Replacement banjo for dvr xp

[Hilel Salomon]

I think that Bernie got one, but I forget which brand he purchased. I'm fed up with mine. It flexes a lot when extended and I'm forced to tighten the hex nut on the bottom almost every 15 minutes.
I'd like to get a different banjo and would appreciate your suggestions.

Hilel

[Peter Fabricius]

Hello Hilel;
I know that Bob Hamilton has converted his DVR and he bought a Oneway banjo, toolrest and a bowl steady. These are easily visible in all his great videos he shows us on U-tube. I think his handle is "bobham5".
hope that helps.
Peter F.

[Alan Trout]

The Oneway is a nice unit but its post is a little high for my taste. I believe that Bob has kept his Nova banjo around for coring as the part that sits in the post hole is above center in the Oneway unit. I have not flex or loosening issues but I wish mine was about 4 inches longer. Actually the Nova rest is quite long for a 16" lathe however with the head sung at an angle it would be nice to have a few more inches. I bet a PM 3520 banjo could be made to work. You would have to mill down the post a bit and make a new T nut. They sell for about $225 or give Bent English a call at robust as the one on the Sweet 16 is the same as on the American Beauty and is very long but it is also almost $400 which makes it a pricey option. I even thought about fabricating my own but time for me is at a premium and that is probably close to a 20 hour project when all would be said and done. These are just some options to consider.

Good Luck

Alan

[Bernie Weishapl]

Hilel I have the oneway and I kept my Nova. Alan is right and would keep the Nova for coring. I don't have a problem with the oneway when turning otherwise.

[Bob Hamilton]

I did put together a video explaining the pros and cons of my Oneway banjo on my DVR:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNp5btnkexM

Take care
Bob

[Scott Hubl]

Just a thought here, but have you tried some Blue Removable Loctite on the Hex Nut?

They sell it in liqiud, semi solid no drip, and in a Tape form. ;)

You could even give some white pipe thread tape a try.

That might at least solve the nut loosening problem for you.

And Alan,

You might want to look into the Robust "Dog Leg" they sell, it Might give you that little Extra you need at times.

[Hilel Salomon]

Forgive me for not posting a reply sooner. Thanks Bob for that excellent u-tube tutorial. Unfortunately, I couldn't get sound until today. I'm wondering if the robust banjo would require so many modifications? I spoke to the owner and he suggested their liberty banjo. It's almost academic now, as I hope to be able to return to Columbia within the next ten days. I will return to Va though, and I appreciate the suggestions.

Hilel