BIGGGG Fun---

[Gary Max]

Just had to see how out of balance and big the new lathe will turn.
Started at 80rpms and finished at 265rpms.
39 inches long ---a very VERY old cedar tree.
I have had it cut sitting in my shop for years--- dry

[Gary Max]

Split the 8 pics into two groups---hope you folks enjoy my fern stand.

[Alan Turner]

GAry,
I love it, but isn't it upside down?

[Karl Laustrup]

Way cool, Gary.:cool: I think a bed extension is in your future. ;) :D Then you could just cut down a tree and spin it. Looks like you've got a little more room diameter wise, so as long as you can get the tree up there I guess you can spin it. :eek: :D

As far as right side up.........well...................:confused: It kinda looks like a giant chess piece. Make some more and a giant board and.......I don't know what.:D


I think it would look good either way, even laying down.

[Gary DeWitt]

Lathe doesn't appear to have moved, much anyway. I want a lathe like that!

[Chris Barton]

Gary,


That is great! As a PM3520a owner also I now know that when I want to turn an entire tree trunk, I can, all thaks to you!

Chris

[Gary Max]

With that much weight and a dial up speed control I ain't about to let that shake.
It was all I could do to get that mounted. After I got it setting on the bed----I used blocks to raise it up to spindel height. I would guess that it weight about 100 lbs when I started. Even when it was done I moved it with a dolley---the old back needs all the help it can get. Wish I would of thought about that over the years----to late now.
Oh --the top is 10 inches across and the base is over 14. That lathe will swing 24 inches over the bed.

[John Hart]

Holy Smokes Gary....That's quite a pen!:D Pretty cool!

[Chris Barton]

Hi Gary,

Another thing i thought about after my last post is the fact I see so little posted about one of the most ubiquitous woods for our part of the country, red cedar. I have often wondered about turning some. What was it like?

chris

[Gary Max]

Chris----the lathe is a 4224--I wanted the BIG one---Cedar is a funny wood to turn. If you look at the pics again you will see that there is almost no sap to this log. It is very dry---which makes it a lot harder than you would think. The chips are small ---not those nice long curls. If you ever fell like going for a drive give me a shout---I am 90 miles east of Bowing Green Ky. We do this sawdust thing full time so we are here most of the time.

[Carole Valentine]

:D You're a stitch, Gary! Next thing we know you will have rigged a hoist overhead so you can mount a 300 lb burl! Don't hurt yourself...backs take longer to heal at our age.:) You know, if you have any more of that cedar trunk, it makes beautiful end grain bowls with those convoluted edges.

[John Hart]

Just to let you know Gary, you got me inspired again. I just glued up a tenon to a 14" Diameter log that I'm going to try tomorrow. It's not as long as the one you just did....but you sure lit a fire under me!!

[Gary Max]

John----I used a face plate----3 1/2 long heavy framing screws. Please be very careful and take it slow----VERY slow. Of course we want to see pics of your log.

[John Hart]

John----I used a face plate----3 1/2 long heavy framing screws. Please be very careful and take it slow----VERY slow. Of course we want to see pics of your log.

The log I'm using is only about 12" thick so I glued a tenon on it to maximize my resulting piece. I'm still using a faceplate though (I just needed something to screw in to) I hope that's the right way to do it.

I guarantee pics. This is the biggest piece I've tried so you can bet that I'll be down around 200 for a while. Thanks again!

[Carole Valentine]

John, are you SURE you want to use a glue block on a 14" diameter log???? I don't turn big stuff, but that seems a little risky to me. Maybe not...they say a proper glue joint is stronger than the surrounding wood....
Be carefull

[John Hart]

Am I sure???? NO!!! No pain, no gain as they say :) I'll be sure to wear my face shield.;) :D

[Gary Max]

John I sanded a spot flat for my face plate---I wanted it to lay on a smooth surface--- the screws I used---everyone went into solid wood. Since that was the bottom I did not care about leaveing six holes---ain't no one going to pick it up and look at the bottom. Every time I stopped the lathe I checked the screws to make sure they where tight. And I started turning this at 80 RPM's

[Jean Holland]

John,

With a log that big, you might want to think about a helmet and sholder pads too.....just until you're sure it safe to go in the water.

[John Hart]

Well...just for an update...(and I really should start another thread so Gary's isn't hijacked) The log was too big for my tool rest to get underneath. It spun up ok but I could only watch it. :rolleyes:

So...I'll trim it up with the chain saw...give it another try later...and start my own thread (Sorry Gary!:o )

[Gary Max]

John where's the pic--------HEHEHE
You ain't hijacking anything

[John Hart]

Ok wise guy...since you won't let me fail quietly!!:D

[Carole Valentine]

John,
Turn your tool rest so it is 90 deg to the beds (between the tailstock and the wood) and start working the end into a curve for the bottom of a bowl. As you remove wood, you will be able to gradually move your banjo towards towards the headstock.

[Gary Max]

Yeah---what she said---------I knew you could turn it if it would swing.

[John Hart]

So...tell me...how is it that you saw that and I didn't? Hmmmm:confused:

[Jean Holland]

sometimes a third eye is good.

Good eye, Carole!

[Carole Valentine]

LOL Been there, done that! When all you have is a Mini, you figure stuff out!

[John Hart]

Well...it ALMOST worked....Actually..it worked fine, and I was hacking along and I went out too far on the tool rest and my gouge caught and CRACK....no more tool rest. I thought to myself, "gosh...that was unfortunate".

So...I'm calling it a day. I have another tool rest but ya know...sometimes you just have to have a bowl of ice cream and reflect on the day's events.:rolleyes:

[Gary Max]

Been there done that. At least you got it started---heck that's the hardest part

[John Hart]

Thanks Gary....

But ya know...I'm afraid I'm not a "eat ice cream and reflect" kinda guy.

I decided to get back on the horse and go back to the shop. It's round!!!!! I got pics. I'll post them in a bit. I'm really excited about this...bear with me.:D

[Gary Max]

John it's 92 in my shop or I would be there myself.
I have been getting up before day light and working but by 2;00pm it's to hot.

[John Hart]

Yeah...I guess that's one of the advantages of a basement shop...it's always cool. Today was a scorcher...but the shop was around 75.

Ok...the first pic is the broken tool rest. (documentation is important)

The second pic is a cylinder...Of which I am very proud! :D

The third pic is the broken tool rest where it belongs...discarded in the waste of the day.

Thanks for your help everyone! So now what am I going to do with it?

[Carole Valentine]

John, that's too bad, but you learned not to let too much of your gouge hang over the rest! Nothing learned, nothing gained! As far as what you are going to do with it, why not start narrowing down the bottom to a pleasing curve, turn a tenon, chuck it up and start hollowing!:D Do you have Bill Grumbine's video?

[Ernie Nyvall]

Gary, that ought to go real good as a fern stand. cool

Hey John, I custom made some tool rests on a big piece the other day too. :rolleyes:

Ernie

[Carole Valentine]

"I thought to myself, "gosh...that was unfortunate""
C'mon John...we all know what you REALLY thought/said! LOL

[Gary Max]

Well John looks like you are off to a great start-----so what's it going to be???????

[John Hart]

Well John looks like you are off to a great start-----so what's it going to be???????

Well....hmmm.....I'm pretty partial to the ogee shaped bowls. I think that's where I'm headed. Hollowing just ain't my bag yet. (I think I'll do some little ones first)
Right now...I'll be happy if I don't wreck it!!! By the way...this is all your fault!..Thanks :)

[John Hart]

"I thought to myself, "gosh...that was unfortunate""
C'mon John...we all know what you REALLY thought/said! LOL

Now Carole...This is a family channel.....But you're right. It was a little different:D

[Carole Valentine]

Hollowing just ain't my bag yet. (I think I'll do some little ones first)

Whatcha mean by that John? You make bowls, and you hollow everytime you make one (unless you have some magic bugs you've trained to chomp out the wood just right!):)

[Bill Stevener]

LQQks like quite a big pen you're trying to make ther John. I would think, if you bring the broken tool rest back, they should give you a new one. Don't chuck it.;)

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>:)

[John Hart]

I've been giving this tool rest thing a lot of thought.... Ernie was talking on the phone the other day about making his own rests and we were discussing the fact that the shaft is cast iron (which seemed sorta weak by nature). Chris suggested that I have someone weld this back together, and I may give that a try if it is doable. But then I got to thinking about when it happened. The snap occurred during a catch that might have really hurt if the tool rest didn't snap. Does anyone know if this is the reason for the choice of material in a tool rest shaft? (Sort of a safety fuse for over-indulgent novices such as m'self)


Oh...and Carole...I thought you were talking about HF work....but I would be interested in some of those hollowing bugs if you run across any! :D

[Gary Max]

John you might as well spend the money and get the steel tool rest.
Welding works but you still ain't got anything---makes a good spare--maybe??
Maybe find one of our members to make and sell a few-----HINT

[John Hart]

...Maybe find one of our members to make and sell a few-----HINT

Hear that Ernie? Get yourself a truckload of steel and go into the toolrest-making bidness! You have an anxious customer here.:)

[Ernie Nyvall]

Yea I hear ya John... not exactly sure how though. :rolleyes:
What you said about the breaking off... what if it broke off when you had it angled inside a bowl. :eek: Anyway, looking around there are some companies that make all steel rests i.e. sorby and oneway.

I might try making some for myself and see how they work. I'm no journeyman welder and sometimes my welds got more rod than steel and can be pretty ugly.

Ernie

[Jim Ketron]

Here is a few bowl and straight tool rests that I made guys. But you all should know me by now I make most of my tools :)

[Gary Max]

John there is who I was thinking of---Jim makes some real nice tool rest.
As a matter of fact I need to get a long one for the new lathe.---Oh Jim

[John Hart]

Yep...I thought of you Jim. Just didn't know if you do that sort of thing for other people.

[Harry Goodwin]

Chris has brought up the possibility of using red cedar more in turning. I have had finishing problems with it years ago. In time it softened. It melted what I used to finish the pieces. Any suggestions. Will the shelliwax and other shellac burn in finishing like we use on pens work???? Thanks Harry

[Gary Max]

John did you work on your project today??????

[John Hart]

Nope...I got zero wood shop time...Had to do a brake job, a bunch of programming and some neglected yard work so it still sits on the lathe. I Anchorsealed on Saturday so it's just sitting there waiting...beckoning.:)