# Question:Between centers with Shopsmith



## navycop (Aug 1, 2012)

I caught the between centers bug. I have the Lathe drive Center (A) and the Lathe Cup Center (B). But the drive center mounts on the headstock and the cup center on tailstock. I need to find a way to mount a dead center to the headstock. I have a 60 degree live center that I have been using with my mandrel...


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## Culprit (Aug 1, 2012)

Mike,

We just had this discussion over on the Shopsmith forums a few days ago because I'm in the same boat you are.

The bottom line is that there are no commercially available dead centers/cone drives for the SS quill.  There are people with metal lathes and CNC lathes who will make/sell them to you.

Perhaps the easiest solution which we discussed was to use a collet chuck, router chuck, or the screw drive (D in your picture) to make your own dead center/cone drive.  A few guys said they have had great success with this.  If you use hard maple, for example, the brass tube will eventually mar the wood, and you'll have to re-surface the cone drive after a number of pens, but that's not difficult to do.


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## TerryDowning (Aug 1, 2012)

As Culprit mentioned discused in the SS forum

Dead/drive center for Shopsmith? - Shopsmith Forums


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## jcm71 (Aug 1, 2012)

Mike,
Go down to Lowes, HD or Ace and buy a 1/2" by 6" HSS bolt.  Cut off the threads and then start grinding.  Your dead center does not have to be an exact 60 degrees.  Then mount it in your router chuck, and there you go.  I have been using mine for nearly a year now with no problems.  Here's a couple of pictures.  Notice in the 2nd one that I flattened one side of the shaft so the hex screws will hold better.







Good luck.

John


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## TerryDowning (Aug 1, 2012)

Assuming of course you have the 1/2 inch router chuck (I don't), I could make that work with my collet chuck though.


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## Snowbeast (Aug 2, 2012)

Mike,

Here's a couple of things I've tried so far.

The first one is just a piece of mesquite with a 5/8" hole drilled for the drive shaft and a set screw. This worked for a while but the pressure from the set screw split the wood.

The second is a piece of 1/2" PVC inset into a piece of 3/4" PVC. The smaller pipe needs to have a couple of thousandths turned off and it fits great. I just CA'd them together and drilled for the set screw. The wood end has a tenon turned to fit inside the pipe and it was epoxied in place.

The 1/2" PVC fits very well over the 5/8" drive shaft on the Shopsmith. 

Haven't had the chance to use this latest one yet but it looks promising. And a lot cheaper than other alternatives.

Hope this will help.


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## KenV (Aug 2, 2012)

You will have best success with steel or brass - and the somewhat ancient technique of lathe filing will be your friend.

Lathe filing is essentially using a draw filing technique to shape steel turning at a moderate speed on a lathe.

You will need a sharp fresh mill file (larger size) and a file card to clean the file.

Turn medium spees and use the tool rest to referene the file.  One hand holds the handle and the other on the tip.  Let the weight of the file do most of the work and move the file forward to expose new file teeth.

when shaped use abrasives to remove the file marks.


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## TerryDowning (Aug 2, 2012)

This process works, I have filed steel on my Shopsmith. (Although not for a dead center.) I'll have tot try that.


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## leehljp (Aug 2, 2012)

I agree with the steel or brass. I made a TBC dead center from aluminum a few years ago just before the craze began. There were already a few fellows using it when I made my funny looking one. I used it in a drill chuck on the head stock:

http://www.penturners.org/photos/images/940/1_Dead_drive_2.jpg

This was used on standard bushings and worked OK.


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## Talfalfa33 (Aug 2, 2012)

I kinda did the same thing as the bolt except that I used a 3/8 bolt and used the Bridgeport at work so I could adjust the head to 30 degrees and clamped a lathe cutter to machine the head into a 60 degree. So inturn I created a vertical metal lathe. Now I use my dead center in my PSI collets. Works great.


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## KenBrasier (Aug 3, 2012)

I just used my drill chuck in the headstock, chucked up a 1/2" steel rod, turned on the Shopsmith and shaped the end of the rod with a angle grinder, then finished it with a fine file while turning at a slow RPM.  Works fine.


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