Misunderstood: The centres used in a lathe.
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.
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