Mini Lathe Tooling

Turning Between Centers

You can also turn work without using a lathe chuck. Put a dead center in the spindle bore to support the near end of the work piece. The spindle is machined with a #3 Morse taper in the bore just for this. Put a live center in the tailstock to support the far end of the work piece.

This is what "center drills" are made for. The small drill bit creates a clearance hole. The counter sink creates a 60° hole that mates with the centers in the lathe. Use the 3-jaw chuck and a steady rest to hold the work piece while you center drill both ends.

The lathe dog drives the work piece. Use a long bolt in one of the holes in the spindle flange to drive the lathe dog.

Turning Between Centers Tool Options