personnaly, I don't care how well a key is fit, I still worry about it. Putting an outside collar on the shaft is cheap insurance. Is it the only way to go? No, but its a good one and there is no down side.