Shopsmith Forums

I made a wooden (oak) dead center/cone drive last night using the Shopsmith screw center. It works great, but I certainly see the need for a metal one that won't get marred by the bushings or brass tubes...

Okay, I'm back. I just ordered a router centering tool like reible posted from Amazon for less than $11. 1/4 inch on one side, and 1/2 on the other. Man, Amazon is dangerous. You try to buy something for $11 then end up shopping for something else to get over $25 for free shipping. I think it's time to upgrade to Amazon Prime to always get free shipping - at least that's how I understand it.

Anyhow, this was my first try turning between centers, and it worked great. My mandrel has worked great up to this point, but it somehow got bent - either that or it's the divots left in the mandrel from the set screws on the 1/4" router collet chuck. I suppose it could have been the time I dropped the mandrel on the concrete garage floor. I have always held the mandrel in the Jacobs chuck, but one time I tried it in the router chuck. The measured runout was worse than the Jacobs (which was pretty much dead on - don't know why I even tried the router chuck - curiosity I guess) so I went back to the Jacobs chuck. Anyhow, the bent mandrel is what prompted me to finally try the cone drive and turning between centers. I went with the bushings for the first try. I'll try it without the bushings once I get a better feel for the pen kits I'm using and get better with the chisels.

I still need to cut down my second tool rest to be short enough.

Looks good Culprit.

I hold mine with my collet chuck. I think I'm going to try filing a 5/8 or 3/4 bolt to an approximate 60 degree angle for a metal one.

Now I see what you've been talking about. I don't turn pens so that took a minute. Normally, that setup would require a lathe dog on a metal lathe but for that small a piece in wood it seems a friction fit is working.

I made these out of a 1/2" body shoulder bolt. That way I had a good surface for the router chuck.

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I just wanted to resurrect this thread to show that the SS screw chuck can be usedto make a dead drive center
I started by using a small scrap of walnut and a 1/4" bolt with the head cut off and threading the bolt into the walnut. This assembly was attached to the SS screw center and the walnut was turned to about a 60 deg cone.
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After I turned this on the SS I decided to try and use it on my Delta midi lathe so I mounted the screw center on the tailstock drill chuck adaptor and it worked really well
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There was no detectable vibration or out of round that could be determined on either setup.

I did mark the turning so that it can be re-oriented the same way in the future.
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One other note, while doing all of this I noticed that the standard pen mandrel is a good fit in the SS screw center. So if you don't want to use the SS drill chuck for the mandrel this chuck will do the job also.

Hope this helps someone.
Bill V

Not using a mandrel with bushing, how do you know when it is the right diameter to fit the pen parts?

wa2crk wrote:I just wanted to resurrect this thread to show that the SS screw chuck can be used to make a dead drive center.

Hope this helps someone.
Bill V

Hi, Bill! I loved your post, but I have never seen a "Shopsmith Screw Chuck". I have a screw center that came with my Talon chuck, but it does not at all resemble the hardware in your post.
Searched the Shopsmith sites and still haven't found this critter. Do you recollect where you got it?

Chuck- it's called a "lathe screw center", p/n 505601:

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... enters.htm

Gary

Joe
Theonly thing that is eliminated is the mandrel shaft. The individual bushings are still used, So you still turn down to the bushing diameter
Bill V

greitz wrote:Chuck- it's called a "lathe screw center", p/n 505601:

Gary

Thanks, Gary! WOW! Can't count the times I've seen that, but it never registered. I have all the centers on that page EXCEPT the screw center. Never noticed the set screw on the large part. Would never have known it's versatility without Bill's (wa2crk) post then asking. So -- also, Thanks. Bill!

One will be on order sometime soon.