Shopsmith Forums

I am working on some spindles for a hand rail that I am turning out of oak wood 1.5" x 1.5" x 27" long. What is the best way to drill and cut the centers for mounting in the Shopsmith lathe? The first one I cut I just marked the centers of each end with corner to corner crosses, and then used a small drill bit to drill holes in the center of each end and then hand held one end and tried to cut the cross lines with the band saw to receive the drive center. So, what is a better way to do this and what size bits should I use?

For square spindles I do something similar.

Mark corner to corner
on the tails stock side. Center punch on the X. I then use a 1/8" drill bit in a hand drill about 1/4" deep.

On the head stock side (assuming a 4 blade drive center) I first use my dove tail saw and run kerfs about 1/16" deep along the X, center punch the X and drill with a 1/8" bit. about 1/4" deep. The kerfs helps keep the drive end driving.

If the piece is not square, find the center, center punch and drill as specified above I then tap the drive spur onto the headstock end with a mallet rather than making the saw cuts.

Line up the spindle aligning the kerfs to the drive center and then secure by advancing the quill to the tailstock. Not too much, just enough to get and keep everything turning. If it slips, apply a bit more pressure tot he quill advance. Make sure you are using a cup center or a live center with a cup to prevent the tailstock side from going too far into your wood and possibly splitting it DAMHIKT.

I am using a live center on the tailstock end. And the 4 blade Shopsmith drive center. What is a dovetail saw? And the dried oak is really hard. I can't press the center into the wood at all. Thanks for the help.

dovetail saw = small back saw. Any saw will do as will tapping the drive center with a mallet. You just want to make sure that drive center actually drives the spindle and does not slip. If it's the traditional woodworkers Live Center Shopsmith version is one of these, it has a cup on it. My only live center is a 60 degree live center I use for pen turning. These are NOT good for spindle turning so I use my old school cup center for spindles. I may make a cup for my live center or just break down and purchase the proper live center. My cup center loaded with beeswax does the job nicely though.

mountain4don wrote:I am using a live center on the tailstock end. And the 4 blade Shopsmith drive center. What is a dovetail saw? And the dried oak is really hard. I can't press the center into the wood at all. Thanks for the help.

Put the drive center on a hard surface, after drilling the small hole as described above. Put the spindle on the drive center with the point through the hole. Hit the other end with a mallet or a heavy hammer padded with a small piece of wood so you don't damage the other end.

Once you have an indent on the drive side you can install the center and just align the groves with the drive spurs, align the other end with the live center and then tighten the headstock quill.