Anyone make their own tool rest?

[Les Kuesel]

I only have one tool rest and sometimes its to long for short stuff. If anyone has made their own rest what type of steel and size did you use? Did you weld it or have it machined? Round stock, angle, stainless, square, hardened, or ?? I also would like to make a curved one for bowls.

[Dennis Peacock]

Les,

I've used toolrests that were round post stock with angle iron welded to the top, and the best I've liked so far is a 3/4" round top welded to the 1" post. They cost very little to make if you have access to a local welder. :)

[Terry Quiram]

Les I have made about 10. Here are 2 of the latest. One 12" and one 6".

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=61554

Terry

[Colin MacDiarmid]

What about this system from robert sorby, I use it and find it very good
http://www.robert-sorby.co.uk/modular-tool-rest-system.htm

[Bernie Weishapl]

Why buy them? They are expensive. In the same link Terry posted I had those made for $10 a piece. I have also had a couple made like Terry's.

[laurie sullivan]

bernie,

one fine day, i was turning away and the chisel snagged the bowl and and snapped the rest right a the post. so i had a friend weld a new one for me and i still use it today. he used a 2x6x3/8 peice of steel stock and welded it at a 25 degree angle. he also made on out of 2in. half flat channel and welded it at a straight angle. someday i will spend the money and get an "S" shape tool rest.

[Greg Narozniak]

Les,

I've used toolrests that were round post stock with angle iron welded to the top, and the best I've liked so far is a 3/4" round top welded to the 1" post. They cost very little to make if you have access to a local welder. :)

That is exactly what i did for my old Craftsman lathe. 1/2" black pipe with different size and length angle iron welded to it. Works great and I have lots of different sizes now.

[Paul Engle]

Les, the best rests seem you be those one has made to suit their taste, I have two made from stainless 1" rnd stock, a 12 incher and 4 incher with a riser post on one side I use for hf's and working behind the bowl it keeps me from getting into the chuck and I use the L shape to pivot on when doing hf's sometimes,cost was ... oh ....scrap from company shop and welding was 10$.( altho one of the guys in the shop welded my 12 incher , I milled a sadle for the bar to sit in the post and he heli arc'd it . Does not have to be SS or heli arc'd ,it is what my company uses the most of in food processing.You could just get any old rnd bar ( not rebar) , heat it and bend one side to make a post, unless you are gonna take it to the county fair who cares? You could make it out of 3/4 pipe( nomial od is 31/32" use various pipe fittings. Just a thought:D

[Richard Madison]

Les,
Had the same problem, so checked my junk pile, found some rusty 1" cold rolled shaft and a cable clamp (basically two flat pcs. about 3/8"x1-1/4"x6" with rounded edges). Ground a flat on one end/side of the CRS bar and welded one pc. of of the clamp to it. Also found a 1" collar w/ set screw to hold the tool post at desired elevation. Essentially zero cost. Seldom use the 12" "real" tool rest except to reach inside deeper or bigger stuff. The short one is just so much handier. Maybe will get around to making a curved one eventually.

Don't really need cold rolled shaft for tool post. The tool post for open segment jig I made for previous lathe was just the unthreaded portion of a long 5/8" bolt.

[Dean Thomas]

I'm with all those who've said MAKE 'EM!!!

If you use cold rolled steel, you can file & sand off the few nicks that you might get.

If you have your own welding & grinding facility, you can do multiples for next to nothing. One of the guys in my club made me 4 new rests for two different minis. He made a straight T style with a 4" bar on top; he also made an offset T that was 6" long, split 2 & 4". Because the offset T was made with round bar on top, it could be flopped so the 2" portion could be on either side.

Round is better than angle iron, IMO, because they are reversible, and because my hand wants to use the rest as a guide with my fingers rubbing along it to serve as a depth gauge of sorts. Can't do that with the little Jet or Delta rests. Even the larger rests provided by some of the major manufacturers are not fun to work with for us folks with fat fingers.