[Color: Tailstock Live Center Mt2, Color: Tailstock Live Center Mt2]
I had an older 60‑degree live center that still functioned but had seen enough hours that the body was marred and the bearings weren’t spinning as freely as they once did. This new center is its replacement, though I’ll keep the old one as a backup. I don’t use a 60 degree cone every day. The cup‑style center handles most of my turning, but the cone is essential for certain jobs. It keeps a pre‑drilled end perfectly centered on spindle turnings like pepper mills, and it’s also the right choice for pen turning, whether using a mandrel or 60 degree bushings between centers.Out of the box, this one looked very well made. The bearings spun smoothly, the machining was clean, and it seated firmly in the MT2 taper. When pushed in fully, it needed to be released by backing out the tailstock, which is exactly what I expect from a properly fitting taper. I checked concentricity by aligning it with a dead center in the headstock, and it appeared spot on.For a real test, I mounted a pen blank between centers and ran the lathe up to 2400 rpm. The center ran true, and the turning went smoothly with no vibration or wandering. Afterward, the bearings still felt just as smooth.So far, this live center does everything I need and looks like a solid replacement for my worn out one.
