Wood Turning on a Metal Lathe

[Baxter Smith]

For those of you who ask about turning wood on a metal lathe......though you may not have one quite like this in your home shop....:) and this was one of their little ones.
My brotherinlaw sent me these pics in an email today. He has made a couple of metal parts for me when needed. (Not him in the picture)

Baxter, made two of these at work this morning. Mid-State's founder, Doug Sukeforth, is building a new kitchen from wood he cut on his property and asked us to turn a couple posts for him.

I thought you might be interested in seeing "our" process. By the way, start to finish was 30 minutes each.

Alan


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[ray hampton]

just how tall are these posts ?

[Steve Schlumpf]

Sure looks like the metal lathe works out OK! Nice looking posts!

[Ed Morgano]

Baxter,
That's hardly your adverage run-of-the-mill metal lathe. That's a 100,000 CNC lathe. WOW, nice job. I want one for my shop! Can you imagine what that would do with a bowl or a hollow form.

[Jeff Nicol]

Baxter, Sure wish I had the $$$ to have one of those in my realm of tools!! Great looking post.


Hi my name is Jeff and I am a toolaholic,

Jeff

[David Reed]

I have turned a bit using a metal lathe but this is not what I had in my mind. This is a monster. I used an old (as in 1918) geared metal lathe and it worked out pretty well.
Very nice

[Baxter Smith]

Baxter,
That's hardly your adverage run-of-the-mill metal lathe. That's a 100,000 CNC lathe. WOW, nice job. I want one for my shop! Can you imagine what that would do with a bowl or a hollow form.
I was serious when I said this was one of their little ones. Most are vertical, the size and cost of the blanks they start with are amazing. Contracts for tank engines, rotary turbines for electrical generation, huge windmill hubs, etc is their usual fare.


Baxter, Sure wish I had the $$$ to have one of those in my realm of tools!! Great looking post.


Hi my name is Jeff and I am a toolaholic,

Jeff
I think you might need a bigger shop, but perhaps if you rearranged a bit.....

I have turned a bit using a metal lathe but this is not what I had in my mind. This is a monster. I used an old (as in 1918) geared metal lathe and it worked out pretty well.
Very nice
My brother in law has worked there for over 30 years, operating every lathe they have, writing programs, supervising etc. He can take apart anything and put it back together toget it running. The idea of holding a cutting tool by hand to do something accurately(that is relative though) still amazes him.

[Baxter Smith]

just how tall are these posts ?

Just talked to my brother in law(who has 4 or 5 burls for me:D). The posts are 6'-2" tall. The lathe is capable of handling something 80" long and 32" swing. Cost was 750,000 if you were thinking about an addition to your shop. He said he wasn't sure of the speed to use so set it up for 1425rpm. They just finished up a job on that lathe this week. Some type of nozzle for refueling helicopters in air.

[ray hampton]

32" swing 80" or more between centers,84"=7foot----WHAT A LATHE