Robust vs Oneway or other live center

[tom lucas]

I don’t want to hijack this thread or the original question, but I use the Nova live center and am curious how much better the Oneway/Robust are in comparison (always looking for the next “needed” tool…..)?
Tom

I have both the Nova and a Oneway. I use both all the time. Each has advantages over the other. The Nova has a lot of versatility. One is the use of the Nova scroll chuck adapter that is live when inserted in the Nova chuck. This lets you spin the scroll chuck to help seat reversing into a vacuum or jamb chuck. You can put that adapter directly in the tailstock, but it won't be truly live. However, there are some nifty 3rd party attachments for the Oneway, like the Rubber Chucky tips, that do not work with the Nova.

[John Kananis]

Those look like (the one on the right specifically) the live center on my laguna. I guess everyone has copied them to some extent.

[Edward Weber]

I have both the Nova and a Oneway. I use both all the time. Each has advantages over the other. The Nova has a lot of versatility. One is the use of the Nova scroll chuck adapter that is live when inserted in the Nova chuck. This lets you spin the scroll chuck to help seat reversing into a vacuum or jamb chuck. You can put that adapter directly in the tailstock, but it won't be truly live. However, there are some nifty 3rd party attachments for the Oneway, like the Rubber Chucky tips, that do not work with the Nova.

Oneway has always offered a chuck adapter.
img_1744.jpg this is from 2012

[tom lucas]

Oneway has always offered a chuck adapter.
img_1744.jpg this is from 2012

Good to know.

[Richard Dooling]

I like the Nova live center but I would like the versatility that Robust/Oneway threaded ends provide. I am specifically looking at some of the Rubber Chucky products but I also can see how easy it would be to make custom attachments. You can do something similar with the Nova but it's not as straightforward.

As a side note, I bought the Rubber Chucky Vacuudapter and this is a great company to do business with!

[Richard Dooling]

Thanks again for all the great feedback! I just ordered the Oneway from Lee Valley for $120 USD. I'm not turning such large pieces that the beefier (I think) bearings on the Robust persuaded me to spend the extra cash. Currently free shipping - just sales tax added.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop...s?item=66B0812

[roger wiegand]

Ability to swap center points, eg for Cindy Drozda's micro point is invaluable. If you can do that on a oneway it's not a discriminator, but I wouldn't buy a revolving center with a center point I couldn't move or swap out for a different one. I retract it fully when recentering bowls and it makes life much easier to not have the point digging in.

[Grant Wilkinson]

I can swap out the points on my Oneway. I have a set of 5 different "points" some of which aren't points at all, but are rounded or blunt.

[Kevin Jenness]

I can swap out the points on my Oneway. I have a set of 5 different "points" some of which aren't points at all, but are rounded or blunt.

Grant, did you buy or make those substitute points?

[Bill Howatt]

I have the regular and pen-turning points for my Oneway center. And, of course, you can knock it out and go without any.
Don't know what Grant was referring to but here is a link to Cindy's points for the Oneway:
http://www.cindydrozda.com/html/CenterPoints.html

[Richard Dooling]

Grant, thanks! I am planning on making some points and maybe buying some. I inherited a small Unimat metal lathe that should help.

Bill, thanks for the link. I'm going to try making a reverse cone center point but if that doesn't work out I may buy Cindy's version.

[Grant Wilkinson]

I made them years ago. I have a Taig micro metal lathe so after a few failures, it didn't prove to be all that difficult. As with the stock one, they simply tap out with a thin knock out bar.