Chris Barton
08-28-2005, 4:49 PM
Hi All,
I recently cruised a thread where someone was asking about turning in reverse on a lathe since some are equiped with a reverse switch. At the time I made what I thought was a clever response since I often turn in reverse when I am trying to turn out the outside of a bowl or under the lip of a hollow form. By turning in reverse it keeps you from leaning over the lathe or having to cross over to the other side. But, today I learned why this can also be a problem. I was turning a large bowl (about 14" in diameter) and roughing out the underside of the lip in reverse at about 2,000 RPM when the gouge got a good purchase on the bowl and spun off the bowl complete with the Oneway Stronghold chuck still attached. This traped the chuck between the fast moving headstock in reverse and the tool rest. End result; I had to replace the thread insert for the chuck ($25 + tax) and recut the tread on the headstock. So, I guess the moral of the story is that reverse is good but, be wise and use a locking set screw (which the Oneway has available) or pay the consequences...
Chris
I recently cruised a thread where someone was asking about turning in reverse on a lathe since some are equiped with a reverse switch. At the time I made what I thought was a clever response since I often turn in reverse when I am trying to turn out the outside of a bowl or under the lip of a hollow form. By turning in reverse it keeps you from leaning over the lathe or having to cross over to the other side. But, today I learned why this can also be a problem. I was turning a large bowl (about 14" in diameter) and roughing out the underside of the lip in reverse at about 2,000 RPM when the gouge got a good purchase on the bowl and spun off the bowl complete with the Oneway Stronghold chuck still attached. This traped the chuck between the fast moving headstock in reverse and the tool rest. End result; I had to replace the thread insert for the chuck ($25 + tax) and recut the tread on the headstock. So, I guess the moral of the story is that reverse is good but, be wise and use a locking set screw (which the Oneway has available) or pay the consequences...
Chris