Turning on Centers question

[wfsteadman]

So i assume that if I were to turn on center it would alleviate the need to have all the different vendor bushings on hand???

If so, I assume I need a decent live center and dead center and possibly digital calipers??

Does anyone have any recommendations based on your use of the digital calipers I might want to use. Have read many reviews in general on different models, but figure why not ask the folks that are using them for what I am going to be using them for (Turning Pens).

Anything else I need to know about for Turning on Centers?

 

[mecompco]

Well, yes, you can TBC w/o bushings. I usually use bushings if available as it saves lots of stopping to measure (I have not got the hang of measuring while turning). I've center drilled all of my "not specifically TBC bushings" with a 60* center drill.

HF sells digital calps for around $10.00 that seem accurate enough for pen turning. And yes, you will need a dead center (cheap on eBay or Amazon) and 60* live center (also cheap on Amazon).

I soon gave up on the mandrel and don't plan on going back. :biggrin:

Regards,
Michael

 

[Super Dave]

I turn between centers with bushings, there are several vendors here that sell TBC bushings. I don't think they are available in all sizes. You can use calipers, I use Harbor Freight calipers, I have had good luck with them. You can usually find the on sale.

Good luck, Dave

 

[wfsteadman]

Can you educate me on what you mean by "I've center drilled all of my "not specifically TBC bushings" with a 60* center drill."

Well, yes, you can TBC w/o bushings. I usually use bushings if available as it saves lots of stopping to measure (I have not got the hang of measuring while turning). I've center drilled all of my "not specifically TBC bushings" with a 60* center drill.

HF sells digital calps for around $10.00 that seem accurate enough for pen turning. And yes, you will need a dead center (cheap on eBay or Amazon) and 60* live center (also cheap on Amazon).

I soon gave up on the mandrel and don't plan on going back. :biggrin:

Regards,
Michael

 

[ed4copies]

Sounds like you wanna save money---no sweat---MAKE your bushings, you have a lathe.

If you use nothing except the 60 degree centers, you are likely to crack the ends of your blanks occasionally--if you are making nice pens, those cracks will result in "losses" of what would have been great pens.

 

[Curly]

Centre drills are used in metalworking to make a conical hole in the end of a shaft etc., that matches the point of a live or dead centre. The link is just one source and you only need one or two sizes, the little ones break easy. :roll eyes: Search for centre drills and you'll find lots of sources. wfsteadman is taking stock bushings and probably holding them in his lathe chuck or collet chuck and drilling a cone in the end. It works, not quite as well as with the purpose made bushings, and gets you to the point where you can use callipers and just the centres to get a perfect fit if the cone isn't concentric.

 

[mecompco]

Can you educate me on what you mean by "I've center drilled all of my "not specifically TBC bushings" with a 60* center drill."

Well, yes, you can TBC w/o bushings. I usually use bushings if available as it saves lots of stopping to measure (I have not got the hang of measuring while turning). I've center drilled all of my "not specifically TBC bushings" with a 60* center drill.

HF sells digital calps for around $10.00 that seem accurate enough for pen turning. And yes, you will need a dead center (cheap on eBay or Amazon) and 60* live center (also cheap on Amazon).

I soon gave up on the mandrel and don't plan on going back. :biggrin:

Regards,
Michael

Sent you a PM.