Bowl turning - rotating head stock or off the end of the bed?

[Chip Sutherland]

Looking for a discussion on the merits of turning bowls from a rotating head stock versus of the end of the lathe bed. I'm looking for the pro/con of each approach.

I'd like to turn bowls and some larger platters. I have always turned over the bed ways so what do I need to know about 1) rotating head stocks 2) turning off the end of the lathe bed 3) floor stand tool rests?

[Chris Barton]

Hi Chip,

I won't be much help here because I have never used my outboard turning function. I turn most of my bowls on my PM3520a and have never had a piece of stock to turn that was that big. However, I have hear others say that it is easier to get to the bowl in the outboard mode rather than lean across the lathe bed...

[John Hart]

Hi Chip,
For a little while now, I've been doing bowls and hollow forms over the bed. It's wasn't until Andy Hoyt mentioned an outboard approach just the other day, that I even considered going outboard. Hey, what can I say, I'm stupid. So, for the past few days, I've been turning at about a 30 degree angle away from the bed. What a difference!!! No more backache, no more piles of tools in my way. Plus, I can see better. I go at 30 degrees for the purpose of reach of the toolrest. Haven't tried a floorstand rest. So, for what it's worth....I vote Outboard

[Kurt Aebi]

Slightly rotating the headstock works well for me. I can get into the bowl for scraping and sanding a whole lot easer. Just make sure your tailstock is true with the headstock after you turn the head back to "zero"

[Andy Hoyt]

Chip - I recently acquired a new machine that has outboard capabilty, which for me was terribly important.

First, I do a fair amount of hollow form turning without aid of those big rigs; just simple tools (long ones and short) and I got really tired of bending over and twisting sideways to see inside. After a day of that I'd be useless the next day. With the outboard feature I still bend over but no twisting and this has been a godsend.

Okay guys - insert jokes about uselessness here.

The second reason is that I needed (actually - wanted is more like it) additonal swing so I could do bigger stuff. The new machine only has a 16" swing inboard, but outboard it has 24" which is all I will ever need. Doing a bowl outboard is nice. You can stand whereever you want, put your toolrest whereever you want, and make any kind of cut you want without restriction - and keep that tool handle close to your beergut.

The rotating head notion (as on a Nova) did not interest me at all. I felt that heavier pieces hanging off the side would be an invitation for all sorts of balancing and vibration headaches.

A sliding head (as on a PM 3520) would probably have worked just fine, but given the layout of my shop and where the lathe must be, it would have meant turning with the headstock to my right (as I face the ways) and that presents a learning curve issue, as well as problems with stuff flying off spindles since the machine would be running backwards most of the time and not every device has locking screws.

And lastly, I'm not a big fan of independent floorstand toolrests. I see too much potential for the thing to want to wiggle across the floor just enough and at just the wrong moment to cause an "unscheduled event".

Hope this helps.

[Dennis Peacock]

Outboard turning? Never done it...may try it one day, but them Mark Cothren will have to come and help me turn my 3520A around!!!

One thing about a floorstand tools rest? It's GOT to be heavy and MORE solid than a Rock.!!!!!

[Harry Pye]

Chip,

I haven't done any really big bowls yet. My DVR has a swivel head with several locking positions. I've found that putting it at 22½° I can still use the standard tool rest but I don't have to lean over the bed. So, while I may do the outside in the normal orientation, I swing it out to the first notch when doing the inside.

One of the guys in our club has the older Nova and he does all of his turning (bowls) with the headstock at 90° to the ways. He uses the auxilary tool rest that bolts to the lathe.

So my vote is for swiveling. Course I have no choice.