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Small Drive Center

Robert:

Check-out the Marlin Drive Centers sold by Bruce Hoover at "The Sanding Glove":

http://thesandingglove.com/Multistar-Marlin-Drive-System.asp

These centers are excellent for miniature turning and are very well made. You can buy what components you need for your particular requirements.

I also have the Multistar Revolving center set too; works great!

No affiliation other than being a satisfied customer for may years...

Rob Wallace
 
I have a stepped pin drive center. 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 " pins stepped every ? 1/4"? It will drive a piece with an 1/8 hole 1/4" deep A 1/4" hole 1/2" deep Packard has the stepped pin drive.

The sanding glove center looks like a good solution.

I often glue small pieces on a larger piece of wood held in a chuck or on a wooden morse taper.

Al
 
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if you wanted cheap for just a few jobs you can make one from an old pozi drive screwdriver in your chuck just sharpen the driver lugs.

Ian
 
Buy a phillips screwdriver at the flea mkt. Sharpen the tip and then cut it off to the length you need. I have a great 3/8" drive center and it's about as small as I ever need. I purchased it from Craft Supplies.
 
john lucas said:
Buy a phillips screwdriver at the flea mkt. Sharpen the tip and then cut it off to the length you need. I have a great 3/8" drive center and it's about as small as I ever need. I purchased it from Craft Supplies.
Click to expand...

Or, even less work -- you probably have some worn out Phillips tips that can be put in a drill chuck. Sharpen them like John says.
 
I bought one from Packard a few years ago with a MT and the drive has 4 spurs with a center point. The center point is a bit longer than I would want, but I have never tried to modify it. I also have a home-made drive that works fine. I used a 1/4" straight router bit and ground out the center flat so that there is a shallow V between the two cutting edges and it makes 2 sharp flutes. No center point with this, so you wind up eyballing it, but it works just fine chucked up in a Jacobs chuck.
 
you can also use a 1 inch square drive screw in your wood piece & put a square drive bit in a jacobs or a chuck & drive your small piece. hasworked for me for years
 
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