Dave Mount
11-03-2020, 2:44 PM
In a thread a while back there was a discussion about what kind of tailstock center to use when compression chucking something with a shape that doesn't lend itself to typical live centers. At the time I didn't have pictures so I did a half-*** job of verbally describing it. Took the camera with me to the shop last night and took some pictures, but I can't relocate the thread so I thought I'd just start a new one.
The approach is built off a 1" x 8tpi threaded live center (e.g., https://www.pennstateind.com/store/LTCA18.html) and a faceplate. Screw a block of wood to the faceplate, mount it on the headstock and turn it to the required shape. Then move the faceplate/block to the threaded live center and off you go. The shape shown is one I use to turn spheres, but you can make cones, or drill holes, or whatever you need to hold the tailstock side of what you're working on.
Costs $50 or so for the initial buy, but once you have it you can turn blocks to any shape you need. You can also put a spare scroll chuck on the tailstock side to hold the work if that's what's called for.
Sorry for the poor focus in a couple pics, don't know how to tell the phone what to focus on. . .
Best,
Dave
444385444386444387444388
The approach is built off a 1" x 8tpi threaded live center (e.g., https://www.pennstateind.com/store/LTCA18.html) and a faceplate. Screw a block of wood to the faceplate, mount it on the headstock and turn it to the required shape. Then move the faceplate/block to the threaded live center and off you go. The shape shown is one I use to turn spheres, but you can make cones, or drill holes, or whatever you need to hold the tailstock side of what you're working on.
Costs $50 or so for the initial buy, but once you have it you can turn blocks to any shape you need. You can also put a spare scroll chuck on the tailstock side to hold the work if that's what's called for.
Sorry for the poor focus in a couple pics, don't know how to tell the phone what to focus on. . .
Best,
Dave
444385444386444387444388