My Contraption for Grinding Live Centers

[rherrell]

This thread... https://www.penturners.org/threads/60-degree-centers.180555/#post-2211416 got me to thinking about grinding beat up old live centers. Dead centers are no problem but live centers need to be held in the tailstock and the center portion needs to be spun somehow. Spinning the center portion is the problem and is just the kind of problem I like solving.

Here's my "contraption"...

I made a pulley and a spindle and mounted it on a magnetic DI holder on my tailstock. That wire going into the spindle is actually the inside shaft of my Dremel Flexible Shaft tool, which I have never use anyhow. It's connected to my lathe chuck and that's how I spin the spindle.

Here are some close up shots...

Here's a before and after shot of my first attempt and it works really well!!

So now I guess I'm in the live center grinding business!!!

Thanks for looking.

 

[WriteON]

Sexy shop.... Has the right person keeping the wheels turning.

 

[Dalecamino]

Awesome set up Rick!

 

[egnald]

Hi Rick,

That is a really cool solution. Isn't problem solving and inventing stuff fun! Sometimes I really miss it. For more than half of my career I ran a machine design department. We made all sorts of winding machines, and all kinds of reel-to-reel material processing equipment, metal cutting lasers, coating applicators, tunnel ovens, and test and packaging equipment to support the electronics manufacturing industry. Coming from the equipment design and fabrication world I can really appreciate the work that you do and the huge contribution to the pen turning industry. Kudos and many thanks.

Regards,
Dave

 

[MPVic]

So this is where the 'magic' happens???? Thanks Rick, for letting us see behind the curtain!

 

[d_bondi]

Thank you for sharing this Rick.
I love seeing how people solve problems, and as Mark (@MPVic) noted, it is fun to get a glimpse behind the curtain!

 

[howsitwork]

Neat set up Rick

A further possibility might be to use a rubber wheel on the dremel and let that drive the live centre spindle . This would have the rubber wheel near the grinding wheel but would eliminate all the whirring wires overhead? Just a thought . Obviously your spinning the two in opposite directions to increase surface speed I assume?

Any kind of small drill could drive the rubber wheel eg a die grinder attachment at the tailstock

 

[Smokey S]

Rick, that's another ingenious set up. Just awesome………Smokey

 

[Smokey S]

Rick, that's another ingenious set up. Just awesome………Smokey

 

[JoeCallahan]

Awesome set-up! It looks like the same concept used in a recent video by Brandon of "Inheritance Machining" on youtube. But your system looks far less complex and requires far fewer components, making it much more realistic for the average person to make themselves.

Although I will say in Brandon's defense that he VERY often admits to intentionally making his projects far more complicated than necessary just for the fun of it.