This is at a friends and before I bring it home to roost a couple of things are going to happen: 1 - bore the banjo out to 1" to accept stand posts 2 - Make a hand wheel for the headstock 3 - one of my friends articulating arms he makes
Congratulations, Ron! I know you'll enjoy. Let us know how your mods turn out. Another addition to consider is a custom ballast box. It's already a fairly heavy lathe, but nine 50 lb plastic bags of play sand makes it even more impressive. The plywood in the shipping crate is perfect for a box. Some species of tropical hardwood. Brush-on poly makes a nice finish. To hold nine bags of sand and still leave enough room for a top shelf requires keeping the box so low that some toe room is lost. I prefer that to less sand and more toe room, but YMMV. I kept everything low by seating the bottom stretchers on the cast-iron flanges that receive the adjustable feet, after padding up slightly with wood spacers to allow for adjustment of the feet. David
Nice lathe, Ron! Use a drill press for making the post hole 1" so as to keep the hole plumb, if you can do so. I agree with David.....ballast is a good thing, but if you can, save the toe room.......there are many cuts where getting close in to the lathe makes them much easier and safer. Post some pics when you make some shavings...
I have a friend who has a 1" reamer and a bridgeport or two
I'd never pass up an opportunity to use a friend's Bridgeport, but a bit from an inexpensive Silver & Deming set in a drill press works fine. Can't recall where I got mine years ago, but these get good reviews: http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece...t-set-527.html David
