Small Lathe Extended Point Live Center

[rossbotics]

While turning a part in my small lathe the other day I found myself having to grind a tool bit in all kinds of configurations just to clear the live center, which I have had to do many times before, so I decided to make a small extended point live center and end that aggravation.

I had on hand a #2 Morse taper shank with a #3 Jacobs taper that went to an old drill chuck that had been discarded, I started out by installing the #2 shank in the spindle of the small lathe and machined a 5/8”-18 thread and a 1/8”wide by .660” diameter land on the Jacobs taper end for locating the bearing housing, I took a piece of 1.250” round 4140 pre-hard steel for making the bearing housing and machined the same threads and land in the housing as I did on the #2 shank, I used a couple drops of red loctite on the threads and screwed them together tightly and let cure, I installed the shank and housing back into the spindle of the machine and bored it for a light press fit to accept two 5200 double row angular contact bearings, I then machined an extended point center in one setting without turning it around from a piece of 5/8” round 4140 pre-hard steel, the very end of the 60° center point was then further hardened.

Below you will find a few photos of the machining process along with the assembled live center.

As always thanks for looking and happy machining
Doug