It's on a HF lathe - of course it's cheap. Not really a problem if you
simply make two sawcuts at 90 degrees through the center at that end of
the stock, which you should be doing anyway - the center holds better
that way. Simply squeezing it in often leads to the center acting like a
drill if you get a catch, or even strong cutting forces.

Packard Woodworks does have #1 taper centers in the $24-27 range, or a
Stebcenter #1 for $50. 800 683-8876 - I'm just a happy customer.

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