# Bowl lathe build thread.



## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I have been rounding up parts to do this build. I am ready to get to work. I paid a local machinist to make the spindle, and cut a slot for the banjo. The banjo is 2-1/2 square 3/8 wall thickness. The spindle is 1-1/4 with 8 tpi. I am happy with the threads they are better than the threads on my jet 16-42. Which motor should I use?I have a 2 hp 1725 rpm, a 3 hp 3400 rpm, and a baldor 50 hp. Sadly, I can't power the 50 hp. It will be hard to get the 3 hp slow enough. Will the 2 hp be strong enough it will be geared down no EVS?.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

The 2 HP will be much better. It is a four-pole motor whereas the 3 HP is a two-pole motor. The difference is torque ripple which translates into vibration; four-pole motors are much smoother running than two-pole motors.

There is also the issue of belt speed and pulley size. Designing a belt drive and staying within operating limits for belts and pulleys is much easier with the slower motor. With a belt drive, you have a major advantage over lathes with variable frequency inverter drives and that advantage is POWER. The reason that you see several of the big lathes using 3 HP motors is that thee is a huge power penalty with electronic drives at low speeds and in order to make up for that loss of power, a larger motor is necessary. Now, when using only a "lowly" stepped cone pulley set for changing speed, you have the advantage of always having full power because the motor is always running at full speed. We pay a lot for the convenience of electronic variable speed control.

I would recommend that the slowest speed be 300 RPM OR SLOWER ... slower would be nice. Unless you are thinking of turning pens and bottlestoppers on your big lathe, I wouldn't bother with anything faster than 2000 RPM ... in fact, 1500 RPM should be more than adequate for the top end. On my Robust lathe I never take it out of the low speed range which has a top speed of just over 1000 RPM. Finally, consider using a ten-rib J-section belt rather than a conventional A-section V-belt. The poly-V pulleys and belts are more expensive, but they are much more efficient and run quieter and smoother.


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## 9thousandfeet (Dec 28, 2014)

I seem to remember you saying you plan to keep your Jet, and if that's the case you'll have a lathe for working the smaller stuff and so you won't need a high speed top end for this new build.

I agree with Bill that a max speed of 1500 is plenty for large work. I honestly doubt I exceed 1000 for anything bigger than 12" diameter, though I don't have an rpm readout so I don't really know.
I also agree that 300 is at least on the borderline of being too fast for a minimum speed, especially if you plan on turning very large work. 
I'd want to be able to spin work at half that. 
A 20"+ piece doesn't have to be spinning very fast to give one hell of a linear speed out near the rim, and a big piece like that doesn't have to be badly out of balance to make even a 1000lb lathe hop around more than you might think if you can't slow things down enough.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I am going to keep the jet. I want a low speed of about 100. High speed will be decided be the gearing needed to get the low speed. I hardly ever take my jet out of low speed that is 1200 rpm.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I plan on using the motor to drive a jack shaft. The motor will have a double pulley the jack shaft will have a large air compressor pulley for low speed, and a small pulley for high speed. The other end of the jack shaft, and the lathe spindle will have a stepped pulley. It should have 8 speeds.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

A good design goal on the belt drive system is to size the pulley such that a minimal amount of jack shaft movement needed and hopefully no motor movement. I made a screw driven slide for the motor when I rebuilt a bandsaw and that worked well. There are commercially available devices available, but they are expensive. Also, make sure that the spindle and jack shaft can be easily removed when it is time to do a belt change.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I had planed to change belts from the motor to the jack shaft, and from the jack shaft to the spindle. I had planed to hinge the jack shaft and motor and use the weight of the motor to tighten the belt.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Bill Boehme said:


> A good design goal on the belt drive system is to size the pulley such that a minimal amount of jack shaft movement needed and hopefully no motor movement. I made a screw driven slide for the motor when I rebuilt a bandsaw and that worked well. There are commercially available devices available, but they are expensive. Also, make sure that the spindle and jack shaft can be easily removed when it is time to do a belt change.


If you use a link belt you don't have to take anything apart.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

They will work, but they're not my favorite. It seems like they are perpetually stretching and under heavy torque load tend to slip. This means that you will need to tighten them more than a regular belt. They also tend to be somewhat noisy.

I have a pair of them on m drill press and they are OK for that because the torque load is generally very low. However, the high frequency buzz is annoying.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I was planning to put the pulleys outside of the bearings so I would never have to take it apart. It will be under pretty high torque so link belts probably aren't a good idea.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

The pulleys for the J-section belts (AKA ribbed belts, multi-V, poly-V) are more expensive and harder to find, but they are becoming the preferred belt drive because of their quieter and smoother running as well as being more efficient than the standard V-belts. Have you determined yet how long will the jack shaft be?


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## 9thousandfeet (Dec 28, 2014)

Yeah, I'd go with ribbed poly belts too. 
What you don't want is vibration telegraphing up through the drive train, and Vee belts will vibrate some even with top-quality and superbly balanced pulleys, and they will vibrate quite a bit more with the regular kind, which tend to be made to rather large tolerances.
The kind you find on an air compressor, for example, or a drill press, where even fairly significant vibrations don't really compromise functionality at all.

At the very least I'd design the power train so it will be easy to convert to ribbed belts somewhere down the road if the money isn't there right now, and if the thought of waiting until it is won't work for some reason.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I will have to buy belts anyway, so I will use poly belts. All pulleys will be reclaimed, and I can't afford to buy new ones. The jack shaft will be as short as possible. I will build it so I can change it over later. The first picture is of the motor I plan on using. The rest are of the huge baldor motor.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Are you guys talking about belts like the first or second picture?

.


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## 9thousandfeet (Dec 28, 2014)

The 2nd.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Most cars use belts like the second. I already have some flat belt pulleys. I might be able to find more at the junk yard.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I have an air compressor that uses a ribbed belt. I have nothing but trouble with it. It slips a lot and soon wears out and then doesn't tract well on the pulley. I have to get a new belt twice a year.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

hwebb99 said:


> Most cars use belts like the second. I already have some flat belt pulleys. I might be able to find more at the junk yard.


I believe that cars use either L-section or M-section belts which are much larger than J-section belts used on small machines with HP ratings of five or less. Generally you have two choices when using poly-V pulleys -- custom made for the diameter and bore or pulleys that require a separate hub.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

Steve Neul said:


> I have an air compressor that uses a ribbed belt. I have nothing but trouble with it. It slips a lot and soon wears out and then doesn't tract well on the pulley. I have to get a new belt twice a year.


Not tracking well is a pulley or alignment problem and not the belt. Aligning the pulleys is very important to prevent side wear. The pulley might also be defective. If the belt slips then maybe it is running in the bottom of the grooves rather than the sidewalls. When the ribs touch the bottom of the grooves for any kind of belt, the belt is worn out because it no longer will be able to run without slipping.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I will probably use v belts. I don't have the right size flat belt pulleys. My table saw, jointer, and drill press run smooth enough with v belts. This build will take a long time. I tried to work on it today, but I got sidetracked getting a forklift unstuck.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

First picture is a tailstock I plan to salvage. Second picture is the speed chart on the big metal lathe. Third picture is honing the end caps for the banjo. Fourth picture is the keyway for the locking rod. Fifth picture is almost finished banjo.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

First picture is milling the keyway. Second picture is of the bushing, third picture is cutting the keyway in the bushing. Fourth picture is truing the face of the bushing. Fifth picture is the cleaned up pillow block bearing.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

First, second, and fourth picture is of the gear box I am salvaging bearings from. The third is testing the fit after honing. Sorry the pictures aren't in order. I usually upload pictures from my iPad. This was the first try from the computer.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Nov 25, 2008)

I shouldn't even let this cat out of the bag, but a horizontal mill makes a great start to a bowl lathe. 

Please don't chop up good horizontal mills just for the sake of wood bowls.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

This is the almost finished banjo locking bushing.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> I shouldn't even let this cat out of the bag, but a horizontal mill makes a great start to a bowl lathe.
> 
> Please don't chop up good horizontal mills just for the sake of wood bowls.


Don't worry. I could buy a robust cheaper. If I was going to do anything I would modify a metal lathe.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Nov 25, 2008)

hwebb99 said:


> Don't worry. I could buy a robust cheaper. If I was going to do anything I would modify a metal lathe.



Horizontal mill is just a heavy pedestal with a gear train plus the arbor. Probably get 8 foot swing.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> Horizontal mill is just a heavy pedestal with a gear train plus the arbor. Probably get 8 foot swing.



You don't want me to cut up a horizontal mill. Why are you encouraging it?


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## WarnerConstInc. (Nov 25, 2008)

hwebb99 said:


> You don't want me to cut up a horizontal mill. Why are you encouraging it?


One with worn out ways would be an acceptable fate for one.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

My grandpa did have a few old forklift weights. One would have made great ballast for this lathe, but I think He sold them for scrap a few years ago. Does anybody know where I could buy a MT insert like John was talking about in my other thread?


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I worked on the lathe today, but I couldn't find my camera. I thought I would use a piece of rail road track for the bed. The RR track must be cast iron because I couldn't get it to weld. I will probably have to use the I beam after all. I was thinking about using a 4 speed manual transmission instead of the jack shaft. I have a transmission out of the trencher I have already salvaged parts out of. First gear is 6-1, second is 3-1, third is 2-1, fourth is 1-1, and reverse is the same as first. Is there any reason this shouldn't work?


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I have been working on the lath the last few days. I have the bed, banjo, and tail stock almost done. I am thinking about about putting a permanent dead center in the tail stock. Is this a bad idea? Should I go through the extra expense to put MT in the tail stock?


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## 9thousandfeet (Dec 28, 2014)

hwebb99 said:


> I am thinking about about putting a permanent dead center in the tail stock. Is this a bad idea? Should I go through the extra expense to put MT in the tail stock?


 Before the live centers showed up, people turned using dead centers with grease on them for a lot of years, so they do work.

That said, a tailstock with a MT is a vastly superior solution, and I'd sure be reluctant to give up on that if I could possibly avoid it.

At a minimum, if I just didn't have the bucks to make it happen now, I'd design the dead center installation in such a way that I could convert the tailstock to a quill with a MT somewhere on down the road without having to start from square one again.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

hwebb99 said:


> I have been working on the lath the last few days. I have the bed, banjo, and tail stock almost done. I am thinking about about putting a permanent dead center in the tail stock. Is this a bad idea? Should I go through the extra expense to put MT in the tail stock?


A compromise solution could be a live center without a Morse taper tang. You could buy a regular live center then cut the tapered tang to about 3/4 inch and thread it 1/2 - 20 or whatever would work best for you. Then drill and tap a matching hole in the quill. I think that using a dead center (non-rotating cup) would be something that you would very soon regret.


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## Pauley (Jan 21, 2012)

You could try one of these....seems pretty simple...


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## Horatio (Apr 4, 2012)

Looking forward to the completion of this thing with anticipation. I've seen a few on the internet here and there, IE, home built rigs for bowl turning, but seeing someone do it step by step is far more enjoyable. I'd love to do something like this myself one day but its quite a job and far beyond my experience and skill set...and tool set. 

Good luck!


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I need to get you guys some more pictures. I had a brain fart moment and realized there is a taper jig on the metal lathe. I am going to to try to turn a MT. If that doesn't work I will make a live center some other way. I found some I beam that is flat on the inside. I have the bed almost done. If I have a 30" swing how tall should the banjo tool post be? I am thinking 12-13 inches.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

hwebb99 said:


> I need to get you guys some more pictures. I had a brain fart moment and realized there is a taper jig on the metal lathe. I am going to to try to turn a MT. If that doesn't work I will make a live center some other way. I found some I beam that is flat on the inside. I have the bed almost done. If I have a 30" swing how tall should the banjo tool post be? I am thinking 12-13 inches.


I will check my Robust as a guideline. It has a 25½" swing. As a rough number, you should be able to move the *TOP* of the toolrest about two inches or so both above and below center. There can be as much as two inches between the top of the toolrest and the tool post. Make sure that the tool post has adequate length to allow the full range of height adjustment plus some extra.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

My jet lathe has a 1" tool rest post. Should I go up to 1-1/4 for this lathe?


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## 9thousandfeet (Dec 28, 2014)

I'd say 1" should be plenty stout enough, and would permit you to use some of the really good toolrests that are available on the market now, if you should ever want to do that. 

I think I'd try to arrange the banjo design with an eye on that possibility, so that an off-the-shelf unit from a manufacturer whose toolrests you admire could be used without having to perform surgery on them.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

9thousandfeet said:


> I'd say 1" should be plenty stout enough, and would permit you to use some of the really good toolrests that are available on the market now, if you should ever want to do that.
> 
> I think I'd try to arrange the banjo design with an eye on that possibility, so that an off-the-shelf unit from a manufacturer whose toolrests you admire could be used without having to perform surgery on them.


I think you are right. I couldn't find anything with a post bigger than 1".


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

OK, here is some additional information on my Robust lathe that has a 25½" swing. You can use it as a guide on sizing things for your lathe. First, the distance from the spin axis to the bed is 12¾". The top of the vertical column on the banjo that clamps the tool rest post is 8⅛" tall which means that it is 4⅝" below the spin axis. The horizontal part of my tool rests range from about 1¼" tall up to 2⅝" tall. The standard Robust tool rest is 2" tall on the horizontal part. The post diameter is 1" which is pretty standard for almost all standard and large lathes.The post length on my tool rests range from about 5" to 6" (I do have one old one that is 4" and I can use it on the Robust, but it is on the hairy edge of being too short. I have plenty of range of adjustment for my lathe depending on which tool rest that I use can be as much as about three inches above or below centerline. I think that the bare minimum range should go from one inch above center to two inches below. Mostly, I put the tool rest really low because my style of turning includes dropping the handle really low.

Hopefully, this will help you make some design decisions on your tool rest and banjo design. BTW, Robust will customize your toolrest if you tell them the length of post that you want. I'll bet that Steve Sinner (Advanced Lathe Tools) will also do a custom tool rest for you.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I made the tool rest post 12-1/2 tall, but I can always cut some off later. I went ahead and put MT in the tailstock. I need to buy some 1/4 drill rod and make a few tool rest with a hardened top.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Do you have a MT taper reamer?*

You must have a lathe to be able to make some of these parts? and a MT reamer? Any photos of the build as you go, that would be cool!

Check out this guy for some great metal working tips and tricks:
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f15/fanstastic-metal-working-91898/


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Yes, I have a metal lathe (actually 5), milling machine, honing machines, welders, and a metal bandsaw. A had some pictures in the first post, but I haven't remembered to take the camera to the shop. I work slow so you haven't missed much.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

First picture is the bed laying upside down, second is the top side of the bed, third is the MT insert I made, fourth is the fail of the first bed, and the last is the headstock.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

First picture is the banjo with tool post attached, second is the banjo rod with handle attached, third is the slot I had to mill to remove the center from the tailstock, fourth is the transmission I plan to use for the drive system, and the last is the MT insert welded into the tailstock.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

First is the nearly completed tailstock, second is preparing to weld the headstock to the bed, and the last is a side view of the headstock welding.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

First picture is a repost, second is is the headstock welded on, third and fourth is a side view of the headstock, and the fifth is the cap welded on the headstock.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

First picture is removing the lathe from the cart, second is milling a flat spot on the locking bushing in the banjo, third is another motor I might use, fourth is the bolt welded on the bushing.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I ran into a problem. I can't get the bushing into the banjo after welding the bolt on it.


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## bond3737 (Nov 13, 2009)

diggin on this thread. Wish I had the ability to do what you're doing! Keep up the good work!


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

You're really into Heavy Metal. :icon_smile:

One concern is about the length of the threaded part of the spindle nose. It looks like there could be a problem with a chuck or faceplate mating up with the registration face.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

hwebb99 said:


> I ran into a problem. I can't get the bushing into the banjo after welding the bolt on it.


The bolt should screw into the eccentric bushing with a tapered pipe thread.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Bill Boehme said:


> You're really into Heavy Metal. :icon_smile:
> 
> One concern is about the length of the threaded part of the spindle nose. It looks like there could be a problem with a chuck or faceplate mating up with the registration face.


 The registration face is about 3/8 tall on both sides. It is as wide as the mating face on my faceplate or my Oneway stronghold chuck. 



Bill Boehme said:


> The bolt should screw into the eccentric bushing with a tapered pipe thread.


Why didn't I think of that?


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

hwebb99 said:


> The registration face is about 3/8 tall on both sides. It is as wide as the mating face on my faceplate or my Oneway stronghold chuck.


I was referring to the length of the threaded part -- it appears in the picture to be long, but it could be a perception issue since you do not have a space for setscrew locking. I need to measure the total length of the spindle nose on my lathes to see what they are.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

It is about 1/8 shorter than the threads in the faceplate. I haven't actually tried screwing the chuck on it.


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## 9thousandfeet (Dec 28, 2014)

The nose on my 1 1/4 x 8 spindle is 1 1/4" long, from the absolute tip to the flat where chucks and other accessories register. 
It could be a good bit shorter and still work fine, I reckon, but not more than 1/4" longer without bottoming out in some accessories.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

My spindle is 1-9/16 long.






I went to an auction yesterday, and added a few tools to the shop.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

I believe that 9K' and I may have the same lathe (Robust AB) and the spindle nose on mine is also 1¼" long which is probably the standard length for that diameter spindle. I checked several of my faceplates and some of them are 1⅜" deep which allows ⅛" of clearance. I also have a few faceplates that are 1½" deep and a Oneway faceplate that is 1⅝" deep.


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## Alchymist (Jan 2, 2011)

Don't laugh, but the serpentine (poly -v) belts can be run on flat pulleys. Might work well with a large flat pulley on the driven with an automotive poly v pulley driving - think alternator or AC pulley. A lot of the South Bend lathe users have switched to those. I have one on my South Bend 9" and a small one on my home made pen lathe. With your machine shop equipment, aluminum flat pulleys would be easy.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Making aluminum pulleys would be easy, but aluminum plate thick enough to work would be $$$$.


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## Alchymist (Jan 2, 2011)

hwebb99 said:


> Making aluminum pulleys would be easy, but aluminum plate thick enough to work would be $$$$.


True, but....
https://www.google.com/search?q=cas...57.7551j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

How slow should the low speed be? The current plan would give me a low speed of about 160. Is that too fast? I am think I need to get it down to about half that.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

hwebb99 said:


> How slow should the low speed be? The current plan would give me a low speed of about 160. Is that too fast? I am think I need to get it down to about half that.


What is the swing? Mine goes down to about 30 RPM or so and I occasionally find that useful. A speed of 160 will work, but there is no such thing as too low.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

The swing is 30". The low speed on the big metal lathe is 14 rpm, and it gets used pretty often going that slow.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

hwebb99 said:


> The swing is 30". The low speed on the big metal lathe is 14 rpm, and it gets used pretty often going that slow.


A speed of 160 RPM at the maximum diameter of 30 inches is about the same as 300 RPM on your 16 inch lathe. If you plan to turn any large out of round pieces, that may be too fast for a starting speed. However, it will be fine for most things.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

As requested pictures of the junk. He probably didn't believe there was this much. The first picture is of new equipment. The rest is junk.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

More junk. The last picture is of the leg for my lathe. I have them both finished now. I forgot to take a picture of the part used as a shop. It is about 4,500 square feet.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

First picture is the old transmission motor mount plate. Second picture is the motor mounted on the transmission. Third picture is the new motor mount plate I made. Fourth picture is cutting the tubing for the legs. The last picture is a challenge. Does anybody know what it is?


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

hwebb99 said:


> ... The last picture is a challenge. Does anybody know what it is?


It's a double spline frammitz, also known as a calendar place marker.


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## Alchymist (Jan 2, 2011)

Reamer with adjustable depth stop.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Both replies are incorrect.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

It looks like it might be some sort of broach.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

No. Do you guys want a hint?


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

hwebb99 said:


> No. Do you guys want a hint?


Yes. If it isn't something that you ran over that caused a flat tire then I need a really big hint. I'm not very knowledgeable about metal working tools. My expertise ends with taking brake drums or rotors or cylinder heads to a machine shop and then picking them up when they call to say that they are done.

My wife says it is a cylinder hone, but then she's a girl. :laughing: :huh:


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## Alchymist (Jan 2, 2011)

Bill Boehme said:


> Yes. If it isn't something that you ran over that caused a flat tire then I need a really big hint. I'm not very knowledgeable about metal working tools. My expertise ends with taking brake drums or rotors or cylinder heads to a machine shop and then picking them up when they call to say that they are done.
> 
> My wife says it is a cylinder hone, but then she's a girl. :laughing: :huh:


She may be right - it "could" be a hone for hydraulic drum brake wheel cylinders, now that the old memory cells are jogged. They did look something like that, those and the ones with the three stones for honing.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

It is a metal working tool. It is not a cylinder hone. I will give you a better hint later.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Bill Boehme said:


> My wife says it is a cylinder hone, but then she's a girl. :laughing: :huh:


What does your wife do? It actually is a very similar design to a hone. I was using a real hone in the picture below. This piece has no stones. The pieces that look like stones are actually hardened steel. It serves a totally different purpose than a hone.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Here is the better hint.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

I was thinking maybe some sort of center finder, but the hint doesn't fit that guess.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

It has to be a tap chuck then. :blink:


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*it's a ....*

It's a broken tap remover. :smile:


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

woodnthings said:


> It's a broken tap remover. :smile:


We have a winner.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

First two pictures are some lazy person hand plane surfacing, third is a spacer I added because I cut the legs too short, fourth is the transmission mounted on the lathe, the last is the transmission mount welded on the lathe.


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## namve (Jun 26, 2015)

*hf*

I have a Harbor Freight (Central Machinery) 10' x 18' Model 65345 Lathe
What is the thread size? I want to make doll furniture for the grandkids
I want to reduce the faceplate size to a smaller size


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## Alchymist (Jan 2, 2011)

I believe spindle thread is 1"X8TPI. OEM face plate is only 3", how much smaller do you need to go?


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*please start your own thread*



namve said:


> I have a Harbor Freight (Central Machinery) 10' x 18' Model 65345 Lathe
> What is the thread size? I want to make doll furniture for the grandkids
> I want to reduce the faceplate size to a smaller size





Alchymist said:


> I believe spindle thread is 1"X8TPI. OEM face plate is only 3", how much smaller do you need to go?


 :yes:


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

namve said:


> I have a Harbor Freight (Central Machinery) 10' x 18' Model 65345 Lathe
> What is the thread size? I want to make doll furniture for the grandkids
> I want to reduce the faceplate size to a smaller size


Depending on what you want to make, I think that turning between centers will handle most spindle turning far better than you could do with a face plate. For making things like round table tops and dishes, I would suggest getting a small woodturning scroll chuck.


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## namve (Jun 26, 2015)

*HF*

I looked on line for a Dremel lathe all they had were units that were in poor shape. I wanted to reduce my !" x 8tpi to a smaller size. All I was able to find was 1"x8 tpi female to 3/4 16 tpi I would like to bring my faceplate to the dremel size


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## namve (Jun 26, 2015)

Alchymist said:


> I believe spindle thread is 1"X8TPI. OEM face plate is only 3", how much smaller do you need to go?


I want it to go dremel lathe # 700 size.So far all i was able to find was
1"x 8 tpi female to 3/4 x 16tpi male. I wanted to buy a dremel but all that was on e-bay were dremels missing parts and bad shape


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## Alchymist (Jan 2, 2011)

namve said:


> I want it to go dremel lathe # 700 size.So far all i was able to find was
> 1"x 8 tpi female to 3/4 x 16tpi male. I wanted to buy a dremel but all that was on e-bay were dremels missing parts and bad shape


Machine shop.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

*Hardly off topic !*

Wow from a beast of a bowl lathe to a Dremel lathe and nobody missed a beat.

Edited,
Except Bill!


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

namve said:


> I have a Harbor Freight (Central Machinery) 10' x 18' Model 65345 Lathe
> What is the thread size? I want to make doll furniture for the grandkids
> I want to reduce the faceplate size to a smaller size





namve said:


> I looked on line for a Dremel lathe all they had were units that were in poor shape. I wanted to reduce my !" x 8tpi to a smaller size. All I was able to find was 1"x8 tpi female to 3/4 16 tpi I would like to bring my faceplate to the dremel size





namve said:


> I want it to go dremel lathe # 700 size.So far all i was able to find was
> 1"x 8 tpi female to 3/4 x 16tpi male. I wanted to buy a dremel but all that was on e-bay were dremels missing parts and bad shape


Rather than having your question buried way down inside another member's thread about his building a bowl lathe, your question will be seen by more members and have a greater chance of being answered if you start a new thread. It is also considerate to the OP to not derail the subject of his thread (also known as hijacking a thread).


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Why do you want to reduce the the spindle size? A chuck would cost more, but would be a better choice. Don't worry about hijacking the thread. I work as fast as a heard of turtles tramping through peanut butter.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Here are some more metal working projects I did. The first is a vise, the second is a bench dog clamp
,


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

Nice vise.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I better get to work this week. The last few weeks have been upper 90s and high humidity. I should have finished this in the winter time.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I went ahead and used flat pulleys. I made them junk pulleys I found in the junk yard. The belt cost my $26. I may not use this lathe as much as I had intended. I bought a used Powermatic 3520 lathe.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

hwebb99 said:


> I went ahead and used flat pulleys. I made them junk pulleys I found in the junk yard. The belt cost my $26. I may not use this lathe as much as I had intended. I bought a used Powermatic 3520 lathe.


Sounds like me. I bought a Robust American Beauty before I finished my Franken-lathe.

BTW, those aren't flat belt pulleys. Flat belts are ... well ... uh ... flat. What you have goes by several names such as ribbed belts, Poly-V, multi-v, Multi-Ribbed, Vee-Ribbed, etc., depending on the manufacturer. Officially, the belts are designated by their cross-section. The size of belts used in small machinery (meaning anything under about 10 HP) is usually J-section. Belts used in automotive applications are typically K-section.

I would be concerned about the way that the belt is welded to the spindle. If it doesn't run perfectly true, it is going to be a really annoying source of vibration.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Do you have any pictures of the Frankenlathe?


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

hwebb99 said:


> Do you have any pictures of the Frankenlathe?


They would be on my old computer that caught fire a couple years ago. I am wanting to recover files from it, but it is not a high priority item.

I could take some pictures of the major pieces if I can dig down into the pile of junk in my shop far enough. It is built upon the dead carcass of my old Delta lathe.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I worked some today. When I originally built the banjo I had some 3 inch tubing with a 1.25 hole in the center.,I thought making a bushing would be easier than drilling a 1" hole. WRONG it was nothing but trouble, so I decided to cut it off and start over. I had to use the abrasive saw because the whole banjo wouldn't fit in the bandsaw. I was amazed at how fast the big abrasive saw cut and how "cool" the cut piece was. I was more used to the wimpy dewalt saw. The cut piece was cool enough to briskly touch immediately after cutting. Then I used the milling machine to level the cut piece. After that I drilled a 1" hole through 5.5 inches of solid steel for the new post. Morse taper drills are amazing. They have zero slipping even with the enormous toque of the metal lathe. I Also drilled out the bottom of the tailstock to bolt it together.,


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I worked some more on the project. The only notable progress was adding brackets for leveling feet. These would have been about 100 times easier to weld on before the stand was completed.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I just released that the tool rest post on my Powermatic is 1-1/8 not the more 1". Should I also make this lathe tool rest 1-1/8 to match the Powermatic before it is too late?


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

That's very interesting. I've used Powermatic 3520's of all three versions numerous times and never noticed that.

EDIT: I just looked up the manual on the Powermatic web site and it says that the tool rest post is 1" diameter and same for 4224. If you bought your lathe used, it looks like somebody decided to bore the base out to a larger diameter for whatever reason. Well, I guess that you can bush it or leave it as is.


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## 9thousandfeet (Dec 28, 2014)

Bill Boehme said:


> I just looked up the manual on the Powermatic web site and it says that the tool rest post is 1" diameter and same for 4224. If you bought your lathe used, it looks like somebody decided to bore the base out to a larger diameter for whatever reason. Well, I guess that you can bush it or leave it as is.


 While the 3520 models A and B, and the 4224, do indeed have a 1" post, I think that the early USA-built 3520's had a 1 1/8" tool post, same as the Model 45 and Model 90.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

The tool post certainly is 1-1/8. I measured it several times in disbelief. It has 3 factory tool rest that have a 1-1/8 post and the banjo has a 1-1/8 hole, so I don't think this was the work of a backyard machinist.


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