New turnings and new gadgets (pictures)

[Moses Weisberg]

I am back from my hiatus at college and finally have had a chance to turn some wood. I'm currently building a photo tent, so I don't have many good pictures of my new work to post, but I did make one very handy addition to my tools. I generally finish with tung oil, and sometimes buff for a glossier finish. Until now, the outsides of my bowls were shiny, and the insides matte for lack of a buffing ball. I knuckled down and bought a set of Beall ones, but couldn't bring myself to buy the adapter to actually use them in the lathe. As luck would have it, I turned some aluminum down and threaded a 3/8-16 hole in one end to serve as the adapter. Let me know what you think.
Buffing Adapter.jpgBuffing Adapter Installed.jpg
I gave it a test earlier today, and it runs true at high speed:
Buffing Adapter in Use.jpg

I'll post pictures of the new bowls when I get the time.

[Eric Holmquist]

Nice job! Always fun to make your own tool and stuff

[Baxter Smith]

Nice job Moses. I made one out of wood (being cheap), it never occurred to me that I could have turned aluminum just as easily!

[Chris Studley]

Ha Baxter, Never occured to me that you could make one out of wood.. Thanks to both of you...

[Peter Blair]

Hey Moses. How do you grip it in your chuck? I would have guessed that the jaws would leave dents and thus make it a little more difficult to centre and run properly the more you use it?

[Steve Schlumpf]

Glad you are getting in some turning time! Looks like your adapter works just fine! Looking forward to seeing some of your work real soon!

[Moses Weisberg]

Hey Moses. How do you grip it in your chuck? I would have guessed that the jaws would leave dents and thus make it a little more difficult to centre and run properly the more you use it?

Peter, I turned a 7/8" tenon for the inner chuck jaws to grip on. The surfaces of the chuck are pretty broad, so they don't exert enough pressure to mark up the aluminum. I also haven't found the need to crank the chuck closed incredibly hard to hold the adapter firmly. I'll have to see how it stands up to use though.