Live Center Types

[George Pagliarulo]

I am preparing to start turning again after a multi decade layoff and have a question on the various types of live centers like the ones in the set in the photo. When would you use these different centers? When I was turning before, I had my Dad's old Delta lathe and all it had was a dead center that had a point surrounded by a shallow cup (cup center?) and that was pretty much all that was available. Yeah, its been that long. I now have a Nova lathe with the live center that came with it.

 

[hockenbery]

point surrounded by a shallow cup (cup center?)

There are all sorts of live center tips both commercial and turner made.

I find the cup center with a removable point to be the most useful. The ONEWAY or Robust or Jet/powermatic are all good.
When I want to do fine ajustments to center grain or rims on an NE bowl I remove the point so the the center doesn’t go back to the previous point hole.
Cone screw ons come with these centers. Cones are useful for holding anything with a hole in it.
Companies like rubber chucky make lots of add ons for these centers.

 

[Dave Landers]

Like @hockenbery, I too find the live cup center with a removable point the most useful, use this probably 90% of the time. I only remove the tip if the center hole is thwarting my attempts at getting a blank centered/balanced.
I sometimes use the cone that came with the live center (it screws onto threads around the cone).
I wouldn't use most of the tips in the picture you posted - just one of the cups and one cone - the rest would get lost or forgotten in the back of a drawer.
A removable point in a cone is convenient, but not absolutely necessary. Actually a cup without a point is probably preferable if your choice was only between that and one with a removable point.
When I need some special way to hold a blank (like a particular size cone to fit a hole, or a flat mating area for something, or a disc sized to fit inside an opening etc) - I add on a home-made "tip" (either custom made for a project, or picked from the drawer of previous ones). Just turned from scrap wood. I either epoxy a 3/4" nut in a blank to screw on my center's threads, or just drill a hole to slip over the threads. If I had that center in your picture, I'd make temporary tips with a tenon that would fit in the center hole.

 

[George Pagliarulo]

Here is a photo of the very old tailstock dead center that I used when I was turning years ago.
I've never used a live or dead center without a point. I always thought that a point was necessary to hold the work. When using a live center that is just a cup, aside from pressure, what keeps the tailstock end of the blank from sliding around since there is no point.

 

[hockenbery]

Here is a photo of the very old tailstock dead center that I used when I was turning years ago.
I've never used a live or dead center without a point. I always thought that a point was necessary to hold the work. When using a live center that is just a cup, aside from pressure, what keeps the tailstock end of the blank from sliding around since there is no point.

I don’t think the point contributes much to the holding. The cup will bite into the wood.
If you do off center work like 3 sided turnings it can be seen that the cup is doing the holding.
This doesn’t show it real well.
Here I’m making the third center part of the cup will be off the wood

I often mark a desired center on the wood with a pencil or a scratch awl. The point is great at getting the center on my mark

 

[George Pagliarulo]

Thanks. Looks very much like the marks I would get with my old dead center, along with a bit of smoke. are you using a dead or live center for that? If a live center, are those friction burn marks?

 

[Dean Center]

Essentially every turner uses a live center these days. You have one, you should, too.

 

[hockenbery]

Thanks. Looks very much like the marks I would get with my old dead center, along with a bit of smoke. are you using a dead or live center for that? If a live center, are those friction burn marks?

They do, but the black is tannin stain from damp oak contacting the metal live center. I use a live center no smoke, no squeal.

The photo is from a demo.
I avoid dry wood in demos as much as I can, Greatly reduces dust and the associated discomfort of the audience and the demonstrator.

My first lathe had a dead center. We would lubricate it with wax or oil to limit the burning.

 

[George Pagliarulo]

“My first lathe had a dead center. We would lubricate it with wax or oil to limit the burning.”

That’s exactly what I would do.

 

[George Pagliarulo]

When I would do spindle turning using the dead center I always drilled a hole for the point. The hole was always a smaller diameter.
When using a live center do you use a hole or just pressure against the blank?

 

[Dave Landers]

When I would do spindle turning using the dead center I always drilled a hole for the point. The hole was always a smaller diameter.
When using a live center do you use a hole or just pressure against the blank?

I usually poke a little "dent" with an awl to help me center the point in my cup center. But a hole is not really necessary otherwise.
A cone center will also dig in without a hole, but might wander off course to find softer grain, so a hole can help to get it where you want it. But beware of too much tail stock pressure, because a cone can split the wood (or simply drive in deeper and deeper till you've got yourself a "design modification opportunity" with a big hole in the end).

 

[hockenbery]

When using a live center do you use a hole or just pressure against the blank?

I do both.
Most of the time I let the center make its own hole because +- a 1/16 of an inch from the marked center is irrelevant.

When I want an accurate center I mark it with a scratch awl to make a centering hole
Here I want the third center to be precisely located

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

I bought this one a couple months ago:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H9I2FMM

I like the cup much better than the large point on the live center that came with the lathe. I have the point set where it barely protrudes past the cup.

 

[hughie]

The set you have shown looks like it would be more suitable for a metal turning lathe. The point and cup variety are the most common, with good reason the point locates and the cup holds on hard woods I find I have to start the point off with a drill, if you turn softwood it wont be an issue as it will bite nicely.

 

[Doug Freeman]

I have several live centers, including the one that came with my Nova lathe (that I never use). 95% of the time I use a double bearing removable point type, with threaded OD, as from Oneway and Robust. I also have a Robust drive center with a point and a cup. I have the aluminum cups as well, and use all the pieces in various ways. It’s the best setup to have, as it is capable of so many things, including making threaded items for use at either end.

 

[Sam Fleisher]

I use this axminster live center.

Like everyone else I mostly use the cup that's shown on the center but I wish the point stuck out a little further or was adjustable but it's not.

Just the other day I used the one further to the right because I wanted to be able to get in closer with the tool to make a smaller nub to remove when done and the bigger 60 degree cone I use with green blanks and the funnel looking one holds the end of the Harry Potter wands I made the other day also.

The faceplate tip I haven't used yet but it's nice to have it if the need ever arises.