hi to all,
first i must say thanks to all replyed to my earlyer posting about tool
sharpening and i am currently looking into buying a robert sorby
grinding jig. i have just bought a sorby 7/8" stebcentre a must have
for any turners tool box. the centre delivers so much grip and security
compared to the ordinary 2 and 4 pronged drive centres. i highly
recomend the stebcentre and at only 40-65euros a bargan as its built to
last.
if any body has the robert sorby revolving sebcentre please let me know
what its like as i am thinkiny about purchasing one.
safe turning.

I'm not sure about the current exchange rate for the euro, but so far
as a very useful accesory, I would agree that the steb center is a good
thing to acquire. I bought one last summer at the AAW trade show and
don't believe that I've used my 4 prong drive center since!

Kip Powers
Rogers, AR

keith wrote:

if any body has the robert sorby revolving sebcentre please let me know
what its like as i am thinkiny about purchasing one.
safe turning.

I have two Stebcentres, but I can't quite see the point of the revolving
drive centre version though, unless you're going to use it to do
off-centre stuff.

--
Alun Saunders

I use a dead center. It is like a stebcenter with no teeth. The neat
thing with the dead center is the amount of drive is determined by how
much you advance the tail stock. If you are worried about a catch as
with a skew you can leave it loose. You can even grab it and stop it.
The dead center just slips as your you get better and less fear full you
can add more drive. I use one all the time. I got this from Alan
Lacers video on the skew. works great. Have not had a chance to use the
stebcenter yet.

Bruce

Alun wrote:
keith wrote:

if any body has the robert sorby revolving sebcentre please let me know
what its like as i am thinkiny about purchasing one.
safe turning.

I have two Stebcentres, but I can't quite see the point of the revolving
drive centre version though, unless you're going to use it to do
off-centre stuff.

On Tue, 23 May 2006 19:28:13 -0700, Bruce Ferguson
wrote:

I use a dead center. It is like a stebcenter with no teeth. The neat
thing with the dead center is the amount of drive is determined by how
much you advance the tail stock. If you are worried about a catch as
with a skew you can leave it loose. You can even grab it and stop it.
The dead center just slips as your you get better and less fear full you
can add more drive. I use one all the time. I got this from Alan
Lacers video on the skew. works great. Have not had a chance to use the
stebcenter yet.

Bruce

Mine came with a dead center in the headstock, but I haven't been able
to do much with it- how do you handle roughing? I imagine I could use
it for finishing work, but by that point, the work is already mounted.

Just curious, as I have the thing, and it's not doing much of anything
but laying around unused. I thought maybe it was just the tailstock
center that originally came with the lathe, not a drive center.

"Prometheus" wrote in message
...

Just curious, as I have the thing, and it's not doing much of anything
but laying around unused. I thought maybe it was just the tailstock
center that originally came with the lathe, not a drive center.

Pressure on either end will certainly hold a workpiece firmly enough for a
proper cut. Which is beside the point. The Steb and such workarounds as
using a dead center (cup type) rather than a spur center are compensation
for _improper_ cuts or excessive belt tension/better grade belts which no
longer slip when a tool is misapplied. In the case of a dead center, you
may actually hurt your case by causing flex in longer spindles if you
squeeze hard enough to keep them spinning.

Proponents of Steb centers cite a couple of reasons for use. First, a catch
won't dismount the STUPID 60 degree metalworker's live center, second,
driving the center presents less risk of splitting because of the cup
design, which is what should have been at the tailstock in the first case.

So if you don't care to get the best cut by tool presentation, or you're too
busy to make a saw kerf for a spur center, sounds like the Steb's your
thing. Trouble is, they cost as much as a good gouge.

Holy Moley, I''m forced to agree with George twice in less than a week.
(Actually I usually do.) The ring on a dead or live center prevents
splitting, but doesn't do the driving in the head spindle or the pushing
in the tail spindle, neither does the tip. I think It's the flat between
them that does the work. If so a shallow ring and short tip should
provide a better grip with less tail pressure. The Steb should be
useful for off center turning or for leaving the lathe running while
changing spindle blanks, but I can't see it as a "must have". YMMV,
which isn't a bad thing.


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



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