"Ed Huntress" wrote in
:


"Doug White" wrote in message
...
Thanks to the suggestions on a machining problem I posed in another
thread,
it looks like I need to buy myself a live center. My lathe is an
Emco Maier Super 11, which has a #2 Morse taper. It was bought new &
babied since, so it's capable of doing very accurate work.

There are quite a few options, with a pretty wide range of prices. I
could
go with a $40 dual bearing model with no specified accuracy, up to a
kilobuck for a Royal toolmakers set with interchangeable points and a
TIR of 0.00005".

I don't mind spending a few hundred bucks but I'd like to make sure I
get the most bang for those bucks. I'm leary of Chinese stuff unless
I get more than annecdotal info that a certain brand is OK. I like
the idea of interchangeable points, but assume you have to pay
serious bucks to maintain accuracy with such a setup.

The floor is open..

Thanks!

Doug White

Just in case you run into a fussy old fart, like me g, be aware that
the traditional meaning of a "live center" is one that is driven under
power. In other words, a headstock center.

A ball-bearing center for use in the tailstock is a ball-bearing dead
center.

You won't have any problem using the term the way you're using it,
unless you get an old guy on a bad day. d8-)

Well, it now gets more complicated. For the project at hand, I will be
applying pressure with the "ball bearing dead center" to clamp the work.
I was thinking that some sort of spring would be good. Lo and behold,
they also make spring loaded "ball bearing dead centers". That sounds
like just the ticket, and it simplifies the shopping problem
considerably. Riten & Royal make them, and there's not much difference
in price, but the Royal specs & design look a little better.

Doug White