Looking for a good 6" face plate

[Duane Broussard]

I'm wanting to buy a good 6" face plate for the lathe I have but I'm not sure if I need an insert or even what they mean by the specs. I found one at woodpost.com that said it was 1" x 8 TPI. I understand the threads per inch, but is this 1" the inside diameter or is it the outside diameter of the shaft that the drive center attaches to? I have a 4 spur drive center on there right now but with this lathe being an older rockwell 12x36, I have yet to try and take it off. Does the drive center just unscrew off? And do these face plates screw on or what? Any help would be great.
Thanks in advance

[Matt Hutchinson]

For a lathe with only a 12" swing there's is no need for a 6" faceplate. A 3" or 4" is plenty.

I would go to Craft Supplies USA or Oneway to purchase a faceplate. The measurement is to the outside of the threads.

Hutch

[Duane Broussard]

Well thanks Matt. I was thinking 6" just to make sure I had plenty of stability. You see, I'm not turning a small piece for a bowl. I'm using it in place of a drive center for spinning a spindle that is 8" in diameter and 32" long. I start off with 8"x8" (with the corners cut down) and they're not plained, so they can be a bit wabbly at the start. So I figured for safety and stability reasons, I'd attach one end to a face plate and the other on a heavy duty live center. Would a 4" face place still be sufficient?
Thanks!

[curtis rosche]

3-4 inch should work just fine. the only real need there would be for a face plate 8inches would be for stuff like outboard turning with a very large heavy peice. for what you are doing as long as the screws are long enough it should be fine. if you dont mind screw holes in the end or you can cut off the end, i would go as long as possible 3-4inch screws, just make sure that they are at a slight angle or they can tear out easier.

as for getting that spur out, just stick a rod down the hole on the other side of the head stock and lightly ram it down till the spur coems out, make sure you have a hold of the spur though or it could go flying and end up denting or bending the teeth and ruin it.

[Duane Broussard]

Thanks Curtis... I'll probably go with a 4".

[Bob Hamilton]

Hi, Duane:
Most lathes use a spur center which is on the end of a morse taper which goes inside the headstock spindle and is removed using a knockout bar as Curtis suggested, but there are lathes that use a spur center that threads on to the outside of the headstock spindle, so make sure which you have before getting too persuasive with a knockout bar.

Good Luck!
Bob

[Gordon Seto]

I rarely use faceplate any more. I use face plate rings. http://www.teknatool.com/products/Chuck_Accessories/Faceplate.htm
I don't have to remove the ring immediately when I reverse the piece and I can still use the tailstock for support. This allows me to flip the blank back and forth to refine the shape. Sometimes with the blank reversed, I have easier access without the headstock being in the way.
One other insignificant advantage is I can leave the chuck on the lathe all the time.
The usage instruction and size recommendation:
http://www.teknatool.com/products/Chuck_Accessories/Teknatool%20Toolbox_Faceplate%20Rings.pdf

[Lance Norris]

Duane... Jet makes good faceplates that run nice and true. Amazon sell them and they are pretty cheap. I just bought a 3" and it was around $20

[Duane Broussard]

Bob... I think you're right. I need to look at it again to be sure, but I do believe this one has the spur that is attached with a nut. It has the spur inserted into the spindle and then a nut right behind it threaded onto the spindle. I also noticed that it has an allen nut in the side of the sput itself closest to the spindle.
Guys - My main objective here is to establish an out-of square piece of wood onto the lathe closest to the center as possible. Some of these things wobble so radically that it is very unstable and down right dangerous. I mean, don't get me wrong... its not so bad that you can't put a tool to it and take the wood off, but there is definately some shaking going on. I'll loose the live center position after a while. And then the spur side become ragged too by the time I'm about to finish the piece. I don't have a plainer large enough to plain them more square than what the mill squares them at. I assumed that a face plate might provide at lease the safety I need to the point of removing enough meat that the wabble would stop or at least minimize.
Thanks for your help... any other suggestions?

[Russ Peters]

If it is more or less square and shaking that badly what speed are you turning at? I have some pieces that are 4"x5" that I turn round to start making some boxes. With the speed all the way down (about 500 on mine) there is some shaking but not to the point that it is coming off the tail stock. Also you might want to check that your live center and spur drive are aligned.

[Duane Broussard]

Russ... It's an old Rockwell... and its running at it slowest speed. I have no idea what that RPM is but I believe it needs to be slower. I have spun a few of these same size already, but I'm finding it very difficult to better find the center on this one. It is butt heavy as it slows to a stop, you can see it swing noticable to the bottom from gravity. Yet my measurements show that I am dead center on each side. I will verify that my head and tail center line up.
I've had one of these babies spin so smooth that there was no jumping at all. So I know if I can just find a better center... I think I'd be fine. But I still think a face plate would make me feel safer.

[Duane Broussard]

Gordon... I may have to look into these "rings" you mentioned.
Thanks!

[John Gornall]

Gordon,

Thanks, I have been looking for a reference on these rings - they look like a good idea.