Misunderstood: The centres used in a lathe.

A response to the Misunderstood Activity
created by Darrick Hahn (@dhahn)

Number of views: 162

There is a simple misunderstanding with some terminology when it comes to using a  machine lathe for cutting and shaping metal. Describing the use of centres to hold a workpiece. These centres can be referred to as a live centre, or a dead centre, and it can be quite confusing for one to use the right terminology.

Here is why:

A live centre can be solid, which does not spin. A live centre can also turn, or spin.
A dead centre can only be solid.
A live centre can be located in the headstock (the part of the machine that will rotate the part).  A live centre can also be located in the tailstock which does no turning at all.

Did you get all that? Sounds like a riddle.

There is a simple way to understand when to use the right right term with a lathe centre.

A live centre, no matter where it is located, will rotate with the part it is holding. “Its Alive!!!”

A dead centre will not rotate with the part it is holding.