Keep a variety of lathe center points on hand so you always have the right tool for the job. These sets include at least four different points, as well as a lathe center body and a point extractor. Use the point extractor to remove a point from the body and swap in another. You can replace bodies, points, and extractors individually if they become worn or damaged.

Live centers sit in the tailstock to support the end of a workpiece. They spin with the workpiece to reduce friction between the tip and the material. For smooth rotation, these centers turn on lubricated bearings. The bearings are sealed to protect against chips and liquid, which extends the life of the tool. Precision live centers wobble less than standard live centers for three to five times greater accuracy as they spin.

Standard points provide tool clearance for CNC applications, making it easier to machine complex shapes and features. Bull-nose points have a wide head for holding hollow workpieces with large diameters. They’re often used with pipes and tubes. Cup points are designed to grip the outer diameter of a workpiece—instead of a tip, they have a cup-shaped recess. They’re also known as female points. Flat knurled points sit flush against workpieces for a tight grip. Their knurls create friction that keeps your workpiece from slipping. Extended-tip points are shaped to provide more tool clearance than standard points without adding much length. They’re also used for machining complex shapes and features.

TIR (total indicated runout) is a measure of rotational smoothness. The lower the value, the less wobble a rotating tool will have and the more accurate it will be.