If anyone happens to have a set of these, could you let me know the measurement of the (business) end? The website doesn’t give the dimensions unfortunately. I want to turn some chair spindles at 5/8” tapering down to 1/2” or maybe 7/16” if I can keep the middle steady enough(!). So I’m hoping the matching set of 1MT ring centres are 3/8”. Knowing the measurements would save me a half day round trip to the shop and would be much appreciated .
Axminster ring centres tip diameter?
- Thread starter GarF
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Paul Hannaby
Established Member
Yes they are 3/8" / 10mm
Thanks Paul. That's what it looked like in the video clip on the Axi site. I phoned the local store this morning to ask.... call routed through to head office where a very helpful chap verified that the website doesn't elaborate. He kindly phoned back a couple of hour later, presumably after checking one himself or getting someone on the shop floor to measure one, and confirmed the same. Fingers crossed they arrive on Saturday...
Lonsdale73
Established Member
Colwin Way mentioned these in one of his videos and was wondering what advantage these have over the centres supplied with the lathe or a steb centre?
The centres with your lathe:
2 or 4 prong drive centre are like a wedge can split the wood if you are not careful. You also need a saw cut or a mallet to set them. The live centre is just a point and can go fairly deep into the drilled centre that you created.
Steb centres have a row of teeth, and if they catch chew up the end of the wood. If you have a step in each end, you can swap them end for end, using the marks that each made to locate them.
ring centres attempt to spread the force onto the ring, so shouldn't split wood like the traditional drive centres, nor chew it up like a step. The point only projects a small amount. With a matched pair, you can swap the wood end for end.
After all that, just watch this!
Exactly this. Just roughed out four 5/8" spindles about 17" long as an exercise to get back some feel with the skew after many months doing other stuff. A too heavy cut, anything approaching a catch, or vibration in the middle of the spindle just slowed the workpiece down. One piece finished a smidge smaller than I'd intended at the drive end so I flipped it around and sized the other end correctly. It was getting late so I'm finishing them all tomorrow, but I have no concerns about remounting accurately. Pretty pleased with them so far.
Lonsdale73
Established Member
Mine arrived yesterday, hoping o try them out today
minilathe22
Established Member
I find the steb centre "toothed" ones often spin and then cut a circular groove in the wood. Once this has happened it will keep spinning when under load even if I tighten up the tailstock pressure. I tried removing alternate teeth with a file to give bigger gaps between the teeth, but no luck.
