I'm New to Wood Turning, What drives and centers do I need??

[Johnny Kleso]

I'm New to Wood Turning,I use a 9x20 Southbend metal lathe to make a burnisher today as my first wood lathe project...

http://stanleytools.home.comcast.net/burnish/burnish-1.jpg

I'm planning to make more and had a problem with breaking a 4 tooth driver Pin as the stock as not squared off and I took a heavy cut..

So what drives and centers do I need??

I just ordered a 5/8 and 1" Crown and a cupped live center and think that should do the job but how to do you seat the teeth into hard wood so they dont slip..

Should I set the driver out of the lathe with a hammer and block of wood?? I tried in the lathe to give it a few knocks to set these old Sears drivers into the bubinga but several times it came loose and started slipping even when just sanding..

Whats your method for setting a drive and whats your method for turning handles with small drives..

Also what size is the cup on most cupped live centers and is there a way to hold work if its smaller than the cup..

Thanks Very Much...

[Scott Conners]

I really love my steb drive. I don't fear bad catches, because the wood just stops. Also, I don't have to take it off the lathe to hammer it into a blank (and possibly split it). But I really like the safety aspect as a beginner, it really helps that a bad catch doesn't scare me into ending my session like it did with a four point, I just a tighten the tailstock a bit and learn from the mistake.

PSI makes inexpensive 5/8" and 1" versions (which you might have already ordered? Your post was unclear), but I think the 5/8" may be backordered. Sorby makes the slightly nicer and more expensive "steb" name drives.

[Wilbur Pan]

Hi rarebear,

To cover your main points:

Ease up on the cuts. This will make a lot of things about woodturning easier, not just preserving your drive centers.

Setting the driver using a mallet off the lathe is exactly what I do. Never do it on the lathe, unless you like changing bearings.

I use a skew chisel for making tool handles for the most part. Alan Lacer's skew chisel DVD's will show you how to do this, along with addressing how to hold the stock.

I actually don't have a cupped live center, but for holding small stock, a cone live center will do. This is the live center, so it doesn't have to grip the wood the same way that the drive center does.

I agree with Scott that the Steb centers kick butt. If you can swing it, go for the Sorbys. Better bearings and precision machining are things worth paying for in the long run.

[Bob Hallowell]

Johnny,
I use the psi steb center that fits in my chuck and really like it. As for the live center a cupped is best to help seat the wood into the drive center. I haven't had to use a hammer since switching to some totes athe steb.

I seen enough of your posts to know you a handtool guy, and you might only be planning to make some totes and such but you might want to pick up a mini lathe cause turning is addictive and sawdust is bad for a metal lathe.

Bob

[Jack Savona]

Johnny, I would suggest a dead center a/k/a/ cup center (like the live center on your tailstock, but it's narrower and doesn't have any bearings). Using this on your headstock allows you to set the tension on a piece of spindle stock so that you can avoid serious catches, especially with a skew.

Just punch a hole in each center of the spindle stock and set it LIGHTLY between the dead center (headstock) and the live center (tailstock). You can actually hold the spindle with your hand and it won't move. Begin to tighten the tailstock and your hand will reach a point where it can't hang on to the spindle wood. Let go of the wood and you can begin turning. If you have any kind of a serious catch, especially using a skew, your wood will stop without the tool skipping along the wood.

If you want the wood to not skip, just increase the tension on the tailstock.

I recall Alan Lacer demoing this trick that production turners used to use. They never shut off the motor; they just put the spindle into the dead center hole and held the wood up until the live center made contact with the punched hole and then just tightened up the tailstock as they let go of the wood.

For anyone with fear of the "deadly" skew, this is absolutely the best approach to seeing what you're doing wrong. If you have a catch, the wood stops and you can analyze what went wrong. As you get better, increase the tension of the tailstock.

PLUS, dead centers are relatively inexpensive. You may have to search for a supplier, but I'm sure it's out there. I think my Woodcraft store has or had one.

Jack

[Johnny Kleso]

I bought two PSI centers one 5/8" drive and one Live Cupped Ceter

I also bought a Jet 1" drive for $9.99 @ebay but they only have a MT1 but I have a several MT adapters as my head stock is a MT3

This eBay seller
http://stores.ebay.com/id=92765112&ssPageName=STRK:MEFS:MESST

Also has several Jet face plates if your lucky to have the size threads you need.. He has had several dozen sizes over the last year so good to go back and check often...