Rounding our acrylics for drilling in a collet chuck

[BigguyZ]

OK, I recently bout a PSI collet chuck (yay!). I have a spur center I think will work in it, and I just purchased a dead center that will fit in the collet chuck from JohnnyCNC. So I'm near the point that I'll be able to keep the collet chuck on the headstock 100% of the time for pen turning. For wood blanks, I know I'll just be able to use the spur center and live center to turn the blank round and get it mounted in the collet. But can you use a spur center or anything on an acrylic, Trustone, or other non-wood materials? I don't want to try and ruin a Tex Turn blank or a rod of Casin or Ebonite.... So would the same thing be to keep using my scroll chuck to hold square stock to drill and/or round the blank- then move to a collet chuck?

I'd appreciate any feedback/ tips.

Thanks!
Travis

 

[ldb2000]

I center mark my blanks , wood , acrylics , tru stone , even metals and use the dead center to turn them down to fit my collet chuck . It takes a little getting used to turning this way , you need a light touch to prevent stalling but it works best for me , I can't remember the last time I got a catch and blew up a blank turning it round .
I guess I could chuck up my dead center in my metal lathe and turn it down to fit my collet chuck but switching between the MT dead center and the collet chuck only takes a few seconds so it's no big deal .

 

[PTownSubbie]

Travis,

I use this spur drive center to round my blanks.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Catalog/ProductPage.aspx?prodid=24538

Mark the center and then ensure I mount it on center and check several times to ensure correct alignment because if you don't turn it on center, you won't drill it on center.....