# Half Dead Centers



## Johnwright (Feb 28, 2015)

After owning a 9X20 for about 6 months, and making my share of chips, I ran across a term not seen before.  The term "half dead center" was unknown to me until I stumbled over it on a tool sellers website.  I did purchase a "dead center" for turning between centers and have come across the situation where I needed to face the "right" end of a shaft when doing so.  I have seen that "half dead centers" are quite a bit more costly than the one I bought from Enco, or whomever it was I bought from.  My question is, can I use my regular (carbide tipped) dead center and just grind some off the side to expose enough of the shaft end in order to face it?  Again, I'm just a newbie, JW


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## hermetic (Feb 28, 2015)

YUP! thats exactly what you do, but be aware that you have to leave enough to support the work. Best way is to use a larger centre drill that you normally would, and fit the centre to it and mark the point where the face you want to clean up meets the centre, then grind away rearward of the mark.
Phil


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## stupoty (Feb 28, 2015)

The half dead centers arn't literally half, they are like half plus a bit, so it still has a full circle right at the pointy end.  That's the way all the ones I have are .

Stuart


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## kwoodhands (Mar 24, 2015)

Johnwright said:


> After owning a 9X20 for about 6 months, and making my share of chips, I ran across a term not seen before.  The term "half dead center" was unknown to me until I stumbled over it on a tool sellers website.  I did purchase a "dead center" for turning between centers and have come across the situation where I needed to face the "right" end of a shaft when doing so.  I have seen that "half dead centers" are quite a bit more costly than the one I bought from Enco, or whomever it was I bought from.  My question is, can I use my regular (carbide tipped) dead center and just grind some off the side to expose enough of the shaft end in order to face it?  Again, I'm just a newbie, JW



I too a dead center,not carbide and mill 1/2+ away  to make  a half center. They are generally inexpensive and though hardened can be milled. You could make one on your lathe,does not have to be tapered. Before I milled the #3MT dead center I use now I made a simple one from 1018. I turned the 60° angle and then turned the shank down to 5/8" so it would fit in a tail stock chuck or a 5/8" endmill holder.Then milled a bit more than half the diameter away.Works fine,did not bother to try to harden it.
mike


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