drive centres

• The multi-tooth drive centres feature a ring of teeth around the circumference of the tip, with a central drive point to give accurate positioning. This design gives an extremely strong grip, thanks to the many points of contact in the timber, which also minimises the risk of splitting the timber.

On the multi-tooth drive centre the grip is spread across many small teeth rather than 4 or 6 prongs, it is possible to grip the timber sufficiently just by using the clamping pressure of the lathe tailstock - no need to drive the tips into the wood with a mallet. Another benefit of this design is that your work can be removed from the lathe and accurately repositioned, using the centre point and ting of teeth as an accurate guide. These drives also give a fantastic grip to paper-joint wood blanks, as the ring of teeth grip on many points across the drive’s circumference across both sections of wood on either side of the joint. The 32 mm diameter drive centre is ideal for holding side-grain bowl blanks. It is also suitable for holding natural-edged bowls between centres, particularly if seated inside a 32 mm diameter recess, for extra support from the recess walls. The 16 and 22 mm drive centres are ideal for holding spindle work.  

• The design of the 6-prong drive centres offers an enhanced grip to timber using the principle of opposing tooth profiles. The central point of the tool secures the drive centre in place, the six teeth around it grip the timber securely and the opposing tooth pattern ensures the wood fibres are pulled together to reduce the chance of splitting. Having two more teeth than the traditional 4-prong drive centres, they are ideal for use on hardwoods and larger pieces of wood.

The grip is spread across 6 prongs, it is possible to grip the timber sufficiently just by using the clamping pressure of the lathe tailstock - no need to drive the tips into the wood with a mallet. Another benefit of this design is that your work can be removed from the lathe and accurately repositioned, using the centre point and ting of teeth as an accurate guide. These drives also give a fantastic grip to paper-joint wood blanks, as the ring of teeth grip on many points across the drive’s circumference across both sections of wood on either side of the joint. The 32 mm diameter drive centre is ideal for holding side-grain bowl blanks. It is also suitable for holding natural-edged bowls between centres, particularly if seated inside a 32 mm diameter recess, for extra support from the recess walls. The 16 and 22 mm drive centres are ideal for holding spindle work.