Steve Harder
10-10-2010, 4:38 PM
It was sort of the "which came first, the chicken or the egg".
I wanted to turn outboard on my Nova 1624 but I hadn't turned anything that large AND I didn't have an outboard tool rest.
Several postings had mentioned that the OEM Nova Outboard rest didn't extend out very far from the lathe.
So to get started I went for the homemade approach. Total project cost if you bought everything new would be around $60. I already had the pipe so I just needed to buy three Kee Klamps for $30 and do a little welding and pipe cutting.
Google "Kee Klamp" - these fittings make an adjustable but very strong connection between the pipe sections - be sure to get the correct size for pipe you are using.
I used 1 1/4" ID black pipe for most of the structure and then reduced to 1" ID - which makes a slightly loose but nice fit with existing toolrests.
The upright under the toolrest sits on the floor.
I haven't turned anything yet, but the toolrest is rock solid. I don't anticipate any problems as long as I don't "hog into" the wood.
After I've tweaked the setup I'll get grind down the welds and get some paint on it - so these are the "ugly" photos.
I wanted to turn outboard on my Nova 1624 but I hadn't turned anything that large AND I didn't have an outboard tool rest.
Several postings had mentioned that the OEM Nova Outboard rest didn't extend out very far from the lathe.
So to get started I went for the homemade approach. Total project cost if you bought everything new would be around $60. I already had the pipe so I just needed to buy three Kee Klamps for $30 and do a little welding and pipe cutting.
Google "Kee Klamp" - these fittings make an adjustable but very strong connection between the pipe sections - be sure to get the correct size for pipe you are using.
I used 1 1/4" ID black pipe for most of the structure and then reduced to 1" ID - which makes a slightly loose but nice fit with existing toolrests.
The upright under the toolrest sits on the floor.
I haven't turned anything yet, but the toolrest is rock solid. I don't anticipate any problems as long as I don't "hog into" the wood.
After I've tweaked the setup I'll get grind down the welds and get some paint on it - so these are the "ugly" photos.