Need a Soft Touch for YOur Cone Live Center?

I show how to turn a very useful accessory for the cone live center that comes with a Powermatic 2014 Midi lathe. But this can be a useful for many live centers. If you find my videos helpful, you can buy me a virtual cup of coffee with this link. www.buymeacoff...
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You can download demonstration handouts, downloadable copies of articles I have published, and other useful woodturning information available on my website www.mikepeacew...

[@denisraulet]

C'est toujours bon à prendre et à apprende ,Merci 👍

[@valeriehenschel1590]

Thanks, Mike!

[@carolriley8472]

Great idea...I need to make a few of those!

[@glencrandall7051]

You make it so easy to make fixtures like this. I expect items like this can be made to go over any number of live center tools. At 8:30 you comment about the chatter due to lack of support. You could have used the cone center in the tailstock to give you support and stop the chatter. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

[@cobberpete1]

Now why did I not think of that!!! Great Tip Mike. You can bet I will have one before the weekend 😊

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

You should!

[@stevegray9532]

Great piece of info Mike, you have given me the answer to a problem I've had when I needed to keep the end of a piece unmarked. Thanks, Steve

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Excellent!

[@chiphardy7569]

Great idea Mike. Thanks for sharing!!!

[@jackthompson5092]

Great idea Mike. I have made a number of soft touches that I screw onto my live centre however I like your idea of a slip on one better.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Thanks, Jack

[@danceswithaardvarks3284]

Thanks Mike. I'm finding all of these homemade centres very useful.

[@briantaylor9266]

As usual, another great video. Coincidentally, not 30 minutes ago I completed a similar project. I needed a cup live center to support the end of a rolling pin. I pulled apart an old live center and turned a tenon on a scrap of wood to fit into the inner race of the bearing. Turned a cup on the other end of the scrap and Bob's your uncle. Your approach would have worked too.

[@monophoto1]

I've made a couple of those. One has a cone shape that tapers down to about 3/8" diameter, while the other has a 1" diameter flat end. And in both cases, I've embedded a bit of HDPE (salvaged from a cheap cutting board I found at the dollar store) at the end that is very slippery so that they don't mar the workpiece.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

HDPE makes a great soft touch.

[@pjseiber2774]

Great job and info ❤

[@BobAmarant]

Great idea Mike, I've been meaning to take one of these!

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Go for it!

[@MarklTucson]

I've definitely got to make one of these. I have some 3D printed tips that fit in my knock-out live center, but would benefit from a more durable piece of wood. Your quick and dirty approach at the end sparked a thought -- one could cut out a series of circles with concentric size and holes on a laser, glue the stack together and then use that -- the resulting stack would have a somewhat conical interior shape.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Ok. I think turning one is easier for a woodturner.

[@blackcoalwoodworking]

That's a great idea, thank you!

[@larrypack1]

Mike, can you explain why you are cutting below center? I always scrape the inside of boxes above center but I'm willing to change if it is the correct way to do it? I do put a bevel on the side of my various box type scrapers and I can see that above center would be a scrape and below might be almost a peeling type of cut.. Thanks, LP

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

When scraping, you want the cutting edge to fall into space if you have a catch and not dig in. A little above center is fine in the center of a box. when cutting a side wall you want to cut slightly above center. This allows the side cutting edge to have some clearance. For example a thick scraper with the cutting edge on center might have the lower edge scraping as the box wall (the lower part of the circle) is curving and could be touching and rubbing on the bottom left edge of the scraper. Hope this makes sense. Thanks again for the coffee.

[@LewisKauffman]

Neat idea, Thanks!

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

You bet!

[@MrVillafum]

Great video Mike. BTW, can you please share what brand box scraper you're using?

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Sorby.

[@oscarwhitehead3546]

Nice idea. Thanks for the video. I'm not highly skilled at woodturning so keen to learn : I'm wondering why not use your live centre to support the piece once you've shaped the inside, as it seemed to be a perfect fit.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

This soft touch is useful when you do no want damage from the point and when turning near the point so tool might touch wood but not metal.

[@victoryak86]

Hey Mike. Really enjoy your videos. I’ve cliked watching you guys’ creativity in the 4 way challenges as well. Just a question for you, I’m in the market for a lathe and was considering the Jet 1440. Do you have any thoughts on this lathe or is there a comparable one in the

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

I am unfamiliar with that Jet model. I just bought the pm2014 which was a great buy when it was on sale in July. You might checkout the Record Power coronet herald. My club has one.

[@raymondmedeiros451]

I like this but have found that the wood sometimes gives a little burn if I forget to turn down the speed. My go to is simple, a tennis ball! Round soft and durable. Works great for small and medium sized turnings.

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

Great tip. Thanks for sharing!

[@JeffOldham-c5e]

did you glue the soft touch onto your live center mike

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

No, friction fit. It is for a temporary use.