Hey folks. I'm a new turner but no stranger to machines and technical modifications, etc. I have a rockwell-delta 46-111 lathe that has a 14" over the gap and 11" over the bed travel. I know its not strong enough to not flex under really heavy loads, but it works fine for up to about 10" dia. x 5" deep bowls that I've turned so far.

I've already modified the lathe by putting in a "jackshaft" reducer pulley setup and some power twist link-belt, and swapped the tiny factory motor for a 1.5HP Leeson wired to 220v single phase. I like to tinker with things.

My next want is to increase the swing capacity a little bit so that I can make some larger platters/shallow bowls. I plan to use some air-dried black locust planed to about 1.25" to use as a riser block. I may even use 2x 1" blocks glued together. I don't want to go through having a machinist mill an iron block; I think the locust will be hard enough to support the headstock and the weight of the work. I'll glue a piece to fit in the keyway (I think thats the right word) to keep it in place, and just add some longer bolts. Anyone see a problem with this?? I have enough room in the tool rest support to be able to work on a piece 16" dia, but I don't think I want to do anything quite that large yet; its just impractical for me-I don't have any wood around that large. Any suggestions??