Bowl Steady

[Chip Sutherland]

I finally built something I've needed for over a year. I hate building jigs. I built so many jigs when I was doing flatwork, I have a mental complex about them. But after tossing several pieces in the 'someday I'm gonna fix it' box or the firebox, that I finally did it. I made it oversized for my 14" Jet so figuring out the length and position of the rollers and arms was interesting. In the end, I left enough clearance to allow my Monster Laser HF jig to poke through for most pieces. The 2 lower wheels will fully recess so I can almost turn to full capacity. For anybody else who have lost a piece (or 6) due it being insufficiently supported when hollowing build one for yourself.
Now if I can just finish my segmenting tablesaw sled ala Malcom Tibbetts.

[Don Robert]

Nice jig. Looks like you did a good job, although I am not sure why the arms are so long? I just built one for my PM 3520B and used it on a HF that hollowed by hand. I've been looking at the Monster Hollowing jig w/laser and trying to decide between that and the Kelton. How do you like your Monster?

[Jon Lanier]

How did you attach that to your lathe? Pics are best. :D

Thanks.
-Jon

[Raymond Overman]

The steady sure makes a world of difference. I just recently finished building mine as well. I made my arms out of corian and made them a lot shorter than what you're showing to get them out of the way. My design copies yours by straddling the ways of the lathe for better front to back stability. I wish I had put four arms on mine instead of three but it still works well.

Let's see the work coming off of it now.

[joe greiner]

Very nice setup, Chip. Especially the gap for the laser and the use of four wheels. Although most have only three wheels (adequate), the wheels usually come in sets of four even from garage sales, so you'd have a leftover wheel, and can't bear to throw it away.

Yeah, you can probably cut the arms just a little bit shorter now. I don't see any slots in the arms for the bolts. Did you just put T-nuts or such in the straps and let the bolts press against the arms? Seems more robust, and less work, that way.

Well done, and thanks for posting. Consider the idea stolen; er, I mean imitated.

Joe

[Chip Sutherland]

The arms are long because I just haven't cut them off. My face shield has saved me already. I was completely impatient to try it out. I opted for a friction grip on the arms instead of slots for 2 reasons: 1) I would have had to buy the knobs and hardware when I already had T-Nuts and wing bolts 2) my router table is buried in cutoff chunks and sawdust from my bandsaw. I have a craft show coming up and so many pieces won't make in because I delayed building the bowl steady.

I'm still learning to use the Monster but the very first time I put it together I had wet walnut flying. It was sheer excitement. I wasn't sure I was even doing it correctly. I got 3 pieces in DNA that need to be finished turned. I'll post the outcome.

[Chip Sutherland]

See the pipe clamp in the pic? That's how it is attached. It was a backup option. I mis-judged the throat capacity on another clamp and came up short. I'll order the expanded throat pipe clamp from Grizzly and clamp it from underneath. C-clamps are too difficult. I might get around to making a block clamp for the ways but that's more time I don't feel like spending