duplicator

[greg leftwich]

has anybody used a duplicator on their lathe. i have considered buying one in the past but wasn`t sure how well they worked or if they could produce very good detail. i seem to be getting more requests to match old spindles these days so it could possibly be a real time saver. i know rockler sells one and i have seen a few other ones also.

[Jerome Hanby]

I saw Norm using the Shopsmith version in some old episodes of NYWS anbd I've acquired one for my smith. It seems pretty straight forward. The more sophisticated ones like the Vega look like they are more foolproof...

[Roger Chandler]

I have 2 duplicators..........they do work, however, if you have only one lathe they are a pain to set up and get everything adjusted just right....different diameters require a little different adjustment.

You can get pretty good detail, providing that you keep the cutter sharp, and your template is smooth, or original turning that mounts between the centers that the follower uses to trace the pattern.

It is a good option if you have a job to duplicate a number of spindles for a job, but only one copy, an experienced turner can do it by hand just as fast.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I agree with Roger. I had one and sold it. I got so tired of setting it up and taking it down to turn. They do work fairly well.

[greg leftwich]

thanks for the input guys. i can see where it would be best to have a dedicated lathe setup just for spindles. i already keep other machinery in the shop setup for certain tasks it just makes sense to leave it once it`s dialed in.

[Rasmus Petersen]

by hand is he fastest and gives you the best result.. unless u are making a lot.. as in a few hundred i wouldn't spend the money. spend the time practicing instead, it pays of in so many more ways.

a baluster can be turned to completion in less than 10 minutes with a little practice