So I received an order of blanks today from Cook Woods.  I'm being a bit crazy with this one here I've started on a purple heart blank.  How ever I AM NOT using the face place to start it off.  I off set the blank a bit and went with the live center option.  I wanted to try for a bit of a different pattern with the way the grain looks in a finished product.   I'm not sure if this was just down right risky or plain stupid of me to do.  How ever the main issue I've been having is the fact that the live center wants to slip on occasion when I'm cutting into the wood so its been a slow going process.  Yes I've made sure the tail stock was tight into the blank giving it support.  It would still slip.  I'm just hoping I can get a good cut on the tenon.  Any suggestions on making this work?

For some reason the live center just did not want to work properly at all for me.  Not even sure why.  It did this to me even on the Wen lathe.  How ever I was able to get a good hold with screws into the face plate and purple heart blank even after it was roughly rounded it was still lopsided fortunately for me.  How ever with the face plate re mounted I was able to get it shaped into a bowl shape.  At least my new carbide tips will get here today.

I have a wooden bench beater mallet just for that purpose. It seats the drive spur without damage to the Morris taper. Even then it will sometimes slip if I get a catch. @Gerald likes a drive spur with 2 wings. 

Fortunately I have a couple live centers for that reason.  I'm assuming that that live center I was using was ruined because I've used my metal hammers on it.   OOOOOOOPS oh well I can always get another one and I think I have a second one layin around the shed somewhere.   I wouldn't mind picking up a drive spur just can't at the moment.  I kind of spent my fun money/tool money on the new camera and some blanks.

I prefer to use a faceplate on some hard woods.  I use a drive spur on spindles or something not as large as a bowl.  Just my luck.  

I usually use a face plate on all of my blanks.

Lets get one thing straight. Is the live center (at tailstock)slipping or is it the drive spur?

 

Live center using a point may slip on dry blanks like you use. Drive center can also  slip I use a Nova Jumbo Drive for most turning bowls at about 10 inch up.Nova Jumbo drive allows you to remove two of the four spurs and get a two prong drive. Gives a better bite.  Also for the drive spur you can use a forstner to create a recess for the spur so the blank can slip but not fly off.

7 hours ago, Gerald said:

Also for the drive spur you can use a forstner to create a recess for the spur so the blank can slip but not fly off.

Now that sounds like a good idea!

Drive spur was slipping.

18 minutes ago, AndrewB said:

Drive spur was slipping.

Tension from the tail stock needs to be checked a few times when first starting a new blank.  The spur can work its way deeper into the blank and become loose and more pressure needs to be added with the tail stock.  Maintenance while turning.

There are live centers with cups that hold better.

Edited October 6, 20205 yr by HandyDan

Yea that's why I ultimately swapped it over to the face plate seems to be working just fine now.  I've been hollowing it out already bout to get started on it again this morning.

In the end the bowl did come out quite nicely....  here is the video of the whole thing...

Edited October 6, 20205 yr by AndrewB

Beautiful work sir....   well done.

I've got another one to match that one that I will be starting on probably this afternoon @Jim from Easy Wood Tools

It's really a shame that you haven't enjoyed turning as much as I thought you might.....      

I'm enjoying it actually.  Just gotta get better at it.  I'm not even bored with it yet.  I'm probably going to be building a better bench for that lathe here shortly as well.   Just some things I'm not even ready to start doing just yet.  Its just some what of a learning curve with some things.

Edited October 6, 20205 yr by AndrewB

That is really is nice.  How do you like the bigger lathe?

Working with the bigger lathe is a bit awkward to work around... I'm still getting used to it.  It also sits lower than the bench top version so I've got to make a new bench for it.  But I have plans in the works for that not only that to have an open bottom underneath the bed so the danged shavings don't get trapped under it.  Either way I'm liking it just still getting used to it not being able to go slower than 600 RPM which is kind of one down fall of the HF lathe.  But its working out nicely.

The second purple heart bowl turned out pretty good too.  Made this one just a bit wider almost wasted ZERO material except for a bit of the rounding and hollowing.  Its pretty close to 6 inches maybe a little less.

Every one gets better