square to round

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Seems like the hard way to do it, Why not mark center, drill with center drell, put dead center or spur in headstock, put 60 degree live center in tail stock, tighten as necessary, and you may have to snug the live center up a bit if using a dead center, not so much with a spur, but you will leave a small length of square stock, unless you have a 1/2 inch or 5/8ths Steb center. NOTE (this will work on Wood or Metal Lathes) Turn on lathe, remove excess stock with a good Skew, Scraper, Roughing Gouge or Carbide lathe tool. I realize it's a lot easier to just engage the lathe feed, but not all of us are blessed with metal lathes as well as or instead of wood lathes. and it takes a lot less time to round a blank this way than it took to type this.

here is a link to the way I round square blanks to round.
I hope this isn't considered to be advertising if so, would the moderator please just edit this part out,
thanks
Ken
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g1iqk2R_bc
 
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i do not understand the need to turn the blank round. 99% of my work is done with the blank square, up until i have faced to length with pen mill and ready to turn to finish. i cut blanks to length, drill on drill press, glue in tube, face with pen mill using digital calipers to ensure correct length, then it goes on bushings, between centers for turning. much easier to hold for drilling and facing with flat sides, not as much clamping pressure needed to resist turning.
even if not perfectly square, straight sides on a blank held in my v-block will drill very true and straight.
just do not get rounding blanks in general. i have done so on some weird special stuff, but in general a waste of time to me.
just my $0.002
 
cwolfs69 said:
i do not understand the need to turn the blank round. 99% of my work is done with the blank square, up until i have faced to length with pen mill and ready to turn to finish. i cut blanks to length, drill on drill press, glue in tube, face with pen mill using digital calipers to ensure correct length, then it goes on bushings, between centers for turning. much easier to hold for drilling and facing with flat sides, not as much clamping pressure needed to resist turning.
even if not perfectly square, straight sides on a blank held in my v-block will drill very true and straight.
just do not get rounding blanks in general. i have done so on some weird special stuff, but in general a waste of time to me.
just my $0.002
Click to expand...
hi
i drill my blanks on the lathe couln't go back to drilling on a drill press... nightmare
When the blank goes onto the mandrel its only got a small amount to take off you dont go bumping around.
I have had wood lathes for 40 years now the metal lathe is by far the quickest
graham
 
quicker

bitshird said:
Seems like the hard way to do it, Why not mark center, drill with center drell, put dead center or spur in headstock, put 60 degree live center in tail stock, tighten as necessary, and you may have to snug the live center up a bit if using a dead center, not so much with a spur, but you will leave a small length of square stock, unless you have a 1/2 inch or 5/8ths Steb center. NOTE (this will work on Wood or Metal Lathes) Turn on lathe, remove excess stock with a good Skew, Scraper, Roughing Gouge or Carbide lathe tool. I realize it's a lot easier to just engage the lathe feed, but not all of us are blessed with metal lathes as well as or instead of wood lathes. and it takes a lot less time to round a blank this way than it took to type this.

here is a link to the way I round square blanks to round.
I hope this isn't considered to be advertising if so, would the moderator please just edit this part out,
thanks
Ken
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g1iqk2R_bc
Click to expand...

hi
nope no competion ive tried them both
graham
 
graham murfin said:
hi
does anyone have a better method ??
graham
Click to expand...

Yes! Mount a Sorby STEB center (shown here)
robert_sorby_steb_centers.jpg


in your headstock and do away with that jamb chuck, it's just an added step and in my opinion not necessary. Then you can turn the blank as you do now only you don't have to stop and rechuck the blank to clean up the short area that was in the jamb chuck. If you have never tried a steb center, you don't know what you are missing and if speed is your goal then using the steb center is the way to go.

Also, they make a spring loaded "automatic center punch" to be used instead of hammering a punch to mark the center of the blank.
Automatic-Center-Punch-2YNE9_AS01.JPG

They also make centering squares so you can easily find the centers of square or even rectangular stock. I would never use my calipers the way you did to mark a blank.
31iQTYcI1SL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
 
jam chuck

Hi
I have loads of these drivers,I use them when bowl turning, i use jam chuck as it centres the material whether oblong or square and is by far the quickest, the punch i used 40 years ago whilst marking out castings, no good not deep enough, the calipers are made to scribe lines IDEAL infact
I used to work for Robert Sorby in Sheffied many moons ago
graham
 
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