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Live center · MT2

Entatial MK2 live centre, 60°

A tailstock center that turns with the work instead of burning into it — and the only item in this batch with no price anywhere.

Revolving live center with Morse taper shank, product photograph

Entatial MK2 live centre, 60°

A tailstock center that turns with the work instead of burning into it — and the only item in this batch with no price anywhere.

Taper
Morse taper 2 — MK2 on the listing
Point
60°
Type
Live, revolving center
Availability
Listed in Germany, France and Spain; no price shown in any of them
Amazon reference
B08KYD65R8 (identical on 3 markets)
EAN
8851665408906
  • Morse taper 2 is the common tailstock taper on hobby and mid-size lathes
  • A live center revolves with the work, so it neither burns the end grain nor needs wax
  • No price in Germany, France or Spain when the listing was read

Best for: Supporting the tailstock end of a spindle on a lathe with an MT2 tailstock

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Specifications

Taper
Morse taper 2 — MK2 on the listing
Point
60°
Type
Live, revolving center
Availability
Listed in Germany, France and Spain; no price shown in any of them
Amazon reference
B08KYD65R8 (identical on 3 markets)
EAN
8851665408906

Every figure below is a manufacturer specification read off the listing itself. The judgments are ours.

What the specification says

Very little. The listing names a Morse taper 2 live center with a 60 degree steel point, described for turning and CNC use, and publishes no feature list at all. The taper and the point angle are read off the title.

The taper is the whole decision

Everything else about a tailstock center is secondary. If the taper matches the tailstock quill, the center seats on friction and runs true; if it does not, nothing can be done at the machine end. Read the number from the lathe, not from a listing for a similar model, and be aware that some manufacturers change tapers between production runs.

Live rather than dead

A dead center is a fixed point that the workpiece rotates against, which means friction, heat and a periodic stop to re-wax it and take up the slack. A live center carries a bearing, so the point turns with the timber and none of that happens. On a long spindle the difference is the whole session.

No price on any market

This is the only item in this batch that is listed and unpriced everywhere it appears. A reference exists in Germany, France and Spain; none of the three carried a figure. That usually means the seller has gone out of stock rather than that the product is withdrawn, and it makes a price comparison impossible rather than merely awkward. It is also a reminder that a listing being reachable and a listing being buyable are not the same thing.

What comes up most often

How do I find my tailstock taper?

From the lathe manual, and from the machine if the manual has gone. Morse tapers are numbered and not interchangeable: an MT1 shank rattles in an MT2 socket and an MT3 will not enter it. This is the single specification that decides whether the center is usable, and it is worth reading twice before ordering.

Dead center or live center?

A dead center is fixed and the workpiece rotates against it, which generates heat and needs wax or oil and periodic re-tightening. A live center carries a bearing so the point turns with the work. For anything longer than a few minutes on the lathe the live center is what you want, and the price difference is small.

More turning tools

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    Contents
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    Insert type
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    Hardness
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    Case
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    Amazon reference
    B0FD514LBJ
    EAN
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    Contents
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    EAN
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    Contents
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    Amazon reference
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    EAN
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    Check price on Amazon

Elsewhere in the workroom

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    Amazon reference
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    EAN
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    Best for: Long glue-ups — table tops, door frames, anything over a meter

    Search Amazon for this model
  • Ten HSS planer blades for a hand-held electric planer, product photograph

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    Length
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    Width
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    Thickness
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    Amazon reference
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    Amazon reference
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    Check price on Amazon

All turning tools

Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.