Cheap 1" tool rest post collar [mcnaughton etc]

[Dave Dula]

If anybody needed a cheap tool rest height collar.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000P0QA2W/...332200_TE_item

If you need to return the tool reset to a set height. I was concerned it wouldn't fit but it was exactly the right size for what I needed. Can't go wrong for $2

[Michelle Rich]

I use a 69 cent hose clamp

[Dennis Nagle]

I use this one because it has pretty color☺

http://www.amazon.com/Climax-Metal-C...3607P09GQYN09N

[Reed Gray]

I just drill a hone in a block of wood that I have rounded off. I do have lots of scraps....

robo hippy

[Michael Mills]

I'm glad that you posted that... but not for the same reason. The "Nova" collar list for $17.99!!!!!
I have a tool rest that I like but it has a short post. I do have post material.
Maybe two or three of those welded together would bridge the joint between the new and old post.

I use hose clamps with wings for setting the height when working the interior of a bowl. It only has to hold the position while the rest is swiveled and no set screw to mess with. I also scribed my post at exact center to visually set it a little above or below as needed.

[Sid Matheny]

I also use a hose clamp. Yes I am known to be cheap!

Sid

[Ralph Lindberg]

I use EMT, that is thin-wall electrical conduit. I have a series in 1/16 inch steps.

[Roger Chandler]

I just eyeball it and tighten down.........never had a problem and did not know I needed a post collar, but I do realize if one wants to get a precisely identical height every time, one could come in handy! Just never saw the need for one, myself.......your mileage may vary!

[Wally Dickerman]

Been making them out of PVC pipe for a lot of years. Just put a short length in a chuck and part them off with a narrow parting tool. Spindle turning requires a different height than using a bowl gouge. I have them on each of my toolrests used for different kind of turning. I've supplied hundreds of them for students in my classes.

Having the correct toolrest height every time for the way you use a bowl gouge is important to get the right cut. Having a collar makes it easy.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Grainger sells them too, but I'm sure I spent more than 2 bucks per. I have them on my hollowing tool rest and gate where the height is always the same. I think mine has 2 allen screws.

PVC works for different sizes/lengths. Love that idea too. Write the height on the outside. Or 5/8 bowl 3/8 bowl etc. Cut them lengthwise in half and they pop on and off. Don't have to take the tool rest off to change.

[Reed Gray]

Most of the 'locking' mechanisms in the banjos for the tool rests are a single set screw. This means you have to really crank down on it, or use two to get a good grip. If the handles are the pot/cast metal, and the head on the screw is hardened metal, the handle wears out. Oneway has a long handle lever on theirs so you can get a really tight grip. The Robust lathes have wedges on either side of the hole for your tool rest post, and when you tighten that up, the wedges do a better job of locking the tool rest in place. I think we have all experienced the tool rest pivoting or sinking as we turn. These collars are a good idea for preventing that. This is probably most important with the McNaughton coring tool. There is a lot of vibration with that one, and you do not want that tool rest to sink as you turn because the vertical blade will bind rather spectacularly in the curved kerf. Most of the time I don't worry about exact rest height. Close works for me. If I change tools during the turning, each one can require a slightly different height. I just compensate with raising or lowering the handle.

robo hippy

[Michael Gibson]

If we just had one of those machines that made things round we could make our own.......

[Eric Gourieux]

If we just had one of those machines that made things round we could make our own.......

I laughed out loud! Good one!

[Don Bunce]

I have a metal lathe, and enjoy turning steel as much as wood, and I just ordered a couple from Amazon...

For 2 bucks apiece, it's not worth the trouble to make them.

[Thomas Canfield]

I bought a 1" for my Powermatic and a 5/8" for my little Nova Comet. The 5/8" used a standard 1/4" set screw which I replaced with a lever lock bolt. The 1" set screw is not the standard 1/4 or 5/16" set screw but a fine thread and will require something different for easy adjustment. Thanks for the suggestion.