Newbie Question on Spur Centers

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.

Better check the thread and size on that HF spur drive. They frequently are 3/4" X 10 tpi. Driving the MT out can be difficult. Just take a file to it and sharpen the edges.

Dave in Fairfax

Sure enough, you have a cheap/defective spur center. Try Sears for a new one. You ought to be able to get one for about $10. You can work around the cheap/defective one by making criss-cross sawcuts in the ends of your blanks, but you'll be happier if you just replace it now.

Barry

Dave.... the thread is 3/4" X 16 tpi Is this pretty much the standard? And thanks for the advice.

Dave >

Dave.... the thread is 3/4" X 16 tpi Is this pretty much the standard? And thanks for the advice.

Dave >

Barry... Thanks for info... I will check out Sears tomorrow before K-Mart gets a hold of them... LOL

Order one with only two fangs and sharpen your four. It's as designed, would work fine with 90 degree kerfs, as indicated. Two wings means one pass at the bandsaw and no guessing at 90 degrees. When you've got squared stock, use your four.

Spur centers are easy to sharpen. Somebody suggested a file, I do mine on the bench grinder. You could also use a sanding disk, a belt sander, or a Dremel. No sense spending money for a new center when a minute or two is all it takes to make yours sharp. If you use power tools instead of a file, dip it in water every few seconds to keep the metal from overheating and drawing out whatever temper it may have.

-mike paulson, fort collins, co

Thanks Mike.... Already picked one up from Sears for $9 and it is way better than what I had. I will take your advice and grind down the old one for a spare.... if need be. Also, the new one has 4 spurs that line up which I like so they fall into the saw cuts on the end of the wood piece. The old one had staggered spurs which I suppose is suppose to keep from splitting wood... but they just won't dig in unless you pound them.

Yeah, you have to give 'em a whack. That's normal. Most turners keep a plastic or wood mallet handy for just that purpose. But then you d>Thanks Mike.... Already picked one up from Sears for $9 and it is way better