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Thread: Long Bed Wood Lathe................Build?

  1. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by M Toupin View Post
    Think outside the box; a router jig will accomplish the same thing, be quicker to build and make it perfectly straight too.

    Mike

    Here's a example i found on the internet.
    Great idea if I had a router..............the cost of a decent one would pay for all my materials. Thanks

  2. #17
    Thank you everyonefor your replies so far,


    I have received somevery interesting ideas that if I were still living in the USA orCanada I might consider utilizing but being retired living here inMexico makes those options unfeasible. And I should clarify somewhatfor others;


    The Muk Jong dummieswhen made out of hard wood can weigh upwards of 200lbs in the roughbefore turning. The biggest problem with the Shopsmith is it'sinability to go slow enough for this project as it comes stock. Speedreducers are available but crazy pricey. Plus I don't like the SS'slack of rigidity for small pieces even much less something of thissize.


    Anyone who has everdone any renovations in his/her home knows that if you had to do itone way or the other that building from scratch is always easier todo than to redo it and make changes after the fact. So trying toadapt the SS power head with tubes etc. will be more effort and timethan what it will take to build an actual wood lathe.


    Since the instructorof the dojo asked me to build these wooden dummies for the school,every time a student wants one it will be another for me to make sothis lathe I'd like to build will not be for a one off type project.I really think that if built well with proper hardwood materials thatit will perform as a “lathe” better than my Shopsmith which is a510 Mark V.


    For the cylindersI'm thinking of gluing up 6 pieces of 2x10 hard maple or elm for thecylinder of the body if I can locate those species…….failing thatI will probably use oak. I'll cut off the edges using a skill saw ortable saw to get as close to round as I can before mounting them inthe lathe. The spindles being as heavy as they are could cause the SSto bounce all over the shop floor. I need something more substantialfor this build. If I can make a good build out of this, I see noreason to ever need to use the SS as a lathe again and can leave itset up for boring or sawing etc. and use the wooden lathe foranything lathe related.


    I think for a couplehundred dollars worth of materials I should be able to build a veryfunctional heavy duty wood lathe with an 8 foot bed overall. Similarto this;

    https://i.ytimg.com/vi/39t4yE9_9YU/hqdefault.jpg

  3. #18
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    Use 2x4s for the ways, screw 2 together in a T shape. Headstock a block of wood, drilled for a 1" piece of all thread, 2 nuts on each side of the wood to hold it in place, but loose enough to turn with a handle that will be turned by hand. Tailstock, another block of wood, drilled and tapped for another piece of 1" all thread, with a nut on each end to lock it on in place. Collet chuck with a lag bolt for the spur drive. Collet chuck with homemade dead center for the tailstock end. That's your lathe.

    For the cutter, build a plywood box to mount a trim router at centerline of the turning. A round nose bit is what I would use, I done it and it was satisfactory.

    This will explain it better. https://youtu.be/qGyMBkYgQsQ The above is a simplified version that can be made in any home shop. For more ideas Goggle "router lathe turning" and "router lathe duplicator" then look at the images.

    It takes one person to crank the blank on the lathe and another person to guide the router cutter. Take it slow, the router will want to bite the wood and take out chunks, that you probably won't want to be removed.

  4. #19
    Some thing like this:

    https://forum.canadianwoodworking.co...conover-lathes

    Ernie Conover doesn't make them any more, but the idea does work.

    robo hippy

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
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    Toronto, CA
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ian Lerner View Post
    The original post read "The dummies traditionally are 5 feet tall and 9 inches in diameter......just a smooth cylinder".

    I'd like to hear more on the post and beam lathes.
    sorry didnt see that.

    Traditional lathes were used to turn the columns on the front of houses. Often 12" or more diameter and easily 8' long.
    The "blanks" were not solid wood, rather glued up lengthwise, hollow in the middle.

    a few examples:

    http://www.vintagemachinery.org/phot...l.aspx?ID=2624
    http://www.vintagemachinery.org/phot...l.aspx?ID=7395

    This is a close relative to my own and a great example
    http://www.vintagemachinery.org/phot....aspx?ID=10302

    typically they are just a head and tailstock, on two large wood beams as a bed.
    Belt drive to an external motor. Easy to build.

    So almost any length is possible.
    not terribly user friendly or accurate, but does the job.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
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    San Diego, Ca
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    There is a local professional Wood turning shop (Roger's Woodturning, Inc., Vista Ca. - - no relation to me) and they turn a lot of unique items, including some long columns. I was fortunate to have been given a tour of their facility.

    What I found interesting is that on one of their long lathes, they turn the wood slowly - - maybe 60 -100 rpms and remove the wood using a radial arm saw with a carbide blade. They would make a couple of roughing passes taking off perhaps 1/2 inch at a pass and then a final "clean-up" with minimal removal - - maybe 1/8". Then they sanded with a large power sander and fairly coarse grit paper. The results were impressive.

    Here is a picture from their website - the saw is on the left end:


  7. #22
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    Sep 2015
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    I took a video, but am not sure how to post it without uploading it to something like Youtube. But here is a still or two of the machine I saw in person:

    IMG_0005 (1024x768).jpgIMG_0007 (1024x768).jpg

    One thing interesting is how the machine was made to be re-configured for whatever particular job was required. They even had it set up to do copying. It isn't elegant but it is a workhorse that turns out lots of columns. Perhaps this may serve as an inspiration to the OP.

  8. #23
    Very interesting stuff Brice. Did you notice the long set up had the headstock and the tailstock on separate tables all held together with clamps to keep the alignment?

    I have an area separate from my enclosed workshop where I could put a second lath of similar nature. Because I don't have a router I was thinking about how I might incorporate a circular saw on a sled like you would using a router and then have one person turn the material and a second person manage the saw. At least that way a person could keep the rotational speed down to a safe level without going to such an elaborate belt and pulley system.

    I've been seeing a lot of saws used in this manor. Seems the saw blades would last far longer than router blades would under the same setup.

  9. #24
    Join Date
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    Along some of the same lines...
    Something like in this video. Don't use a chainsaw. Note the movable tool rest starting about the 3:30. Should be fairly cheap to have a block made to accept the post.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydDQQQww1AA

    Now I get crazy (or stupid).
    Tailstock. Have a base to mount to a table (12X12?) and upright to accept the screw from a used landing leg from a trailer. Most shops just throw the legs away (scrap them) and replace the entire assembly.
    IIRC they are about 1.5 diameter and 16+" long. Part shown here page 275 #27 or page 276 #53. Even better if the gear box worked because you would have a high/low that can lift up to 70,000 pounds.
    Headstock. Your build of spindle assembly. Not sure what the rpm is but a 6 hp garden tiller is pretty slow, probably less than 100 rpm. I know mine has about a 1.5" pulley on the motor shaft and about 12" to run the tines. It would be noisy.
    OK, time for a more logical person.
    http://www.newlifeparts.com/newlife/.../section17.pdf
    "I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity." - Edgar Allan Poe

  10. #25
    Olaf, ideally I'd love to get my hands on a headstock and tailstock like those to simply build a bed and stand around. It would sure simplify things. Then you could simply replace the ways to a set of different length ways and away you go for a different size. My wooden one that I'll build will be very similar but the head and tail stocks will be made of hardwood with imbedded bearing in wood rather than metal.

    I think the biggest obstacle to overcome will be in slowing the rotational speed down enough for roughing out the dummy blank. I may have to mount a very large pulley off the outboard side so as to avoid mounting one within the framework thus possibly encountering size/space limitations.
    Last edited by Ian Lerner; 03-22-2017 at 7:41 PM.

  11. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Mills View Post
    Along some of the same lines...
    Something like in this video. Don't use a chainsaw.
    Yeah...please don't!

    My risk tolerance levels are pretty high, but the idea of using a chainsaw on a running lathe...scares the $%^&* outa me.

    (and if the saw doesn't kill me, my wife certainly will)

  12. #27
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    Yes, I noticed that (the clamps). I think that they configure the components depending on the particular job that they're doing. When I was there, they weren't doing a 20' long spindle but were set up for something shorter - - maybe 6 feet long. When they had something longer than their lathe, they just mated them together "butt-to-butt".

    I was fascinated watching the fairly simple components working together.

    I guess that it boils down to doing whatever you need to do to get the job done.



    Quote Originally Posted by Ian Lerner View Post
    Very interesting stuff Brice. Did you notice the long set up had the headstock and the tailstock on separate tables all held together with clamps to keep the alignment?

    I have an area separate from my enclosed workshop where I could put a second lath of similar nature. Because I don't have a router I was thinking about how I might incorporate a circular saw on a sled like you would using a router and then have one person turn the material and a second person manage the saw. At least that way a person could keep the rotational speed down to a safe level without going to such an elaborate belt and pulley system.

    I've been seeing a lot of saws used in this manor. Seems the saw blades would last far longer than router blades would under the same setup.

  13. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie Buxton View Post
    Ernie Conover used to build and sell wood-bed lathes. They were more like kits; he supplied the moving parts, and the buyer supplied the structural stuff. The buyer could just as easily build a long-bed lathe as a shorter one. He's no longer in this business, and used Conover lathes turn out to be somewhat spendy. But you might look around the web for his machines for ideas for your own.
    In case anyone is looking for a Conover lathe there's one on the Seattle craigslist. It's been listed quite awhile. Seems like the last price was around $750. It may just be the metal kit so it'd need the wood for the bed which shouldn't be a problem.
    Last edited by Doug Rasmussen; 03-24-2017 at 7:39 PM.

  14. #29
    Ok, well I am making headway finding parts for the beast. I have an old washing machine motor that I believe is 1/3 HP which might be able to do the job slowly but I think it would be really underpowered for turning something more than 9 inches in diameter and 5 feet long.

    What size motor should I be looking for that would do the job easily. I don't mind spending on the motor as it can always be used for multiple things later on or at the same time/shared. tnx

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
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    Longmont, CO
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    Treadmills are good sources of variable speed and motors, you can use the existing electronics and such and the motors are usually around 2 hp. Large industrail fans and similar are also good sources for bearings, shafts, pulleys and belts.

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