Doug Keener
10-17-2003, 10:35 PM
I thought I would share some pictures of my home made wood lathe with the wood turning group. I built this thing about 30 years ago when I wanted to make some 8 foot spindles in one piece. It's a Rube Goldburg design that continues to develope as the need arrises.
It started with a wood lathe kit from Gilliom Mfg. Originally I bolted everything to a bench frame with no top. I added some modifications to make my life easier since I was and am still not an accomplished turner.
It features:
1) a motorized feed screw and carriage holding a 1.5 HP router.
2) a bed length of 6 feet.
3) a support ring and bearings for spindles up to 10 feet (not shown).
4) speed range from 30 rpm to just over 4000.
5) synchronized head rotation to carriage feed for making spiral cuts.
After retiring and moving I decided to put this thing back together using a wood base that more resembles a lathe frame. It was just in time since I am currently working on an order requiring some turned legs.
The pictures show an overall view, then one doing a rough sizing with a straight bit, then rough shaping with a round nose bit, then two finished legs. The tapper and rounding were done with conventional hand chisels. It's not a copy lathe,,,,, yet.
I can provide more details if anyone is interested. Thanks for looking, Doug Keener
It started with a wood lathe kit from Gilliom Mfg. Originally I bolted everything to a bench frame with no top. I added some modifications to make my life easier since I was and am still not an accomplished turner.
It features:
1) a motorized feed screw and carriage holding a 1.5 HP router.
2) a bed length of 6 feet.
3) a support ring and bearings for spindles up to 10 feet (not shown).
4) speed range from 30 rpm to just over 4000.
5) synchronized head rotation to carriage feed for making spiral cuts.
After retiring and moving I decided to put this thing back together using a wood base that more resembles a lathe frame. It was just in time since I am currently working on an order requiring some turned legs.
The pictures show an overall view, then one doing a rough sizing with a straight bit, then rough shaping with a round nose bit, then two finished legs. The tapper and rounding were done with conventional hand chisels. It's not a copy lathe,,,,, yet.
I can provide more details if anyone is interested. Thanks for looking, Doug Keener