How many centers do you use in your headstock?

[Paul Williams]

I use a multi point safety type center for 90% of my small to medium blanks. For turning pens between center I use a fixed 60 degree point center. I sometimes us a 3 or 4 prong drive center for large blanks, but normally switch to a face plate or chuck if it is too large for the multi point center.

I think machining the centers to fit the lathe makes more sense as then you could use in the tail stock as well as the head.

[Ryan Mooney]

Here's the Nova spur center: http://www.teknatool.com/products/Ch...SpurCenter.htm
and the Big Bite: https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p...ite-Chuck-Spur
I've used both pretty happily (the big bite is pretty fantastic for starting larger rough blanks, not really useful imho for much else except maybe ginormous spindles.. maybe..).

The main downside of the Nova spur center is that you have that big whacking chuck right next to it which makes getting in closer to the tail stock on some small spindle work more difficult. Its also a fairly small drive center so wouldn't drive super large spindles very well.

Other than those (the links are just representative samples not necessarily the specific ones I've used, there are a lot of other variations and mfgs) here's what I've "used" (this doesn't imply "need" ):

• 4 spur drive center - most spindle work can be done with this or something like this: https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p...g-Drive-Center
• 4 prong mini drive center - this is mostly useful for small spindle work where your blank isn't big enough to catch on the regular sized 4 prong spur: https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p...g-Drive-Center I'd bet good money that most turners don't need something like this, I've done a bunch of "drop spindles" for wool turning and for doing the initial turn on the ~1/4"x12" spindle this has been fairly useful. The small spindle problem can be solved in a number of other ways though including (possibly homemade) compression chucks, etc..
• Steb/Crown type: https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p...n-Drive-Center I'd put this in the "nice but certainly not necessary" category, I actually have two a regular sized and a small one; they're a smidge more forgiving to a beginning turner but you certainly don't need them.
• Somewhat stretching the concept of "drive center" but still in the "things I've put in my headstock" category are pen mandrels: https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p...ce-Pen-Mandrel - having said that there are a dozen different ways to turn a pen blank and most of them don't involve a mandrel - the mandrel is easier but likely not the fastest/most efficient way so I wouldn't really stress on this either since its a problem you can solve other ways.

I think one regular spur center of some sort and maybe a mini spur center or a small steb/crown center if you wanted to do small stuff would be plenty to get by with for 99% of spindle work.

Thom's note about "fixtures that screw on to the spindle" is well taken as well - getting a tap that matches your spindle can be pretty handy for making various types of homemade chucks (jam chucks, compression chucks, .

[Joe Kaufman]

Check the Texas Spur Drive Centers - http://bestwoodtools.stores.yahoo.net/tespdrce1.html Re 1 1/8 X 10 TPI.
The only one I use now after spinning a #2 MT in the spindle and the subsequent clean-up. You might think a little pricey, but very well made.

[Jeff Spaulding]

That thing's scary looking.

Interesting, though. I could see it being useful for larger spindles. One of the things I know I'll be doing is turning posts, and that would probably work.

Edit: Sorry, I'm not used to the way posts get sorted here - I'm referring to the Bit Bite posted by Jim.

[Jeff Spaulding]

I was looking at those, actually. They're pricey, sure, but they won't have the "spin in the taper" problem others have mentioned.

I shot off an email last night to those guys asking about their adapters. They sell thread adapters that have a morse taper in them, and if they stick out enough, I might actually be able to fit a MT2 center into the adapter and have clearance in the spindle. That'd solve my taper problem completely. I still might get something like those if the spinning problem appears.

[Jeff Spaulding]

It's "things that go in the headstock taper" that I'm looking for, so stretch away!

That said, I have a hard time imagining doing pen work on my lathe. I know it shouldn't make a difference, but turning tiny stuff like that on a 10' long lathe with giant tool rests just seems... odd.

My first chuck will probably be a Nova (the price seems reasonable and they're on sale at Woodcraft right now), so that spur center they've got might be an option for me. I'm waiting on an email from bestwoodtools and, depending on what they say, I might end up going with that Nova spur.

[Ryan Mooney]

That said, I have a hard time imagining doing pen work on my lathe. I know it shouldn't make a difference, but turning tiny stuff like that on a 10' long lathe with giant tool rests just seems... odd.

I dunno, I think you'd have to turn at least one just because of the oddity factor

Maybe both a giant oversized pen and a regular sized one just for fun