[Newbie] Centering

CIRCUIT BREAKER

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Ok I need to ask a dumb question. I have a cheap 8x12 habor freight lathe. I am trying to turn down 1" solid round stock. I turned down short pieces 4.5 " no problems. I need to turn down a 9" lgt., do not know how to center the end for the tail support. I tried drilling for my live center but can not get it centered correctly. The 1" stock will not pass thur the chuck to let you drill the center for your tail support. Thanks in advance. Please don't beat me up to bad. I am trying to learn.
 
A steady rest will support the end while you're working on longer material but if you don't have one you can make a cap that will fit over the end of the shaft with a hole drilled through the end the diameter of your center drill. Basically a drill bushing. Then you can use a hand drill to center drill it using the cap you machined as a guide. Make it about 1 1/2" long, 3/4" bored to the shaft diameter and 3/4"drilled through to the center drill diameter. Hope this makes sense.
 
There are no dumb questions! Asking questions avoids costly mistakes!

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Pineyfolks method is probably your best bet. I was just gonna mention you could get yourself a combination square with a centering head and use it to scribe lines to get an approximate center. Then drill it with a hand drill, as long as your material is enough oversize to allow for your center hole to be slightly off. Hope that makes sense.
 
Pineyfolks method is probably your best bet. I was just gonna mention you could get yourself a combination square with a centering head and use it to scribe lines to get an approximate center. Then drill it with a hand drill, as long as your material is enough oversize to allow for your center hole to be slightly off. Hope that makes sense.
And use a center punch, or at least an automatic punch, to give the center drill a point to start on without wandering, as is so often the case when hand-drilling. I have the Narex 3-piece center punch set from Amazon. Very cheap and tough and invaluable.
 
In the "How to Run a Lathe", the procedure they recommended is to center punch the ends deep enough to engage the lathe center, engage one end in the tailstock center and mount the center drill in the headstock chuck. The workpiece would be held in hand and the tailstock slowly advanced to drill the center. The piece is then reversed to drill the opposite end. Prior to drilling, the accuracy of the punched centers can be checked and adjusted, if necessary, before drilling.

Obviously, there is some risk in holding a workpiece in your hand while drilling as the center drill could grab an possibly catch your hand. For that reason, I wouldn't use that method except on smooth round stock. A lathe dog or pair of Vise Grips could be used instead.
 
Ditto on the "no dumb question" responses above.
Additionally, no one will disrespect your HF lathe!

Daryl
MN
 
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