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Thread: Stubby 4-prong drive center

  1. #16
    the whole point of this drive center is not just it's size. Yes of course it does help if you put a 50-100 pound hunk of a bowl blank on the lathe, I need it to stay in place without slipping, but more so I don't want to screw up the taper in my spindle by using a regular center and the ones in the chucks just are too flimsy for large blanks. it's so nice to just screw the center right onto the spindle, again, don't knock it until you try it, I use it more than I thought and yeah, once I have a tenon, I use my chuck......
    Sascha




  2. #17
    quick update, now that i've used it a few times, i have to say that i really like this drive center. i get alot of green logs, and for initial turning to remove their bark, this works great. doesn't bore in, holds very well. bill, you guys have an accessory i think lots of turners will want! mike

  3. #18
    I don't own one of these yet, but I used one this past weekend to rough a large bowl at a friends shop.

    It is a really nice piece of gear!

    I learned the hard way about the downside of a MT drive center on large bowls, so I "upgraded" to the oneway insert for their chucks. That works, - but not nearly this well.

    The large drive center from Stubby just makes the whole process of mounting a large blank much easier. With a smaller drive center you have to work a lot harder to get it to penetrate enough to do the job. That makes fine adjustments on a heavy blank pretty difficult.

    This one - no fussing necessary, like Mike says, it holds very well, and doesn't bore in. Just position your blank, tighten the tailstock and you're off and running.

    (Same is generally true of smaller drive centers on smaller blanks, so this is more of a nice-to-have for the big stuff)

    -Dan

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Harvey, Michigan
    Posts
    20,801
    Thanks for the update Mike! Sounds like something worth considering. I have the Oneway version that fits in the Talon chuck. It works - but works better as a forstner bit cause it can sure dig in fast!
    Steve

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  5. #20
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Detroit, MI
    Posts
    1,661
    I'd love to have one of those, but at $100 for a drive center it ain't gonna happen any time soon. At $40, the "Texas center" for my chuck is not as nice but a lot easier to swallow.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
    16
    If you do big natural edge bowls these puppies are the way to go.

    Once you've roughed out the outside you can see if your tips are going to line up and reposition the piece at the tailstock end if necessary.

    Here's a source of steel ones with separate spindle inserts: click
    Cheers, Ern

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    torrance, Ca
    Posts
    2,072
    Still can't justify the 100$ but I did read the Q & A link Richard gave and it seems like they certainly know what they are doing and that it is probably a very good tool.

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