Tip #33
Tips & Techniques For Better Lathe Turning (continued)
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Mounting Your Stock To The Lathe

There are as many ways to mount a project to the lathe as there are devices for doing so. Virtually all of these mounting systems involve either a Drive Center, Screw Center, Faceplate or special Turning Chuck. The method you use depends on what you're planning to turn and how. Here are the basics:

• Razor Saw

  Spindle turning between centers. Once the ends of your stock are marked-out properly, position the point of your Drive Center on the marked centerpoint and tap it firmly with a wooden, rubber or composite mallet. Be sure the spurs of your Center are seated deeply and not likely to tear out of the wood once you start the turning process. If you're turning an especially hard or large piece of stock, tapping alone may not seat the spurs sufficiently for them to hold. In this case, you could use a hand-held back saw or small Razor Saw to cut kerfs in your workpiece ends, giving your Drive Center spurs a better grip on the wood.
  
  

  Cup Center

  Next, drive your Cup Center into the marked opposite end of your stock. These centers are often known as “Dead” centers, since they have a straight, pointed tip with no spurs and are NOT used to “drive” the workpiece, but merely to support its opposite end during turning. If you're using a conventional Cup Center as described above, you can drive it directly into your stock, using a non-marring mallet such as those described above. Coat the tip

  Rawhide Mallet

  thoroughly with beeswax or paste wax before mounting to help prevent burning.
  
  
  
  

  Live Center

  An alternative to the Cup Center is the ball bearing “Live” center. This Center contains a ball bearing mechanism that eliminates friction and the need for wax. However, these centers should NOT be driven into the stock with a mallet, as this could damage their bearings. Instead, mark the centerpoint with a center punch before positioning the Live Center.
  
  
  

• Screw Center

  Turning with a Screw Center. This is one method of choice for turning short, small diameter projects such as egg cups, small bowls, etc. In this instance, the Screw Center is either screwed directly into the bottom of the project blank, or into a scrap block, which is then attached to the project blank with glue or double-stick tape. In either case, turning with a Screw Center provides support for only one end of your stock during the process, allowing you to turn details into the opposite end. Again, screw centers are best for turning small or short objects, and are not recommended for large turnings.
  
  
  

• Lathe Faceplates

  Turning with a Faceplate. This is the most conventional way of turning bowls, plates, goblets or other large diameter, disc-shaped objects where one end must be open for turning. Faceplates are available in a variety of different diameters, for use with different-sized projects.
  
  
  

  High Adhesion Tape

  As with Screw Centers, Faceplates are either screwed directly into the bottom of the project blank, or into a scrap block, to which the project blank is then attached with glue or double-stick tape. When mounting to the scrap with glue, use ordinary yellow woodworker's glue with a small piece of newspaper or brown paper grocery bag between the turning blank and scrap block. Allow to dry overnight before turning. When mounting with double stick tape, be sure to use special high adhesion tape and not the “carpet tape” that's readily available at hardware stores and home centers. Carpet tape is not strong enough to hold during turning. When using the tape method, mount your workpiece to scrap block and squeeze the two pieces firmly together with clamps or a vise before screwing the scrap block to your faceplate.
  
  Whether you're using the glue or tape method, once your project has been turned, you can separate it from the scrap block with a chisel or screwdriver.
  
  
• Turning with a Chuck. For many, this is considered to be the most convenient way to turn bowls, plates, goblets or similar objects. With a lathe chuck, your workpiece doesn't have to be screwed solidly to a faceplate and may be removed and re-attached again and again, quickly and with automatic self-centering assurance.
  
  

  Oneway Chuck

  There are many different types of lathe chucks available today. Most turners prefer the 4-jaw, self-centering type, which will either grasp the object to be turned by contracting around its outer circumference - or by expanding against its inside edges or small, shallow hole or “hollow” that's been turned on the object's bottom.
  
  
  

  Jumbo Jaws

  These special turning chucks are available in a variety of sizes and with a host of accessories for all types of specialized jobs. One such accessory is a set of add-on plates (or jaws) that expand the chuck's jaw capacity significantly for grasping very large bowls or turned objects.

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