Woodworker's Journal 2006-30-5, страница 36
Live Center Fools No One Face plate Tail stock Main drive spindle If you have your own woodworking mystery tool (or the answer to this issue's entry), send it to: Stumpers, c/o Woodworker's Journal, P.O. Box 261, Medina, Minnesota 55340. Or send us an e-mail: stumpers@ woodworkersjournal.com Drive center Adjustable live center punch of some sort." (Sorry-Tom, not quite, but don't worry, your name still goes in the hat for the prize drawing.) Richard Harris of Lynville, Tennessee, explained that, "The mystery tool ... is typically used in offsetting the tailstock center for taper turning in a metal cutting lathe. [It] is used to avoid the hassle of resetting the tailstock center." Joe Wagner of Ozark, Alabama, dearly has years of experience with this tool: "I used one of those gadgets over 60 years ago on a metal-cutting lathe. It's an offsettable tailstock live center.' It permits cutting long, straight tapers on cylindrical parts, using the lathe's longitudinal feed." Some readers, such as Kevin Elswick of Chilhowie, Virginia, pointed out that the adjustable live center can be used on a mill, as well. "Using a tail center and an indexing head, you can make slots or designs on a tapered shaft or table leg," Kevin explained. "I have used it to make hexagons on a tapered barrel on a muzzle-loader." This mystery tool was recognized by turners of all ages. Bill Majors, an 82-year-old woodworker from Fort Payne, Alabama, said, "It was no problem for me to identify your mystery tool." And Dominic Meyer, age 13, of Keizer, Oregon, who "has been a woodturner for at least five months," said he recently saw a "very, very small lathe" with this tool as a tail center. Harold Anacker, a 92-year-old woodworker from Ferndale, Washington, also correctly identified the tool, taking the prize as our oldest responder. Tom Linder of West Bend, Wisconsin, turned out to be the most intuitive guesser when he noted: "I never saw a gizmo like this before, but it's obvious what, it is just by look'n at it... If it ain't an eccentric center, it sure looks like it would make a dandy one anyway." — Elizabeth Stoiaken & _/ WINNER! Bob Rich of Sherborn, Massachusetts, wins a Delta ShopMaster Model LA200K Midi Lathe . We toss all the Stumpers letters into a hat to select a winner. What's This? Hick White from As reader Bill Blanken's drawing shows, our June stumper was an adjustable live center, used in the tailstock of a lathe. Adjustable Live Center The stumper [from the June 2006 issue] is an adjustable live center, used in the tail-stock of a lathe. The thumbscrew is used to move the live center in or out of alignment with the headstock of the lathe, thus making the process of turning a cone much easier. To turn a cone when the tailstock is centered with the chuck requires moving the cutter simultaneously in the axis, which is difficult on most lathes. Having an adjustable live center makes it possible to move out of center and turn a cone with a lot less difficulty. Bill Blanken Hanford, California A Solid Turnout Well, Bill, looks like you centered in on the answer, along with just about all of our responders this time around. In stark contrast to the last "Stumpers," in which no one could agree on the name or even function of the tool, almost all of your submissions were correct, with a few exceptions, such as Thomas Mercer of Seymour, Tennessee, who guessed that it was "a hole limmersnan, Minnesota, dropped off the tool below, complete with the attached "What am I" green tag. Use handle slides in and mi, opening and closing a scissors-tste apparatus. Know what it is? Send In ptir answer for a chance to win a prize, 50 October 2006 Woodivorker's Journal |
