Thread: What does this mean ?

I do it all the time......

Put a bit of bar, say 3/4" dia, in the 3 jaw with about 3/4" sticking out. Set the compound to 60deg and turn the bar to a point. Now you have a dead center that is concentric. Using a bent lathe dog you can now turn between centers using one of the lathe jaws to drive the dog.

Ew

Ive done it plenty of times too, I use a length of 20mm, but I turn a square shoulder on the back to make sure the centre doesnt sink backwards in the chuck in case I didnt snug it up enough. I leave enough meat that I can reuse it a number of times, just take a light cut once its mounted and its true again.

Originally Posted by Ueee

I do it all the time......

Put a bit of bar, say 3/4" dia, in the 3 jaw with about 3/4" sticking out. Set the compound to 60deg and turn the bar to a point. Now you have a dead center that is concentric. Using a bent lathe dog you can now turn between centers using one of the lathe jaws to drive the dog.

Ew

Ah got it now Ewan ..many thanks . The author could have explained things in a clearer fashion Mike

I think this is best practice because it eliminates any possibility of errors in spindle adapters.
If you then pinch a shim between HS & TS centres you have a quick check on TS alignment. >\<
If needed, fine tuning can then be done by cutting and measuring.