Did I commit a stupidity? -Dead Center issue..

You've got to spend a lot of money to get a live center that holds as solid as a dead center in the tailstock.

The only drawback to the carbide center is it being harder than the work. Sometimes, the center leaving a chamfer in the work is not a bad thing, other times it is.
 
Janderso said:
:)
A special friend got me some white lead. Shhh, don't tell the Governor.
Works great.
When you touch up a dead center in a three jaw aren't you creating an eccentric tip as soon as you remove it??
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Yes you would.
That is why you put the dead center in the MT of the spindle to touch it up.
 
pontiac428 said:
You've got to spend a lot of money to get a live center that holds as solid as a dead center in the tailstock.

The only drawback to the carbide center is it being harder than the work. Sometimes, the center leaving a chamfer in the work is not a bad thing, other times it is.
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The hole in the part should have a chamfer as part of the center drill. A sharp edge on the hole is guaranteed to wear out fast and damage the center in the process. The center will not "create" a chamfer, the chamfer should already be there, put in on purpose, by you. If having the chamfer in the finished part is a bad thing, then extra stock needs to be left for facing off after all the turning between centers is done.
 
Flyinfool said:
The hole in the part should have a chamfer as part of the center drill. A sharp edge on the hole is guaranteed to wear out fast and damage the center in the process. The center will not "create" a chamfer, the chamfer should already be there, put in on purpose, by you. If having the chamfer in the finished part is a bad thing, then extra stock needs to be left for facing off after all the turning between centers is done.
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Of course you're right. I've been focused on tubular parts lately.
 
There is a chance that you are using the soft center intended to be used in the headstock, in the tailstock, I'm assuming that you have a MT sleeve in the headstock and the centers are the same size MT. When you need to true up the soft center, insert it in the sleeve in the headstock and true it up with a cutting tool, on my lathes, I made match marks on the spindle nose, the sleeve, and the center to assure concentricity.
I am the source of the outlawed white lead, it is good for centers, and especially for press fits to avoid galling. I think McMaster Carr sells CMD center lube, it is an extreme pressure grease, and it is also good for steady rest lube.
 
Flyinfool said:
The hole in the part should have a chamfer as part of the center drill. A sharp edge on the hole is guaranteed to wear out fast and damage the center in the process. The center will not "create" a chamfer, the chamfer should already be there, put in on purpose, by you. If having the chamfer in the finished part is a bad thing, then extra stock needs to be left for facing off after all the turning between centers is done.
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They make center drills with a chamfer section built in, also there are Bell center drills that the angular section is instead a bell shape, they are for turning tapers by tailstock offset, made that way for avoiding the tendency for the centers not having good bearing on the center drilled holes.
 
pontiac428 said:
You've got to spend a lot of money to get a live center that holds as solid as a dead center in the tailstock.
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True enough. But the necessity for that level of rigidity is subjective. I don’t need it. I don’t think most people need. But many people probably think they need it.
 
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