Live center with a plain 5/8" bore?

[Doug Walls]

I've been working on an old post WWII era 9" Sears Dunlap lathe that I rescued from the local scrappers.
It only has a plain cup style dead center on the tailstock's 5/8" dia. ram & I would like to add a live center.

I'm looking for any ideas or information on adding a live center to the plain 5/8" ram!
Ideally I would like to find a live center that has a plain 5/8" bore, But I haven't had any luck finding one.

Here's some current pic's of the lathe & tailstock's ram.

Doug

[Marvin Hasenak]

Check out this link. http://www.rocky-roost-woodturnings.com/wood-turning-blog/home-made-live-center.html
You will need to modify the method so that your finished enter will fit on the shaft of the tailstock. For spindles I would apply a little wax and use it as is.

[Dan Hunkele]

Most of the simple live centers are made with a Morse taper shaft with the end cut to fit a bearing. A cap with the center point is applied over the outside diameter of the bearing. Get a simple live center, knock the cap off, knock the shaft out of the bearing. Take the bearing and cap to a machine shop along with your cup center shaft and have them make an adapter to fit on your shaft and accept the bearing and centering cap on the other end. While you are at it you may want them to make an adapter threaded to accept a drill chuck.

[Doug Walls]

Get a simple live center, knock the cap off, knock the shaft out of the bearing. Take the bearing and cap to a machine shop along with your cup center shaft and have them make an adapter to fit on your shaft and accept the bearing and centering cap on the other end.
I thought about that, But some of the cheaper live centers I've seen don't look like they were designed to be taken apart that easily? I do have a good arbor press but I would need to fabricate some type of fixture to support the bottom edge of the cap/center point, Then apply pressure to the lower part of the MT shaft to separate the two pieces. Putting it all back together would be easy!


While you are at it you may want them to make an adapter threaded to accept a drill chuck. That part I can get, They made a drill chuck for the older Shopsmith machines that has a 5/8" plain bore with a set-screw.

Thanks,
Doug

[Doug Walls]

Check out this link.
Thanks for the link!
I seen another video sort of like that one, But they just drilled out the ram & used a bronze bushing/adapter then drilled out the center of the bushing to match the OD of an old chamfer/countersink drill bit.



For spindles I would apply a little wax and use it as is.
I've used it like that for slower speeds & it worked ok, But at higher speeds it still tends to burn the end of the work piece & heats up the dead center.

Thanks,
Doug

[Marion Smith]

A #1 Morse taper will fit inside 5/8". I'd try and find a #1 MT x 5/8" O.D. bushing. If you can find a live center with #1 MT, you're in. If you can't find that live center, then a #1MT to #2 MT adapter, then the more common tools will fit. Trade off there is extension/rigidity, cause it will stick out quite a bit.

[Doug Walls]

A #1 Morse taper will fit inside 5/8"
I double checked the max. ID. for a MT#1 & it comes out to 0.475 which would only leave about 0.075 wall thickness at the end of the tailstock's ram.

Thanks to a lead by Marvin Hasenak, :cool: I managed to locate several MT#0 accessories made for a Sherline lathe including a live center. The max. ID. for the MT#0 is 0.356 which will give me a thicker 0.134 ram wall thickness.

Doug