Shopsmith Forums

Is there a drive center for the headstock end for turning a piece "between centers"? NOT a screw or spur drive. I know live centers for the tailstock.
Thanks for the help
Danny

propwash wrote: ↑Mon Nov 29, 2021 3:20 pm Is there a drive center for the headstock end for turning a piece "between centers"? NOT a screw or spur drive. I know live centers for the tailstock.
Thanks for the help
Danny

What kind of drive center are you looking for?

I want to turn pen-like objects between centers. Something like this.

Oneway makes a similar one for the SS spindle: https://oneway.ca/Safe%20Driver%20for%2 ... th%20Lathe

- David

That looks like a dead center used in the tail stock, possibly for a metal lathe. If you put that type of center in the head stock and a live center in the tail stock the material/blank would not turn. The head stock has to grip the blank. For pens you need a pen mandrel.

https://www.pennstateind.com/store/pen-mandrels.html

If you don't want a hole in the center of your finished project you would use an oversized piece of stock so you can use a spur drive or a chuck or mandrel to hold the stock and then turn it down to the finished size and remove the excess.

In any case the head stock end must drive the stock.

DLB wrote: ↑Mon Nov 29, 2021 8:38 pm Oneway makes a similar one for the SS spindle: https://oneway.ca/Safe%20Driver%20for%2 ... th%20Lathe

- David

Is that not a spur drive? Just a little smaller than the SS version. The OP said he doesn't want a spur drive. You can't turn on any lathe unless the head stock holds the stock (spur, screw. face plate, chuck, etc.)

jsburger wrote: ↑Mon Nov 29, 2021 8:53 pm

DLB wrote: ↑Mon Nov 29, 2021 8:38 pm Oneway makes a similar one for the SS spindle: https://oneway.ca/Safe%20Driver%20for%2 ... th%20Lathe

- David

Is that not a spur drive? Just a little smaller than the SS version. The OP said he doesn't want a spur drive. You can't turn on any lathe unless the head stock holds the stock (spur, screw. face plate, chuck, etc.)

Oneway calls it a 'Safe Driver.' I've never seen one, but I don't think there is a spur. The sample the OP posted appears to be a Oneway 2593 Safe Driver, this is in the same family.

- David

I've not used a drive like was pictured. One thing to remember is that the shopsmith doesn't have a method to use MT type tools on the head stock side ie the drive side.

I have a couple of tools that I use and while not quite what was ask about they do work for turning and have no spurs. First is the common mandrel as was mentioned. That works well and is pretty inexpensive to start with. I easy improvement is to get a better tail stock that has a through hole and bearings.

Then there are systems like this:
This starts with collet system to hold the drive side so that alone runs some money and this is not commonly used system but does work on the shopsmith as shown.

This is drive I designed and had built for me:
It has seen better days, I really should clean it up but it too is a drive center that I use in the 1/2" router chuck shopsmith sells.

Lots of way to do the same thing.

Ed

I am not a pen turner but don't most pen turners use a mandrel ? https://www.amazon.com/pen-mandrel/s?k=pen+mandrel