Quickly aligning a shaft before turning

Before I start to turn down a shaft, I always align it with this tool. It’s made of a small bearing fit into a holder, with the holder welded to a square solid that fits into the average toolholder.

I place the tool in the holder, start the lathe, slowly turn the bearing toward the shaft being turned, and watch as it automatically aligns itself. It’s a quick turnaround from aligning parts to the actual machining of the parts.

Jeremy Stahl

Kimball, S.D.

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