I've been looking for a 3MT Live Cup Center that has at least a 1/2 inch dia but haven't found one yet. Also don't want to pay too much. I don't have a lot of experience but I want to buy the cheap $22 3MT Live Center from HF and bore it to a cup center. Is this something that is feasible. Any advice is welcome, especially from anyone who has done something similar.
If the center is worth buying, you'll be unable to bore it because it's way too hard.
What can work for you is to make a snug slip fit device the slips over the male center, and has a cup on the opposite end. That works very well, especially if you bore the part that fits over the live center so it's exactly the right size so it *is* a snug slip fit over the point, and there's a center drill that runs concentric at the bottom of the bore, so when you slip it on the center it bottoms on the point, which transfers the load from the cup to the center, keeping it from wallowing about.
If you choose this route, make sure you leave enough clearance between the adapter and the main body of the live center so you can get a couple narrow wedges (pry bars, for example) in to remove it when necessary.
It can be done, bore a piece to a tight fit over the OD of the center and then bore the angle to match the center's angle. Turn it around and machine the cup to your needs. For an extra 40 bucks you can get a full set. KBC Tools has an interchangeable # 2 live center set for $64 Probably a chinese copy of the Skoda set. comes with 7 diffenent ends. part # 1-506-102
Thanks for the link. Sounds like a solid option that I hadn't found. Looks like the MT3 is around $68 for the set. It's $46 more than the other option but this is a center I will use fairly often. I've found sets like this elsewhere for $50 and just the center I need for $30 but then I need to use a 2 to 3 adapter. What do you guys recommend doing for something that will see a fair amount of hobby use and precision would be nice. current options are
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