Dead Centers
Insert these in your headstock to support your workpiece when machining between centers. Unlike live centers, dead centers don’t spin freely, so they give you a fixed point to stabilize your material. You can also use them in the tailstock to support the end of the workpiece when friction isn’t a concern. Made of through-hardened 52100 alloy steel—a material originally developed for bearings—these centers have exceptional hardness, strength, and wear resistance. That means you'll have to replace them less often than centers made of low-quality steel. You can also apply high-pressure grease on the point to reduce friction and wear.
Pipe and tubing centers hold large-diameter, hollow workpieces. Also known as bull-nose centers.
Carbide-tipped hardened steel dead centers have better wear resistance than hardened steel dead centers. They’re ideal for high-volume work and holding highly abrasive and hard materials.
Carbide-Tipped Hardened Steel | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morse Taper Number | Point Dia. | Point Tip Dia. | Point Lg. | Overall Lg. | TIR (Total Indicated Runout) Accuracy | Each | |
Dead Centers | |||||||
| 1 | 0.475" | __ | 1 3/16" | 3 5/16" | 0.00005" | 00000000 | 0000000 |
| 2 | 0.7" | __ | 1 5/8" | 4 3/16" | 0.00005" | 0000000 | 000000 |
| 3 | 0.938" | __ | 2 1/16" | 5 1/4" | 0.00005" | 0000000 | 000000 |
| 4 | 1.231" | __ | 2 11/16" | 6 3/4" | 0.00005" | 0000000 | 000000 |
| 5 | 1.748" | __ | 3 5/16" | 8 1/2" | 0.00005" | 0000000 | 000000 |
| 6 | 2.494" | __ | 4 1/4" | 11 1/2" | 0.00005" | 0000000 | 000000 |
| 7 | 3.27" | __ | 5" | 15" | 0.00005" | 0000000 | 00000000 |
Dead Centers for Pipe and Tubing | |||||||
| 3 | 2.75" | 1" | 2 33/64" | 5 3/4" | 0.00005" | 0000000 | 000000 |
| 4 | 2.75" | 1" | 2 33/64" | 6 9/16" | 0.00005" | 0000000 | 00000000 |
Interchangeable Point Lathe Centers
Mix and match points and bodies to create a lathe center that suits your job. Use an extractor (sold separately) to remove a point and swap in a new one.
Standard points provide tool clearance for CNC applications, making it easier to machine complex shapes and features. Carbide-tipped points are more wear resistant than hardened steel points. They're a good choice for high-volume operations and for holding hard or highly abrasive materials.
