Est. 1998 — 28 years of woodworking knowledge
Jet live center question
John, Ohio
>Can someone tell me what the threads are on the tail center? These are the ones that hold the bull nose, etc. This is the center that came with my 3520a lathe. I want to get a tap to make a few accesories for the tail center. Thanks.
Re: 3/4-10
Al Crandall
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Re: Jet live center question
Fog Tanner
>If they copied the Oneway exactly, they are 3/4 x 10. Take it with you to the machine supply and they can check it with a thread quage to make sure. Wholesale Tool carries the bottom taps for a fairly reasonable price.
You can read on the Oneway site about their live center. They say you drill a hole in a piece of wood and thread this onto the live center. You have to put a "pin" in the locking hole. I used an allen wrench. Unless you get the hole the right size the wood will split. A bottom tap is the better idea.
If you use a piece of wood, and want to get the new "cone/cup/whatever" exactly right, you can put the live center in your spindle. Put an allen wrench or other "pin" in the locking hole, and wrap with masking tape - or duct tape if you want to keep up to OSHA standards. You can then turn your new "cone/cup/whatever" and it will be as true as your live center. I do this for specialty cups for various projects.
Fog
Re: Jet live center question
George Van
>Thanks for the idea Fog, I will go to the Oneway website and look for the information. I have not been getting the full use of my Oneway live center.
George
Thanks much
John, Ohio
>Thanks guys for the help. Great tip on turning the accesory true.
Re: Jet live center question
John Dillbeck
>You can get an adapter from Grizzly for $6 with predrilled holes. I have acouple with with tooling I have made. They work well and seat where there is very little runout.
Re: Jet live center question
Jim Pugh
>Now that you have the answer for which tap to get, you also need the proper drill size for that tap. I have been using a 21/32" diameter bit (recommended) and it works fine.
Next, you will probably have to get the tang on the tap and the drill bit modified to fit your drill chuck (lathe or drill press). It will be very helpful if you know someone who works in a tool room. Ask him to grind 3 flats (making it tri-lobular) on the tang so it will not spin in the drill chuck.
I just recently went thru all of this so when you have the tools, ping me and I'll tell you how I get the wood tapped.
