Loading heavy blanks

[Harvey M. Taylor]

okay, you have this heavy[50 lbs. or more] blank laying on the ways of your lathe. The center points have been punched with an awl. It is almost impossible to load this blank to those pin holes for turning. My solution:drill a hole the size of the drive center about half in. or deeper. Do the same to the tail stock end to the dimension of the tail-stock center. This makes mounting the blank much easier, I said easi===er not easy to stab. that is my story, and I am sticking to it.Max.

[Matthew Little]

If I were to turn a 50lb+ blank, I would most likely use a faceplate. Just my 2 cents.

[mike ash]

Yep....face plate for me (with some hefty lag screws in the inside of the bowl) until I got it shaped and balanced and a nice dovetail cut into the bottom for a large chuck. Even though I make every effort to stay clear of the path should a bowl come flying off, I get nervous with one of those big guys spinning around. Just see one go hurling across the shop and you'll have weak knees for a minute or two!

I probably need to add that WHENEVER possible, I keep the tail stock snugged up against the bowls I'm turning. Only when I can't get my tool to the piece or I'm doing final shaping of the foot, do I slide the tail stock away. All it takes is one catch, and those darned bowls want to come "unattached"!!!!

[Jeffrey J Smith]

Not sure I fully understand the statement, but I rarely find the centers I thought would work to be the best positioning when I get to spinning the blank - especially on large, heavy and awkward blanks. For the large ones - bowl blanks from 16" to 22 or 23" in diameter, I seldom get them round enough on the bandsaw, just take the corners off with the chainsaw to an octagonal shape. Depending on the blank, I usually start large pieces between centers. I use a two-prong drive center - either small one (standard size) or one of the Oneway Big Bite centers (I've got two - one with the wings ground back to about 1/2 the original diameter) and a good, strong live center at the tail stock end. The two prong centers allow you to adjust the centers for best balance and grain position as you're knocking the corners off.
If the bark is deep or loose, I'll chisel an area for the live center large enough to still adjust position, but that's usually all. Typically, the two prong drive centers are driven in with a carver's mallet, The result is secure holding for the initial roughing out stage.
If the blank is too heavy to lift easily to get the centers established, a couple of pairs of wooden wedges and some shims cut from scrap hang out near the lathe to make adjustments. Push the blank over slightly, slide the wedges under one side; rock it the other way and set another pair of wedges or scrap. Repeat until its high enough. Generally, if a bowl blank is too heavy to lift easily, it's going to be pretty close to the max swing of the lathe so the shimming and rocking doesn't need too many iterations to get the piece centered. Once the drive center is established, I seldom need to adjust it's position. Most adjustments are made at the live center end to balance the grain.
If I did this too often I'd look at getting a chain hoist or a multi-part block and tackle to do the lifting, but I find I can still handle the 16 - 18" blanks fairly easily and anything bigger is rarely turned.

[Dwight Rutherford]

I use the same method ( between centers )as Jeffrey for mounting, adjusting, and roughing. To get a heavy piece from the ways up to my drive center and tail stock,I got a trailer inner tube from HF. Put it under the blank and inflate. Brings the blank right up and I can move it around for best orientation .

[Dick Latshaw]

I got a trailer inner tube from HF. Put it under the blank and inflate. Brings the blank right up and I can move it around for best orientation .

I am stealing this idea immediately. Thanks. :)

[Rex Guinn]

I have a 5" faceplate with 3 equally spaced 1/4 - 20 threaded holes about 1/2 in from the outer diameter. Then three 1/4" setscrews with a point ground on one end - leave the points extending out of the face plate about 1/8 to 3/16 on the front side. Put a lock nut on the back side of the face plate this will keep the setscrews in place. Now put a stub arbor in the the headstock. Drill a hole in the center of the wood blank the size of the stub arbor. Slip the blank over the stub arbor and lock it in with the tailstock it should fit flat aginst the face plate. You are now ready to turn the outside of the bowl and make a tennon.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

I am stealing this idea immediately. Thanks. :) Me too - that sounds a lot easier than shoving a pile of scraps underneath...we'll see what winds up being the most efficient and easiest on the ole joints...

[Dwight Rutherford]

I borrowed the inner tube idea from another turner about a year ago. Happy to pass it along.

[Joe Bradshaw]

I mounted a piece of barn door track down the centerline of my lathe and installed a HF electric hoist on the track using barn door rollers. It works a treat. It is also good for removing the tailstock(Oneway 2436). I just wrap a piece of nylon sling around the blank and hoist away.

[Dennis Nagle]

I do the same Joe but my chain fall is hand operated.

[roger oldre]

harvey we used to do a lot of staved columns we would use two layers of laminated plywood on the ends. As you suggest we would drill a hole through the first piece the size of the outside of the tails tock. For the headstock we had a pin in the center of a faceplate that was the same diameter as the OD of the tail stock center. once in place we would put in screws for driving the column. on turnings over 9 feet we would have to turn half and then flip the column end for end to turn the other half. Nice trick thanks for posting!

[robert baccus]

For holding a large block up try a small sissor jack from a small car. Mine is from a Honda mounted on a wooden T block on the ways.