60deg live center

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R

RMB

Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2008
Messages
298
Location
Morgan Hill, California, USA.
I got a 60deg live center from Grizzly for doing between centers turning, it was about 12$. Problem is, it's a peice of junk, isn't centered for squat, visible wobble, more turning resistance than I think there should be... Sure it'd work for spindles and most anything, but not for pens.

It's probably the worst disapointment I've gotten from Grizzly, everything else has been great.

My question is, is PSIs $20 live center any better? Or is it the same oriental junk at a higher price? I'm putting together an order from them right now, so anybody who has one, please chime in!

Thanks in advance.
 
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stevers said:
I picked this one up from Little Machine shop and it works great for me. I also do BCB turning. Just my 2cents.
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=1189&category=1
Click to expand...

I have that one, but it is a bit noisy. I finally bought one from JohnnyCNC that looks just like this one.

http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=1592&category=1

Quiet and even more centered. And you can lube it by removing the screw from the tail MT2 shaft.
 
I got that live center also from Grizzly an when I got it home, there was an bearing that was bad in it (was going thump, thump, thump, thump... LOL)... took it back and they would have gladly swapped the defect but I upgraded to better one (a little better quality) The G5686 ... Quiet as a mouse, right on center and SOLID!

Dave
 
DSallee said:
I got that live center also from Grizzly an when I got it home, there was an bearing that was bad in it (was going thump, thump, thump, thump... LOL)... took it back and they would have gladly swapped the defect but I upgraded to better one (a little better quality) The G5686 ... Quiet as a mouse, right on center and SOLID!

Dave
Click to expand...

Good. You beat me to the suggestion of buying a better one. I get mine from the machine shop side of the store, they are much better quality and harder steel. As you found out, Grizzly does stand behind their products.
 
It's considerably pricier, but Woodcraft offers a live center with a variety of other points (not correct terminology) that are interchangeable. Mine was a father's day gift from my son, but I think the price runs about $50 +/- and you wind up with six different live centers. I've used about 5 of them so far.

Here is link to the one I'm talking about.
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=3727&wcs=20433&pcs=fam
 
Last edited:
RMB said:
I got a 60deg live center from Grizzly for doing between centers turning, it was about 12$. Problem is, it's a peice of junk, isn't centered for squat, visible wobble, more turning resistance than I think there should be... Sure it'd work for spindles and most anything, but not for pens.

It's probably the worst disapointment I've gotten from Grizzly, everything else has been great.
Click to expand...

Ryan; Did you call Grizzly? Their tech support and service are usually top notch. Even they sometimes get a bad one, but I have never had a problem after I contacted them.

As a comment to the Little Machine Shop center, this is a short tang. It will not self-eject from the tailstock when the handwheel is turned.

My own pet peeve about centers is the "replaceable tips". "Hello, I purchased a live center with replaceable tips and need to get a replacement tip". "Sorry, we don't stock the tips"... :mad: ARGH!!!
 
randyrls said:
...Their tech support and service are usually top notch.....
Click to expand...

I've already commented about this but had to reply about this again... Randy is absolutely right, there tech support is top notch! I live about an hour away from Grizzly and when I got home and found mine bad, I called there tech line. I told them what was happening and they offered to send a replacement WITHOUT me sending the defect in first! I told him thanks for the offer but I wanted to trade up and he offered to do that also over the phone AND ship it out that same day! I told him, I was going to Springfield anyway that I'd just drop by...

So yea, there tech support dept can't be beat IMHO! Call them, they will make it right!

Dave
 
I've had the $12 grizzly one (three actually) for some time and have had no problems. If one of these went bad, I'd get another grizzly one. If it turned out to be bad, I'd contact them, secure in the knowledge that they'd make it right. I wouldn't pay extra for someone else's.
 
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