Tips & Tricks

[Robbo3]

Spanners for the lathe.

Lathes tend to use fairly large hardware. Even if you have the right size spanner getting the room to use it can often be a problem. Luckily, you only need to make adjustments on the odd occasion & unless you posess a socket set then a cheaper option is a box spanner.

With the variation in sizes, especially at the larger end, spanners tend to be somewhat expensive. Those made of pressed steel, or home made, won't take a much abuse. At long last there are some cheap (£6) adjustable spanners available from China. They look to be cast aluminium which should be stronger than the pressed steel, home made polycarbonite or wooden ones. Their shortcomings should be outweighed by their short length & massive adjustability.

 

[SVB]

Spanners for the lathe.

At long last there are some cheap (£6) adjustable spanners available from China.

Do you have a link, looks great.

Simon

 

[Robbo3]

Spanners for the lathe.

At long last there are some cheap (£6) adjustable spanners available from China.

Do you have a link, looks great.

Simon

Ebay item number 153291424786
£5.75

 

[graduate_owner]

I have a sheet of thin plywood on the floor at the back of my lathe. This helps to avoid damage to the end of my turning tools when they fall off the bed, which they always seem to do. I put them there temporarily rather than putting them back where they belong, but got fed up of having to re-sharpen after they hit the concrete floor.

K

 

[Robbo3]

I have a sheet of thin plywood on the floor at the back of my lathe. This helps to avoid damage to the end of my turning tools when they fall off the bed, which they always seem to do. I put them there temporarily rather than putting them back where they belong, but got fed up of having to re-sharpen after they hit the concrete floor.K

I agree but it depends on your lathe & your situation.
I have two shelves under my AT1628VS lathe. The bottom one holds heavy items to give the lathe some extra weight & the top one extends to the rear wall to collect anything that drops & to catch all the shavings. This makes cleaning up easier as they can all be brushed straight into a large plastic container.
A simple tool holder for the lathe bed (as shown in previous photos) also helps.

 

[Robbo3]

To save marking the work when sawing off the nub, place a credit card with a vee cut or notch cut out between the saw & the work.

The one on the left for small nubs & the one on the right for larger ones.
Apologies for the poor placing of the cards. The tool rest has nothing to do with the tip.

 

[gregmcateer]

That's cunning!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

So cunning I can't see what its for. :? :lol:

 

[Jonzjob]

More cunning than a cunning fox?

Me too can't see what it is, but it looks good. I tried it but now my debit card doesn't work :shock: :? It sgould work because it's a new one :?:

 

[Lazurus]

I have a sheet of thin plywood on the floor at the back of my lathe. This helps to avoid damage to the end of my turning tools when they fall off the bed, which they always seem to do. I put them there temporarily rather than putting them back where they belong, but got fed up of having to re-sharpen after they hit the concrete floor.

K

Sand a flat on the handle, stops them rolling about

 

[gregmcateer]

So cunning I can't see what its for. :? :lol:

I am assuming it's for when you have finished turning and there's a little nub left at the end, where the workpiece is held in the lathe. To avoid marking the work when sawing off the nub, hold the card across the end of the workpiece, so the saw rubs against the card, rather than your creation.
(I THINK!)

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes, I got there in the end. I was confused trying to work out which bit of the woodwork the cards were resting on he was trying to saw off.

 

[Jonzjob]

Collet Chucks



APTC Junior ER20 collet chuck
SCT ER32 collet chuck (Chronos)
Both chucks are M33 thread to fit my lathe.
Both collets shown can hold approx the same size. The ER20 is 13-12mm & the ER32 is 1/2".

I don't think the 'rests' are owt to do with it? They are also shown on this post I've quoted from. Previous page and they ain't going to show here init! :?

 

[Robbo3]

So cunning I can't see what its for. :? :lol:

I am assuming it's for when you have finished turning and there's a little nub left at the end, where the workpiece is held in the lathe. To avoid marking the work when sawing off the nub, hold the card across the end of the workpiece, so the saw rubs against the card, rather than your creation.
(I THINK!)

You've got it. Even a saw with no set on one side marks the rim especially if it's slightly hollowed - well it does when I try it.
Thinking that the tool rest would show the scale I didn't consider that the rest could be considered as part of the tip in my poor photo.

 

[Jonzjob]

Just found this Robo. I always use my Carrol drum sander to sand of my little nubs off :shock:

 

[Robbo3]

Just found this Robo. I always use my Carrol drum sander to sand of my little nubs off :shock:

Is that the pneumatic type where you can alter the pressure?

 

[Robbo3]

Let's see if this clears up the confusion.

To save marking the work when sawing off the nub, place a credit card with a vee cut or notch cut out between the saw & the work.

 

[Jonzjob]

Just found this Robo. I always use my Carrol drum sander to sand of my little nubs off :shock:

Is that the pneumatic type where you can alter the pressure?

No Robo, it's one of these,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p_Cn9McIsc

but mine is used on my pillar drill. It has a semi hard thin rubber surface and I use Rhynogrip velcro backed abrasives in it. The velcro backing doesn't really matter, but the stuff is very good and supplied from someone on the forum. Sorry, but I don't have the name to hand . I managed to damage the rubber foam on my bigger sander and after a phone call to them they sent me some more to replace it. From the thread below they have gone out of business when Bill Carrol died. His son, Simon, is looking to produce them again. After all they are the best you can get.

carroll-tools-drum-sander-t116196-30.html

Last time I used mine was yesterday to sand the legs on a small garden table. Easy, quick and good.

So good luck to Simon Carroll

 

[Robbo3]

No Robo, it's one of these,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p_Cn9McIsc

but mine is used on my pillar drill. It has a semi hard thin rubber surface and I use Rhynogrip velcro backed abrasives in it. The velcro backing doesn't really matter, but the stuff is very good and supplied from someone on the forum. Sorry, but I don't have the name to hand . I managed to damage the rubber foam on my bigger sander and after a phone call to them they sent me some more to replace it. From the thread below they have gone out of business when Bill Carrol died. His son, Simon, is looking to produce them again. After all they are the best you can get.

carroll-tools-drum-sander-t116196-30.html

Last time I used mine was yesterday to sand the legs on a small garden table. Easy, quick and good.

So good luck to Simon Carroll

Yep, I like the quick change drum sanders. APTC do poorer versions. These amongst others
- https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-s ... s-ax896201

I believe Richard Findley supplies Rhyno Grip abrasives
- https://turnersworkshop.co.uk/

 

[HappyPixie]

I finish most of my items (mostly bowls) with various oils. I found that when I left them to dry on a work surface there could be marks (from the surface) left on my bowl foot. I snapped some lengths of bandsaw blades and cut some perpendicular slots with a thin tenon saw in a rough old plank. A little Araldite in the grooves and then insert the saw blade strips. I turned it upside down and rested in on a flat surface for the epoxy to cure, to ensure the blade teeth all stayed parallel. Now there are only ever a few tiny dots of contact and the bowls don't show any marks.
I made a couple of long strip versions when I did some shelves which I coated with Osmo oil.
Works for me.
Thanks for all your tips.
Steve