Modification To Center...... Best Option ???

[JoeLee]

The issue that I have run across a few times with this center is if I'm grinding anything smaller in dia. than the center which is 5/8" I can't run the work off the end of the wheel without hitting the center. So........... I found another center which I want to either partially grind the end down to just under 3/8", just back far enough to allow a 1/2" wheel to clear the end of the work. Or I can grind a flat on it like the dead center has. It would be a lot less work to just grind down the dia. of the end of the center about 1/2" back rather than grinding a flat spot. Any thoughts???

JL...................

[Carm]

Do what's easiest.

[BCRider]

Grinding a flat leaves more of the metal on the far side of the flat as well as above and below. So the result SHOULD be that it retains more of it's strength and rigidity compared to hogging down the entire diameter. So for a fixed center at the tail stock that would be my choice. And in fact that is just what I did to a full size center when I needed a flatted center for the same reason as you. It was about five minutes at the regular grinder. It would have been less but I had to keep dipping the center to keep it cool enough to hold and not burn out the temper.

But then if I had a grinder setup like yours I'd likely be thinking that a diameter reduction is easier too.

For the live end center it would pretty well need to be a diameter reduction in any case. And it's not like the load on the work is all that high when grinding a finish on the part.

[JoeLee]

It looks like it would be a lot less work and set up to just grind the OD down to 3/8" dia. from the edge of the taper back about 1/2".
I wouldn't need to grind it all the way back to the B&S taper. This is for light grinding work so I'm not really considering the strength issue between making a flat vs dia. reduction.

JL....................

[BCRider]

How does that old adage go? "When the only tool you have is a hammer everything starts to look like a nail".... I'm sure that it's easy enough to stick a coarse stone in the machine and carve 'em down. As Carm said do what is easiest.

[Toolguy]

If you can, put it in a spindex and spin it down on a surface grinder or T&C grinder. Or put it in the lathe and use a toolpost grinder. 3/8" is still plenty of meat, you might want to go to .350 or so.