Aluminum vs Steel face plates

[dirk martin]

I see some smaller, aluminum face plates at Woodcraft. Very light to the heft.
Any thoughts on using those, vs the steel ones?
This would be for bowl turning, and with the tail stock supporting the other end.

[David Warkentin]

I use the Don Pencil 3 inch aluminum faceplate and it works very well.

[David T gray]

i put a 14x6 on a 4 1/2 alu faceplate steel seems like it would be better.

[Bernie Weishapl]

My 4 faceplates are all steel. Not sure about aluminum.

[John Fabre]

I would only use steel or stainless steel, maybe cast iron on large or heavy turning. Would you use aluminum screws? I like to match the screws with the same metal as the faceplate. Stainless steel faceplate with stainless steel screws, steel faceplate with steel screws.

I don't trust aluminum for heavy duty turning, works great on my aluminum cole jaw sets for my mini lathe.

[Jim Sebring]

Don's faceplates don't rust.

[George Heatherly]

I've happily used small aluminum faceplates for small turnings and especially for making jam chucks that will be used over and over for making quantities and similar objects. I use steel for mounting larger blanks for big bowls.

[Alan Trout]

The aluminum is a heck of a lot stronger than the wood it is attached to. If the surface area and or diameter is big enough with enough appropriate screws for the the size/weight of the piece of wood it does not make a rats hiney weather its steel, cast iron, or aluminum. Aluminum is used throughout industry in many much higher stressed applications than a faceplate without any issues. I don't think I would want to board an airplane that was made out of nothing but steel. Not that is could even get off the ground. Generally speaking pound for pound aluminum is stronger than steel. Now with this all being said I do not own any aluminum face plates but have used a few without incidence and I will probably buy some in the near future. Appropriately sized faceplace with proper amount of appropriate screws is IMHO much more important than material.

Good Luck

Alan

[dan carter]

I would think it makes a difference on what kind of wood and what size of wood you are turning. I used to use cast iron, but now use steel on my Mustard on bigger turnings. I don't give it a thought on my 46-460, use aluminum, steel, cast, what ever I have available at that time.

[Ralph Lindberg]

Last time I checked, the Aluminum face plates at Woodcraft were Don Pencil color coded ones.
Alan is correct Aluminum is stronger then any wood, and stronger (per pound) then steel, and much stronger then the cheap cast steeel/iron face plates.
Contrary to some thought, you actually don't want a heavy faceplate
I have a number of Don Pencil units for driving special applications, like friction drives. I also use them for large turnings. Just yesterday I turned a 17x8 bowl blank with one (really glad I bandsawed that one roundish first)

[Brian Libby]

My quick research on aluminum vs steel yields this info :
It takes a slightly thicker piece of Aluminum to have the same strengths as steel BUT the difference is that Aluminum will fatigue much quicker than steel under vibration conditions.

[Jake Helmboldt]

Steel and aluminum alloys vary considerably, so it is never simply a one is better than the other comparison. That said, steel has a number of advantages; alum has no fatigue resistance. Eventually it will fail if subjected to enough stress cycles. Alum doesn't bend, it essentially breaks so it is important not to overstress a faceplate on a surface that isn't totally flat.

Pound for pound steel is 3x as stiff and 2x as strong, though strength can vary significantly based upon the alloying. Steel dampens vibration better. Galvanic corrosion is a concern with an aluminum faceplate on a steel spindle. Not typically a problem unless it is left on for a period of time, but it is a consideration, especially with green woods. All that said, a quality alum faceplate that is properly sized is probably fine, but for a large, unbalanced blank I would not want to use an aluminum faceplate routinely.

[Thom Sturgill]

I would only use steel or stainless steel, maybe cast iron on large or heavy turning. Would you use aluminum screws? I like to match the screws with the same metal as the faceplate. Stainless steel faceplate with stainless steel screws, steel faceplate with steel screws.

I don't trust aluminum for heavy duty turning, works great on my aluminum cole jaw sets for my mini lathe.
So that means you use cast iron screws? What is the engine in your car made of?