Drive Centers

[dennisk]

Silly question, but could I use a Oneway Live Center for a drive center if I put a pin through the hole used to lock the shaft to the bearing body?

 

[CHJ]

Don't know the exact form of the centre construction, but a bolt and locknut maybe but a plain pin will surely be prone to fly out under centrifugal force during use unless retained in some way.
Drive strength will only be as strong as the shear strength of the 'pin', this may not be a bad thing in some circumstances though.

 

[monkeybiter]

It certainly looks like it if you have or construct a drive adapter between the threaded shaft of the live centre and the workpiece. Or you could just drill the workpiece 5/8" and screw the threaded part straight in.

I notice from their website they sell lots of thread adapters so you could even use it to mount a chuck if you felt that way inclined, but then what would be the point?

I also noticed that they sell a 'Safe Driver' which is a sprung drive centre without spurs or teeth, allowing slippage when caught, so it might work without an adapter if you tighten the tailstock and take light cuts.

 

[cambournepete]

As Chas says you could, but you'd need to fix the pin in somehow.
But, why would you want to?
Why not buy one of these and use the live centre where it's meant to be used. They have the same size ring, so then you can turn your your work round if you want to.
I have both and they work well together.

 

[cambournepete]

It certainly looks like it if you have or construct a drive adapter between the threaded shaft of the live centre and the workpiece. Or you could just drill the workpiece 5/8" and screw the threaded part straight in.

But you'd still need the pin - remember it's a live centre.

I notice from their website they sell lots of thread adapters so you could even use it to mount a chuck if you felt that way inclined, but then what would be the point?

I quite agree - no point at all, but I have done this in the tailstock, which is what they intend those adapters for.

I also noticed that they sell a 'Safe Driver' which is a sprung drive centre without spurs or teeth, allowing slippage when caught, so it might work without an adapter if you tighten the tailstock and take light cuts.

You sort of beat me to it - it works very well, as long as you put the live centre in the tailstock

 

[Jonzjob]

Pete, that drive looks a bit like the Steb center without the teeth. I have both the drive and the live steb centers and I find them good

http://www.toolpost.co.uk/pages/Chucks_ ... ntres.html

I too would forget trying to use a live center for driving when there are so much better alternatives. I also have a couple of ring drive centers. They are like the Safe Driver, but a solid bit of metal, no moving parts. They have given really good service for a fraction of the cost of a safe driver, or a steb for that matter.

 

[cambournepete]

Pete, that drive looks a bit like the Steb center without the teeth. I have both the drive and the live steb centers and I find them good

http://www.toolpost.co.uk/pages/Chucks_ ... ntres.html

I too would forget trying to use a live center for driving when there are so much better alternatives. I also have a couple of ring drive centers. They are like the Safe Driver, but a solid bit of metal, no moving parts. They have given really good service for a fraction of the cost of a safe driver, or a steb for that matter.

I'd probably hove got a different drive centre if I hadn't splashed out on the Oneway live centre, but as they match perfectly it was a (n expensive) no brainer.
As the original question was about the Oneway I pointed out their offering, also sold by The Toolpost (although I couldn't find it on their website).

 

[dennisk]

Thanks guys. I was just wondering if anyone had done this using a live center for a drive center. I have a good live center already and just thought I could save 40 bucks or so by putting a pin in the Oneway live center, for as often as I am going to use it.

 

[monkeybiter]

There's oneway to find out

 

[bobham]

The short answer is yes as long as you restrain/retain the pin somehow. That is what I did in order to shape the follow blocks I used in this video/thread: new-video-making-a-tailstock-follow-block-t47814.html

I don't think it would make a very satisfactory main drive center, though. The hole through the inner shaft seems to be very slightly larger than the hole through the outer housing, so there is some slop even if the retaining pin is exactly the same size as the housing hole.

Take care
Bob

 

[Jonzjob]

2 different size holes should make it interesting Bob..

Someone mentioned about a pin acting as a safety device. The whole idea of the ring is that if too much pressure is put on the spinning bit or you get a dig-in the spinning bit stops, so anything more than a matchstick wouldn't shear anyway.

I haven't used a pronged drive for almost all of the time I've been turning. I came to the conclusion that if I got a dig-in with one then all it did was to start to bore a hole into the piece I was turning.