Cheap and easy live center for cleaning way tubes

[smokinjoe79]

Hello all,
So I saw the clever little setups everyone has been using for cleaning the way tubes, and I've also read about the problems with the tail end overheating due to friction. I saw a few nice fixes for this, with the tubes resting on a set of rolling wheels or something similar, but something else came to me today.

I was about to clean up the tubes for my tailstock assembly, and realized they were far too short to justify any of the setups I'd seen so far, and I simultaneously remembered a little trick I had done to roughly turn a few pieces of wood on my drill press.

So, without introducing any new technologies, I submit to you, the tube live center. You'll need an extra expansion plug for each size tube you are going to be cleaning, and a small pack of 608 ZZ C3 bearings. Here's a nice hint...they're skateboard bearings, and they're really cheap.

We start by disassembling the expansion plug...

Replacing the bolt with a longer carriage bolt as many have done before...

Placing a small washer on top of the cap washer to stand the bearings off of the plug's surface....

Then sliding two bearings, another washer and the nut onto the bolt and snugging it up a bit...

The finished assembly should look like this:

This plug obviously gets mounted on the end opposite the drive plug.

You'll then want two small scraps of wood. Bore a 7/8" hole NOT QUITE THROUGH the first piece.

Then, follow up with a 5/8" hole the rest of the way through the first piece and also through the second piece. The smaller hole is to give clearance for the end of the bold and nut that protrudes.

Bang, done!! You have a reusable live center and mount to clean your way tubes with! Simply clamp or screw the two pieces of wood at the opposite end to steady them, and you're all set. No more overheating, and you don't have to worry about the tubes raising up off a set of rollers.




Sorry about some of these pics being links. I don't know why Facebook can't just put them all under a readable address, but they should be a simple click to open pic. I also have no clue as to what this would cost out of pocket since (once again) I had everything sitting in my stores of treasures. It's not junk. Don't listen to my wife.

[algale]

Well done, thanks for posting.

[JPG]

Not sure what one mounts the 'blocks' to when doing way tubes.

[hoth2o]

he's doing the short tube for the tailstock. I assume you could use his setup for way tubes horizontally on the bed?

[JPG]

he's doing the short tube for the tailstock. I assume you could use his setup for way tubes horizontally on the bed?

He mentioned doing way tubes similarly. However the max distance from the quill to a tailstock is less than 52".

[smokinjoe79]

Excellent question about the way tubes. I've seen pics of folks with a setup on sawhorses, using a hand drill to power the assembly. If on the far sawhorse, you mounted a 2x4 vertically with a clamp, the base piece could easily be attached to it. I'll put up a drawing or pic when I can. I'm at a wedding this weekend.

[JPG]

I'll stick with the wheels on the extension table.

Good method for shorter tubes!!! Eliminates need to reverse the tube.

[smokinjoe79]

[quote="JPG40504"]I'll stick with the wheels on the extension table.]
That's just the thing. I don't have to put the machine back together to clean the tubes this way. But to each his own.

[JPG]

That's just the thing. I don't have to put the machine back together to clean the tubes this way. But to each his own.

WHAT?:D You got only one 'machine'?:eek:

BTW thanks for posting this!!!!!!

[smokinjoe79]

It becomes evident that I need to update my profile. This is my only Shopsmith, but hardly my only machine.