Hello all,
Well, my Dad finally handed down his old lathe, a Goodell-Pratt #125, and I've been having some fun ( and success! ) turning on it, but I have a few questions that I hope can get answered. Please forgive my 'novice' terminology.
First, the headstock chuck comes with 2 sets of 'teeth', one that steps towards the outer edge, one that steps towards the center. The outer step set is complete (it was on the lathe), but unfortunately I only have 1 of the 3 inner step teeth. I assume both types are needed to hold various types/sizes of materials. Does anyone know where I could find those teeth for such an old machine?
My second question is about drilling a hole exactly down the center of a dowel. I have a drill press, but that would require the dowel to be perfectly parallel to the bit and placed exactly on center, which, something tells me, wont be easy. Is this easier to do on the lathe since the dowel is spinning instead of the drill bit? If so... is the tapered 'bit' (Morse taper?) on this tailstock a common size? I see a #1 and #2 here :
Lathe Chuck and Tapers | Rockler Woodworking Tools
I have an old drill chuck I could use, so can I buy just a 'taper' that has threads to screw the chuck on?
And last is it worth getting a live center instead of just the point?
4 Pc Drive Center Set for #2MT Lathes at Penn State Industries
Thanks for any advice and I can post pics of anything if it helps.
CNR