Lathe Centre Set

[Turbo]

Our Mens Shed was donated a non running Hegner wood lathe & I took on the task of getting it working.
I've replaced a broken vfd and manufactured a tool rest which was completely missing! It is now nearly operational and it's time to think about accessories.

It has been tested with borrowed centres & tools but it's time we had our own stuff. At the moment we have a green wood project running & we really need the lathe running to do some spindle turning.

I've looked around for a drive centre set & found this on Banggood.
https://www.banggood.com/4pcs-MT2-Wood-Lathe-Live-Center-p-1179701.html?rmmds=search

It contains 5/8" & 1" 4 prong drive centres, a 5/8" hollow ring centre & a live centre. The same set is available from several uk suppliers including Chronos at an inflated price. Has anyone used this set & can comment on its quality?

Chronos also have this set which cover everything but it's over 3x the price, not including delivery!
https://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/info%2d51209S04%2ehtml

I cannot see why they include both a MT1 & MT2 live centres, your lathe will be one or the other, not both! :?

Any other recommendations are welcome, though we have a tight budget. :wink:

 

[Trevanion]

I've looked around for a drive centre set & found this on Banggood.
https://www.banggood.com/4pcs-MT2-Wood-Lathe-Live-Center-p-1179701.html?rmmds=search

Doesn't look too bad for the money, I've never needed more than a 1" 4 prong drive and a standard live centre for pretty much all centre work. I wonder if the 1/8" centre is a writing mistake or the centre is actually that tiny.

I cannot see why they include both a MT1 & MT2 live centres, your lathe will be one or the other, not both! :?

I have seen lathes with a MT2 headstock and an MT1 Tailstock (and vice versa) but you would only need the one size for the live centre anyway as it's exclusive to the tailstock.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

If you need very small drive centres you can grind them from old or broken drill bits with the relevant MT.

 

[CHJ]

I've looked around for a drive centre set & found this on Banggood.

Be cautious about sourcing outside UK, import/customs duty/vat/ and duty collection fees of carrier can soon increase the cost significantly.

I've never had anything from Chronos that was not fit for purpose.

 

[Robbo3]

FYI. I've bought lots of items from Banggood. No problems but delivery takes about two weeks. Check prices on Ebay first as sometimes they are equivalent & sent from the UK & occasionally can be cheaper.
Chronos have other drives perhaps more in your price range
- https://www.chronos.ltd.uk/cgi-bin/sh00 ... #a51209025

 

[Turbo]

Thanks for your replies.

The 2 driving centres are 5/8" & 1", the 1/8" is a mistake! Chronos are selling the same set for £31 +postage, so it must be ok quality.
The set from Banggood is in stock in their UK warehouse so I can get it in a few days & no worries about any extra fees. I think I'll take a chance & order a set, I'll let you know what they're like. :wink: