I'm considering riser blocks on my g766. The lathe seems to have plenty of power. my first thought is get a big old chunk of metal, steel or aluminum for the headstock and tailstock. then extend the clamp bolt with a coupler nut and either a bolt or all thread. Then machine places for the tabs going into the blocks and adding tabs on the bottom side for alignment. Removable tabs on the bottom could allow a rotatable head. 1 1/2 or 2" thick blocks maybe? m18-2.5 coupler nuts and all thread are not cheap or easy to find. I haven't found all thread yet. what think you? clint
2" riser blocks would bring you to 26" of swing......that would be bigger than a Robust American Beauty or a Serious SL2542, both of which have 25" swing on them. That is a lot of size, but the G0766 does have the power to handle it. Some Robust AB's have 2 hp, but the 3hp is more popular in that model. The SL2542 has 3 hp as well. Do you turn that big on a regular basis, Clint?
I saw the coupler nuts on Amazon: J.W. Winco A82719 No. 6334 Steel Extension Nut, Metric Size, M18" x 2.5" Thread, 54 mm Height, 27 mm Across Flats for under eleven bucks. I've looked inside my headstock casting to get a feel for whether or not it might be up to the job and was a little surprised that the wall thickness was less than I had imagined. The casting thickness appears to generally be around 3/8 inch thick. So, while people are not reporting issues of cracking the casting with really large logs (like the full 22" diameter), turning a 26" diameter may add around 40% more weight and inertia. BTW, I bought a 2015 G0766 and the spindle height is a bit too high for me. Adding 2 more inches would make turning really uncomfortable for me. If you bought a 2016 model, I think that they provided legs that were about 2" shorter so maybe that would work for you (assuming that you are over 6 feet tall. Have you thought of putting the G0800 on your Christmas list?
This is David Barkby. He turns REALLY BIG wall hangings. Rather than put a 3 foot riser under the headstock and tailstock, , he just turns off the end of the lathe. On the G0766, you can easily slide the headstock to the end of the lathe to do this. But you would want to have a solid steady rest. I've seen David's large lathe set up at an art show in Phoenix and it is mounted to the floor with bolts embedded into concrete. Another alternative would be to use the extra tapped holes in the ends of the legs to mount a steady and/or outboard extension.
I want to turn drum shells... Big hollow things using a steady rest. Mostly stave construction. Fairly thin walls. thanks for the lead on the coupling nuts. M18-2.5 all thread? anything wrong with the basic concept? clint
I will turn the outside between centers so I need the tailstock. i don't see an 800 in my near future... Note that I would not kick one out of my shop! clint
Clint, try using google for the all-thread. I did and got lots of hits. For your application, you could make the riser so that you use the original locking clamp, threaded rod and nut. You would make the riser block so that you bolt it to the bed in two places, using some sort of clamping plate and bolts (not a lever arm). Then you make the top of the riser to have the 1.5" slot for the original locking plate and lever to fit. In fact, unless you are thinking of making dozens of these drums, you could probably make the riser block out of a dense hardwood (perhaps the top would part would be better with a metal but the bottom could be wood). The stave approach is going to be fairly balanced and the forces on the lower side. Just a thought...
Hmmm.... Some good thoughts there. I think I just changed my plans a little. i may actually make dozens of drum shells. clint
Post pictures of your setup. I play guitar, but know several drummers who have asked about custom drum shells. That's out of my current skill sets, but I might be able to refer some work your way.
I'm still working on my methods and techniques. I made a few ashikos and a couple of small djembes. And I have some "research" drums in line to turn. my most formidable drum to date is "Big Red". It's 30 1/2" diameter by about 32" tall. It is a tapered stave drum with a tuned port. Output is a whopping 126 decibels when played hard. It has been heard from about a mile away. Not turned on a lathe. I can plan and dream... clint
