drive center - recommendations?

[Norm Zax]

I'd like to replace my 4 spur drive center. maybe with a stebcenter? Any recommendations? products to be wary of?
* 4 spurs or mutli?
* crown size?
* sping loaded center or fixed?
thx...
:)
[PS - MT only]

[Matt Hutchinson]

I tried going the steb center route, but I have not been all that happy. For small stuff it would be okay I guess. However, when roughing stock I lilke to be aggressive and get a blank round quickly. There have been countless times that the steb center has slipped during roughing, resulting in the drive spinning against the wood and the blank just resting still against my tool. I would recomment against this center for general use.

I don't have a 2 prong center, but I know that this type of drive is VERY aggressive. It is great for blanks that don't have a squared end or flat face (when doing facework). I plan on purchasing this kind of center in the near future.

As far as spring centers go, it really depends. The steb center I have has a spring loaded center, and I don't mind it too much. But when I am switching out pieces rapidly it gets a little annoying. You have to back off the quill further than with a normal center. Overall I feel a spring loaded point is a little useless. I don't find much advantage to it.

Maybe you have done this already, but you can make your 4 prong drive a little more aggressive by sharpening the tines. Or, if you have an extra laying around, you might be able to grind off two tines completely and make your own two prong center.

Hutch

[Burt Alcantara]

I use the chuck spur from OneWay on my Talon. Don't have to remove the chuck. Works great, doesn't slip. Easy on, easy off.

http://oneway.ca/spindle/spurs.htm

Burt

[Horst Hohoff]

I bought me a stebcenter soon after they came out and havn't used my fourprong drive ever since. I can't see any disadvantage in the stebbies. I had my 4 prong slip in the wood while roughing just as a stebcenter might do. When using the steb you just tighten up the tailstock a bit and you're back in business. I have the small and the medium size ( as made by SORBY ) and I also have a special version to fit into the ONEWAY Talon chuck. As far as I know all stebcenters are springloaded, and I find it a very useful feature. What size center to choose of course depends on the kind of work you do. The medium size is the one I mostly use, and I haven't had need for the big one yet.

Horst

[Mike Peace]

I bought a 1/2" Jet drive center similar to the Steb center on sale when I bought my PM3520. Looks like PSI has something similar at a low cost. I did not buy it to replace my 4 spur supplement but more to supplement it most of the time. I like it a lot. I turn a lot of smaller spindle stuff and the 4 spur and my two spur were just too big. If turning a bowl blank between centers I would go back to my larger 4 spur or 2 spur. I kind of like the spring point but it occasionally sticks to the piece I am working on and actually pulls out.

[terry richards]

I have used the 1" crown size PSI steb-knockoff for all my spindle work ever since I got it - love it - don't really know where my 4-prong is anymore.

I think they also now sell one of the insert clones to fit into regular chuck jaws. That's on my Christmas list.

I agree, if you are rounding out logs or other heavy out-of-balance work, you would probably not use this type of arrangement for roughing. But then, in these cases, you would probably not use a 4-point either.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have 3 steb centers from 1/2" and really like them. I also have the 1/2" steb livecenter which I really like also. I to do not know where my 4 spur center is. I have found that it doesn't make much difference which you use. They will both spin when hogging wood.

[Harvey M. Taylor]

Hi Mat,unless you have a half or three quarter motor on your lathe the spur center will get a death grip on the workpiece and you will cause the spur drive to spin in the female part of your morse taper. You havent had problems till you scratch the inside of the taper. It will come out almost every time. With the steb center, you can feel or hear it getting loose and as others have said, just tighten your tail-stock against the work. DAMHIKT, think about it. Max

[Allen Neighbors]

I suggest getting a 2-Prong drive center. I have a four-point, and want a two. They'll hold better when you get a little agressive.
I have one of those "safe centers" with the spring-loaded point. I didn't like it, so I modified it. I did away with the spring, took the point out, and (dremelled) sawed some sharpened grooves in the end to make teeth, then tightened the point in place with the set screw, at the depth I wanted it. Then I sawed the longer part of the Morse Taper off, so it would mount deep in my 50mm Jaws on my chuck. It's faster, not having to remove the chuck, and works pretty well as another drive center. But two-prongs will still hold better.

[Paul Engle]

Norm I use a dead center for my drive , least it helps avoid nasty grams ....I also have a two prong spring loaded I got to do table legs for # 2 daughters corner stuff thingy ( flat thingy ) and it gets good traction for sure, spring loaded are neat for checking the turning while the lathe still running just loosen the ts enuf and it will push away and not come off. If you do a lot of spindle work it may be worth it for the 2 prong spring loaded one.I may catch some flack over the check while turning so do this with lots of caution.

[Matt Hutchinson]

I am a little surprised people haven't had the same experiences that I have with the Steb. I just can't get it to grab the way I would like. Guess I'm the odd man out. :D Then again, I don't do too much small diameter spindle work. Or maybe I was just using the wrong drive for the job. In any case, I prefer not to have to fiddle with anything after a piece gets spinning. So, I was thinking the two prong might provide a certain level of "fool-proofness".

BTW, I have never had a drive spin in the morse taper. I have only had drives lose their grip on the piece of wood.

Also, something I would be really interested in finding out, especially for those who really love the steb, is what type/size of work do you us them with? I suppose I should educate myself in this area instead of simply dismissing the steb completely. Each tool has a purpose, so at which applications does the steb excel? Thanks.

Hutch

[Curt Fuller]

I am a little surprised people haven't had the same experiences that I have with the Steb. I just can't get it to grab the way I would like. Guess I'm the odd man out. :D Then again, I don't do too much small diameter spindle work. Or maybe I was just using the wrong drive for the job. In any case, I prefer not to have to fiddle with anything after a piece gets spinning. So, I was thinking the two prong might provide a certain level of "fool-proofness".

BTW, I have never had a drive spin in the morse taper. I have only had drives lose their grip on the piece of wood.

Also, something I would be really interested in finding out, especially for those who really love the steb, is what type/size of work do you us them with? I suppose I should educate myself in this area instead of simply dismissing the steb completely. Each tool has a purpose, so at which applications does the steb excel? Thanks.

Hutch

Matt, I think the original intent of the the steb centers was to slip when you got a catch as a safety net. But if you're roughing something that is way out of round with lots of edges to knock off, it's going to be slipping a lot. I like the steb for spindle work, but like you, I don't like them for taking an odd shaped piece down to round. And when you really get into a rough piece a two prong center can't be beat.

So I guess I'd say that I think you will eventually use all of the above for their intended purpose.