Brad,

Steb is the name of the inventor of the center bearing the name.  Sorby licensed the patent and sells drive and live centers by that name.   There are similar knockoffs on the market.  Last I looked, the knock offs are not the same diameter as those sold by Sorby.

I have used the 1/2 inch Sorby Steb brand centers for many years for small to moderate sized spindles.  These are a form of "safety centers" that will spin with a serious catch.  In teaching kids to turn, they help reduce some risk and build skew confidence.  I like the small size for preparing spindles for small projects using irregular wood.

I have tried a couple of knockoff versions.  They are larger, but find I come back to the Sorby version.

These are not an essential tool.  But I find them handy for spindles up to 1 1/2 inch or so.  Really small stuff like knitting needles they apply too much compression.  Bigger than 2 inch is too much for the small sized one I have and I use a large drive center and live center

As usual, the answer depends on what you are doing.   

Safety centers are a good approach, and can come in several forms. 

Brad Barnhart wrote on May 17^th, 2017 at 7:41am:


Just my experiences.  They can/do slip with a catch.  What I use mine for is small dry spindles under 2" diameter and small dry face work under about 7".  For the face work I mean like a small platter, saucer, or other thin item where you may have a limited about of wood to be removed; this could also include small winged bowls (Clewes style).
I can't see where they would be any/much use with hollow forms that a 4 spur will not handle just as well or better.

For most spindles you can use your 4 prong but the steb really comes in handy where a spur would be hard to seat such as on a platter.

Mike Mills wrote on May 17^th, 2017 at 2:22pm:

That's the point, they are supposed to slip. No damage to the wood (splitting) or the turner.

Brad Barnhart wrote on May 17^th, 2017 at 7:49pm:

I understand putting the cash towards a chuck but I will mention that the Sorby brand centers cost 3 times as much as a comparable Woodcraft brand. (and that's on sale)


A little off topic
It may just be me but why would you use a drive center of any kind on faceplate work?

Brad, Nothing wrong with your posts at all. Just ask - and you will receive. Throw caution (about posting) to the wind. No such thing as a dumb question - the questioner is usually answered by a smart and experienced questionee (maybe the other way around  ).  I'm dumber than a blade of grass, but I still get answers to my stupid questions! I think some of the answers are dumber than I am though (!) Not.

ok. well, like i said, i'm new enough to this that I'm still makin' more firewood than presentable projects. Lately, family obligations & my health have kept me away from the shop. After nearly 4 months, I was finally released from pt this week, so hopefully shop time will pick up. And, like i said, i've got a few ideas for projects, but have several scroll projects to get caught up first. I appreciate your explanation, Ed. I've learned alot here & didn't want any enemies.

Brad

Like Ed, I've been confused by the various posts in this discussion.  And with several thousand hours on a lathe, I'm sometimes still feeling like a rookie when I try to go in a new direction.

A spindle could be a chair rung, a table leg, a rolling pin, a walking cane, . . .  Spindles usually are engaged at each end, and if the tailstock is backed off the spindle falls onto the lathe bed.

The spindle is turned by some sort of drive center in the headstock - a four spur drive center, a two spur drive center, or a cone or steb center.  The latter two are sometimes called safety centers, as the spindle can stop turning if there is a catch.  The drive centers almost always have a morse taper that slips into the spindle.

A faceplate is used for larger diameter "stuff."  They can be used for turning bowls and "face work" like the base of a table or floor lamp.  Screws secure the wood to the faceplate.  If the work is out of balance, many people will bring up the tailstock until the work is balanced, then the tailstock usually is not engaged.

Like a faceplate, a chuck secures the work at one end (although the tailstock may be used initially for additional safety) but does not leave screw holes in the end of the work.  Some attach a waste block to a faceplate, then adhere the work to the waste block and part off the work from the waste block when done.

With proper screws in proper number, a faceplate might be a more secure holding than a chuck.

Everyone has their own preferred leaning methods.  I started with book/video pairs by Richard Raffan, and still find them valuable reference material.   There are a number of quality videos on this forum.  A friend or neighbor can be helpful, but a turning group can be even more beneficial as one is exposed to different approaches and favored techniques.

Different types of projects - spindle,  bowl, faceplate, inside-out, . . . - involve different mounting approaches, different tools, different techniques, and so on.  It can be difficult to stay on one path initially, but you might find it helpful to focus on spindles for a while, even if just making fancy pieces of kindling, to develop confidence with some of the tools and terminology.

Brad,  the folks at Gwinnett Woodworkers on Youtube have a few scroll saw lathe combinations. 

Mike Mills wrote on May 17^th, 2017 at 2:22pm:

You can call it whatever you want and hold it however you want, it wasn't the language that confused me.
From your description, I don't understand why or how (I can only guess in conjunction with the tailstock) you would use a drive center for "small platter, saucer, or other thin item"
I don't understand this approach to work holding.

Mike Mills wrote on May 22^nd, 2017 at 7:55am:

That part is true, but the other half of the equation is that in the event of a catch, they are "designed" to work as a slip-clutch mechanism. This means providing an outlet for the turning force so that, primarily the operator and secondarily the piece, suffer little or no damage.

In  the event of a catch with a traditional 4-prong drive center, you will usually have one of two things happen.
1. The tool will dig in further before it eventually kicks the tool out and creates a larger damaged area, since the drive continues to turn the spindle.
2. The tool stops the spindle entirely, leaving only one place for the turning force to be released, splitting the spindle.
A steb center eliminates both of those potential safety hazards.

If you look at Lyle Jamieson videos on youtube, you will see that he starts all of his bowls between centers using a Steb in the headstock. This way, he can change the centers around until the blank is balanced, and then move the centers marginally while turning it to get the best grain and feature orientation.

Ed: that's one of the videos that I was thinking of. In that one, Lyle is using a prong center, but the same idea holds using a steb.

As an aside, like you, I generally start with a blank a bit more refined. I tend to cut them round on my bandsaw first. I still get heavy spots, though, and Lyle's process works well. I've also learned from Lyle's method that I can get better grain symmetry than I did when I stuck a face plate on the blank from the start.

Grant Wilkinson wrote on May 23^rd, 2017 at 11:44am:


You didn't post a link so I provided an example. (took a shot)
I'm well aware of what he is doing in his process with regards to grain alignment but I confess, I didn't get that from Mike's description. (if he's referring to the same thing).

As always, everyone has their own way of doing things. I am only trying to clarify for myself and others that either don't know of a different process or don't understand the explanation of a certain process.

I finally realized what was missing.  When I said "and small dry face work under about 7"."  I should have said "to start small dry face work....". 
In a Jimmy Clewes workshop one of the items we turned was a small platter (saucer) of QS sycamore 3/4 thick.  Starting between centers the top was slightly dished out and a tenon formed; then reversed holding the tenon with a chuck and then bottom was formed with a recess; then reversed again to finish the top.  Starting with the steb meant it did not have to be "set" into the wood as the teeth are sharp enough.
I did not make the connection that folks may think the entire project was turned with just a steb.  Sorry 'bout that.

Whether it is purchased for grip or for safety (slippage) is up to the buyer.
Mine are the cheapo PSI but they work fine for me (<$30 on Amazon).
I did check Sorby and PSI but my eyesight leaves much to be desired.  I could only find references to the superior hold/grip in their descriptions.
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I did look at your facebook and that is some mighty fine scroll work.

Alan Stratton posted this video a two days ago where he turned a scroll sawn item.  I know it is not up to what you do but it may give you some ideas.  He also shows a different approach (friction chuck) for starting the item.
Gave me an idea for next Christmas for some in-laws that fish a lot... a coin/key bowl 3/4" thick (1/2" deep) in the shape of a fish.
You can skip the first 2 minutes in this video.
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