Use and Care Manual

MOUNTING THE WORKPIECE BETWEEN SPINDLES (Fig. 16 & 17)

Spindle turning takes place between the centers of the lathe, with the workpiece being held between the spur

center in the headstock and the live center in the tailstock. The wood stock for spindle turning should be straight

grained and free of cracks, knots, nails and other defects. Prepare the stock so that the end faces are approximate-

ly square shaped and vertical to the sides.

OPERATION - SPINDLE TURNING

WARNING: To prevent serious injury, make sure all the warnings and instructions have been read and

understood before operating this tool.

1. Using a combination square, locate and mark the center on both ends of

the workpiece. Accuracy is not critical if you’re turning full rounds, but it is

extremely important if square sections are to remain on the workpiece.

2. Put a dimple in the stock with a punch awl or nail (or use a spring-loaded

automatic center punch).

NOTE: For extremely hard woods, you may need to cut kerfs into the ends

of the stock using a band saw for it to be mounted onto the spur center and

the live center.

3. Drive the spur center about .1 inches (3 mm) into the workpiece using a

wood mallet or dead blow hammer (Fig. 16). Be careful not to split the work-

piece. Do not use a steel face hammer and NEVER drive the workpiece onto the spur center while it is mounted

on the spindle of the lathe.

4. Clean the tapered end of the spur center and the inside of the headstock spindle. Insert the tapered end of the

spur center (with the attached workpiece) into the headstock spindle.

5. Support the workpiece while loosening the tailstock locking lever and bringing the tailstock into position.

Tighten the tailstock locking lever to lock the tailstock to the bed.

6. Advance the tailstock quill with the hand wheel in order to seat the live center into the workpiece. Use enough

pressure to secure the workpiece between the centers so that it won’t fly off, but do not use excessive pressure. Ex-

cessive pressure runs the risk of overheating the center bearings and damaging both the workpiece and the lathe.

Tighten the quill locking handle.

7. Adjust the position of the tool rest to be parallel to the

workpiece. The tool rest height should be just below the

centerline and approximately .1 to .2 inches (3 mm to

6 mm) from the corners of the workpiece to be turned.

Secure the tool rest by tightening the tool rest locking

handle and locking lever (Fig. 17).

8. Before switching ON the lathe, rotate the workpiece

by hand to check for proper seating and clearance.

3-6 mm

Centerline

Direction of Rotation

Fig. 16

Fig. 17