If you could invent a tool for turning, what would it be?

[Bill Wyko]

For me, I'd make some sort of stones I could put inside a turning an let then tumble until the inside was ready for finish. It would work like a stone tumbler. when reaching inside a deep turning to sand it can be a little nerve racking.

[Richard Allen]

An automagic dynamic balancing chuck. You would be able to mount anything in the chuck without concern for balance as the chuck would take care of that so the object spun smoothly. As the object balance changed the chuck would automagicly compensate.

[Bill Wyko]

Now you're talkin!!! I have 38" tires on my truck and instead of using lead weights, |I use what they call balancing beads. You order them based on tire size, they look like little white bb's. You break open the bag and pour them in. The automatically balance the tire while you drive. Now you can have a custom wheel w/o ugly wheel weights. They work fantastic. Now if they could only do that for the lathe. Maybe a dampener that goes on between the chuck and the lathe with these beads in it.

[Scott Lux]

A signal that tells me not to make "just one more cut". It might even stop the lathe before I can try.

[Tim Rinehart]

Well...since no restrictions placed on physics of matter...how about a coring tool for small opening hollow forms!

[Reed Gray]

I want an articulated arm set up for my drill sander so I don't have to hold it. It would need a universal joint of some sort for the drill to be able to change angles.

I want a chair, on a big knuckle joint of some sort where I could sit while I turn bowls, and would push it through the turning arc with my feet.

I want a bandsaw, that is designed for a bowl turner. Two models, one with cutting height about 8 to 12 inches, 2 hp, for cutting circles. The other 5 hp, and cutting height of 20 or so inches. The saw wheel would sit directly on top of the main post, not suspended out because we don't need much throat depth, only height. It would have a large table away from the saw, and out the back side for being able to slide log sections through, and they would not fall off the end. It would also have a real dust collection port that would actually collect shavings and dust from wet wood. Not one that is hidden on the back side, or up on the throat which will only pick up some of the fine dust from dry wood. Probably should add a sled of some sort to make cutting log sections in half.

Drill press, again, designed for a turner, like in my post a few days back, 1 hp 3 phase motor. Probably should add a front to back crank, for throat depth to maybe 18 inches, and angle drilling by rotating the headstock. Big support table.

Bring back the Big Ugly tool: on cold rolled bar stock, silver solder a strip of stellite or tantung steel. Used for so long on the Oregon coast in the Myrtle wood shops that no one can remember who came up with it first. They hold an edge almost as well as the more modern carbide, and you can sharpen them on standard grinding wheels.

Adjustable tool rest/platform for grinders where angles are set and repeatable. Working on that one.

Teleporter: Beam me aboard Scotty!

robo hippy

[Tim Rinehart]

I want an articulated arm set up for my drill sander so I don't have to hold it. It would need a universal joint of some sort for the drill to be able to change angles.

I want a chair, on a big knuckle joint of some sort where I could sit while I turn bowls, and would push it through the turning arc with my feet.

I want a bandsaw, that is designed for a bowl turner. Two models, one with cutting height about 8 to 12 inches, 2 hp, for cutting circles. The other 5 hp, and cutting height of 20 or so inches. The saw wheel would sit directly on top of the main post, not suspended out because we don't need much throat depth, only height. It would have a large table away from the saw, and out the back side for being able to slide log sections through, and they would not fall off the end. It would also have a real dust collection port that would actually collect shavings and dust from wet wood. Not one that is hidden on the back side, or up on the throat which will only pick up some of the fine dust from dry wood. Probably should add a sled of some sort to make cutting log sections in half.

Drill press, again, designed for a turner, like in my post a few days back, 1 hp 3 phase motor. Probably should add a front to back crank, for throat depth to maybe 18 inches, and angle drilling by rotating the headstock. Big support table.

Bring back the Big Ugly tool: on cold rolled bar stock, silver solder a strip of stellite or tantung steel. Used for so long on the Oregon coast in the Myrtle wood shops that no one can remember who came up with it first. They hold an edge almost as well as the more modern carbide, and you can sharpen them on standard grinding wheels.

Adjustable tool rest/platform for grinders where angles are set and repeatable. Working on that one.

Teleporter: Beam me aboard Scotty!

robo hippy

Gee whiz Reed...at least I was being realistic!;)

[Fred Belknap]

Sure would be nice to have some way to dry turning blanks in a day or two instead of months or years and all the above ideas. :D

[Jim Burr]

Cup holder for my travel mug that will mount on the ways and a cigar/port holder for my Trend.

[David DeCristoforo]

This is a timely question for me because I have been trying to think of a way to make a tool for some time now. What I would like is a hollowing tool that could be articulated after the cutter is inserted through the small opening of a hollow form...

[Tim Rinehart]

This is a timely question for me because I have been trying to think of a way to make a tool for some time now. What I would like is a hollowing tool that could be articulated after the cutter is inserted through the small opening of a hollow form...
David, it would have to called the "Articulated Amphora Accessory", available as a retrofit to all hollowing system!

Don't think I haven't thought the same thing in my head. I think it's actually doable with some sort of cable that would wind-up as a means of changing the geometry. It's getting it to stay stiff enough to hold it's adjusted profile, and not require a huge cable to adjust it. My thought...I bet it happens in next 5 years.

[Wally Dickerman]

Hey Bill...You sure have a lot of time on your hands.....:)

I'd like to go back in time maybe forty years and think of my wish list...

A lathe that had more than 12 inches of swing.

Some sort of heavy deep fluted gouge to make hollowing bowls easier and leave a smoother surface than the scrapers that everybody uses.

A lathe that has a sliding headstock so that I can stand at the end of my lathe to do my bowl hollowing

A chuck that does a better job of holding wood than the 3-jaw machinists chuck that I'm using.

A better screwchuck than the one that I've had to make because none are on the market to buy.

Tools made of a steel that will hold an edge better than my carbon steel tools

Some sort of tool that would allow me to hollow out a vase or an urn shaped vessel

That's just a short list from 40 years back....Most of what you guys are wishing for will happen sooner than you think.

[Jamie Donaldson]

Self sharpening blades for bandsaws and chainsaws! Maybe a laser cutter that would replace a bandsaw?? And Bill Wyko, I had some loggers working here recently, and they picked up some golf balls that critters had carried into the woods around the golf course, and they say they use 2 golf balls to balance the tires on their rolling stock! I've been around old timers my whole life, and never heard this tale before now, so sounds like the example you mentioned using BB sized beads?? I'm highly skeptical of how it works???

[J.D.Redwine]

A self replenishing Debit Card.

[Jamie Donaldson]

Bingo, you win J.D.!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Chris Studley]

Turning tools(or Bowl tool rest) with means to evacuate chips, like a vacuum built in...

[Bob Bergstrom]

How about a chainsaw with a curved bar. One with a right hand curve, and another with a left handed curve. Two cuts and the bowl is ready to go, and it would be adjustable to different size curves for various size bowl blanks.

[Nate Davey]

Bill, I use broken tempered glass for sanding the inside of my forms. I need to get a slow speed motor, like an old rotisserie motor as the slow speed overheats my lathe motor. I let it run overnight with a fan on it and get a very nice finish on the inside.....and a light saber would be nice too.


For me, I'd make some sort of stones I could put inside a turning an let then tumble until the inside was ready for finish. It would work like a stone tumbler. when reaching inside a deep turning to sand it can be a little nerve racking.

[Bill Wyko]

Do you have any trouble with small shards of glass staying in the wood? Sounds like a great idea. I have some reduction geared DC motors laying around here, I may have to try to rig something up. Thanks for the idea.


Bill, I use broken tempered glass for sanding the inside of my forms. I need to get a slow speed motor, like an old rotisserie motor as the slow speed overheats my lathe motor. I let it run overnight with a fan on it and get a very nice finish on the inside.....and a light saber would be nice too.

[Bill Wyko]

There are times I use the hose from my festool vacuum and hold it to the tool when I hollow out a piece. You might even be able to tape the hose to the back of the tool depending on the size of the opening.

I thought this thread would get the creative juices flowing. Some good stuff guys.

[Bill Wyko]

Another tool I'd like to see would be a miter gauge that is absolutely perfect. When segmenting, if you're off even a 10th of a degree, by the time you have 16 segments, your off by over 3 degrees once you come full circle. You can make 1/2 rings and flatten the 2 parallel sides but that throws off segment alignment from the opposing rings it's glued to. The best I can do at this point is an incra sled but I still can be off slightly. The pursuit of accuracy is a winding road with lots of potholes.

[Jeremy Leasure]

Bill, I use broken tempered glass for sanding the inside of my forms. I need to get a slow speed motor, like an old rotisserie motor as the slow speed overheats my lathe motor. I let it run overnight with a fan on it and get a very nice finish on the inside.....and a light saber would be nice too.

Huh, that's neat. How big are the pieces? What sort of grit finish (in sandpaper terms) do you figure it leaves when done? Time to bust a few windshields. At the scrapyard. Promise.

[Steve Kubien]

Along the lines of Robo's thinking, I would like a drill press with at least 12" of spindle travel for drilling peppermills. Man, I hate doing them on the lathe!

[Nate Davey]

The glass is the smallest pieces is will go down to, I need to make the motor apparatus that I can change the angle to get all parts of the form. As far as grit, I would guess about 320, but I'm not a very good judge.


Huh, that's neat. How big are the pieces? What sort of grit finish (in sandpaper terms) do you figure it leaves when done? Time to bust a few windshields. At the scrapyard. Promise.

[Nate Davey]

As it's tempered glass, no, no issues with shards. Post a couple pics of your set-up when you invent it

Do you have any trouble with small shards of glass staying in the wood? Sounds like a great idea. I have some reduction geared DC motors laying around here, I may have to try to rig something up. Thanks for the idea.

[Alan Trout]

A self replenishing Debit Card.

Thats what we all need.

Alan

[Rick Markham]

A brilliant way to convert my Powermatic 3520B into an effective rose engine, and be able to swap it back to normal without affecting the function of either design... Got any takers? Anyone every brainstorm about something like this?

Oh with the obvious elephant in the room, a cross slide to go with it... Maybe one day I will figure this one out.

[David E Keller]

This is a timely question for me because I have been trying to think of a way to make a tool for some time now. What I would like is a hollowing tool that could be articulated after the cutter is inserted through the small opening of a hollow form...


Well...since no restrictions placed on physics of matter...how about a coring tool for small opening hollow forms!

These two would top my list... My wife would just take the never ending debit card from me.

[Mark Hubl]

Self cleaning shop!

[Reed Gray]

Okay Tim, maybe the teleporter is a bit of a stretch. But think, I could teleport some sloppy wet wood to Steve Schlumpf, and it could be programmed to remove water down to 10% moisture content and no cracking........

robo hippy

[Rick Markham]

This is a timely question for me because I have been trying to think of a way to make a tool for some time now. What I would like is a hollowing tool that could be articulated after the cutter is inserted through the small opening of a hollow form...

Actually I have a couple of ideas for this David :) might take some refining before attempting a build but I think it's possible

[Rick Markham]

Reed, he'd get tired if I had one of those... if it could reduce the moisture content it would be faster than a dryer... Steve would be tired of putting my laundry back in the thing and sending it back to me. LOL

[John Terefenko]

This is interesting and I see alot of hollowing tools needed. I have not tried the hollowing thing on deep vessels that have small openings so I do not know of the problems yet.

What I would like and I think there is one already or at least I heard rumors of a jig or tool that will round a block of wood to a ball of determined size. I want to do this and eventually do segmented balls. Anyone point me in the right direction if this tool exists???

I would also like to have tools that constantly sharpen themselves. That is not too much to ask is it???:D

[robert baccus]

As to the self-sanding of bowls, i have tried broken lava rock in a slow turning lathe. the kind sold at Lowe's for walk's ect. my powermatic will turn down 50 RPM or so which is necessary to get the "falling" action--just like clothes in a dryer. i leave it on overnight but i'm not real comfortable doing that. the rough lava rock really is abrasive and wears down in 1-2 uses. i've only used this with SW bowls which holds the rock inwell.-----------old forester

[Philip Duffy]

Already did; skew chisel that is ground at an angle such that the blade of the tool lies flat on the tool rest and it shaves off wood by itself! You don't even have to hold it with more than a very light touch. - -been thinking about getting it patented. Phil

[Jim Underwood]

I'd invent a box that would retrieve all the tools lost in that pile of shavings...

[Peter Blair]

Hey jamie. I once had an old Craftsman chain saw and all I had to do was turn a knob and it sharpened it's self. I now see a gizmo I think Stihl makes it that fits on the end of the bar, you start the saw and just press the gizmo against a block of wood or whatnot and it sharpens the saw. Not sure how well sharpening the top of the chain works but if Stihl makes it . . . . .

[Peter Blair]

HI Nate. I think I read that you used the glass process on another site or possibly earlier on this forum. Where do you get your glass? I already have a set up with a BBQ motor which I use to slowly turn my 'cake testers' while the epoxy finish I use on the handles sets up that I could easily modify for this purpose. It would be fairly easy to add an angle adjuster it to change the angle so the glass would 'sand' everywhere inside the vessel. Once I find some glass bits I'll do the modification and post some photos.

[Nate Davey]

Pete,

We have some junk cars at work, just went an picked through the seats until I had about two handfuls. I posted this on another site but saw it from someone else, not sure who. Would love to see your pics.

[Bill Wyko]

I GOT IT!!! A table saw that cuts with a Lazar but doesn't burn the edges of the wood. No loss of saw kerf and I never have to send blades for sharpening. I also want a tool that holds smaller pieces of wood securely very close to the blade. On my table saw at work, I traced my hands with a sharpie on either side of the blade. Then it is written in big letters NO HANDS, PUSH TOOL ONLY. I have found that even I obey that now.

[Jamie Donaldson]

This is interesting and I see alot of hollowing tools needed. I have not tried the hollowing thing on deep vessels that have small openings so I do not know of the problems yet.

What I would like and I think there is one already or at least I heard rumors of a jig or tool that will round a block of wood to a ball of determined size. I want to do this and eventually do segmented balls. Anyone point me in the right direction if this tool exists???

I would also like to have tools that constantly sharpen themselves. That is not too much to ask is it???:D

John, such a ball making gadget already exists as a commercial product, but I don't recall at the moment who sells it? I'll work on my memory for you.

[Ted Calver]

John, such a ball making gadget already exists as a commercial product, but I don't recall at the moment who sells it? I'll work on my memory for you.
Possibly Lindsay Lathe Tools? http://www.lindsaylathetools.com/sphere/

[Scott Hackler]

Actually I have a couple of ideas for this David :) might take some refining before attempting a build but I think it's possible

I know exactly how a tool like this could be made, but I stink at mechanical drawing and don't have the ability or tools to make the darn thing!

[David DeCristoforo]

I know exactly how a tool like this could be made, but I stink at mechanical drawing and don't have the ability or tools to make the darn thing!

Sweet. Why don't you sketch it up and send it to Rick. Then he can make one and send it to me to try out...