# putting a live center on your drill press



## lectrician (Jun 18, 2011)

I have seen some lame suggestions of making a lathe by putting a center on your drill press. but it does make a real nice way to sand turned items on centers. (i hate to sand on my lathe) I bought a live center for, i believe it was a unimat, It has a short 0 Morse taper. i moved my table over and drilled and reamed an O Morse taper in the bed of the drill press. Now when i want to use it i just drop the live center into the hole. I align it with several tool steel pointed shafts that i chuck up and hand spin. Now when i sand an object the dust doesn't get in my lathe.
   also it works good to drill (small holes). from on point to another on an object. No matter how odd the shape or crazy the direction. Center punch the entrance and exit point. put one of them in the center and drill into the other point. when the hole is a little over half way through. turn it around and drill from the other end. I don't even clamp it just hold it up there and i will center itself.(use vice grips for larger drills.) try it, the drill will end up going right on through into the first hole.
   Also if you have a small lathe you can center bore. (hold the bar with visegrips, and you can drill lathe centers in a bar too large to pass through your head stock. I know it sounds primitive but try it, I end up using it all the time.


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## Omnimill (Jun 19, 2011)

Not thought of that before, sounds like it may be a useful technique.

Vic.


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## ksor (Jun 19, 2011)

It sounds like something I could use, but ...

I don't get your point ??? ??? ??? !

- some pictures and/or a video would clear it up - I beleave.


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## Tin Falcon (Jun 19, 2011)

Lectrician : this sounds like a bit of an unusual technique. 
but I do have my concerns. Why use a drill press for a lathe if you have a lathe. 
It seems like folks here are afraid to use there lathes for certain operations. 
while certain techniques on a lathe do require a added need for housekeeping and cleanliness to protect the machine these are indeed tried and true techniques that are worth learning. there is nothing wrong with filing sanding or polishing on the lathe. i worked for a year mostly running a cnc lathe the last step of most parts was a quick deburr and polish with a bit of abrasive paper. yes a hand operation on cnc. Filing and sanding are basic techniques taught in trade schools. 
I guess my biggest concern for any home invented technique is safety make sure you are safe and not suggesting unsafe procedures to others. 
Tin


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## mocaquita (Jun 19, 2011)

Lectrician-
  "also it works good to drill (small holes). from on point to another on an object. No matter how odd the shape or crazy the direction. Center punch the entrance and exit point. put one of them in the center and drill into the other point. when the hole is a little over half way through. turn it around and drill from the other end. I don't even clamp it just hold it up there and i will center itself.(use vice grips for larger drills.) try it, the drill will end up going right on through into the first hole."


I just love "out of the box" thinking! That's for posting it. This works pretty darn good too. I've seen it done once before in a repair shop I use to work in many years ago. The boss showed us how to do it, but in a mill using a piece of drill rod with a 60 degree point. Haven't thought about that trick for a long time. You need to be careful and it's only for small holes.

Dave


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## lectrician (Jun 19, 2011)

I am sure you are right about being able to sand in a lathe but somehow i just cant bring myself to do it. And thanks for bringing up the safety issue. as far as sanding it is compleatly safe but i wouldn't want to start drilling big holes that way. for instance i used it once to build a toy for the grand children. it required 1/8 inch holes for strings to travel in on a very odd shaped piece. every hole went through perfect.


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