Tool Rest recomendations

[Gregg Feldstone]

I recently got a PM 3520B and am ready to get some additional tool posts. I want an inboard and outboard bowl rest and a 6" rest. I'm trying to decide between the dedicated PM rests, the Oneway bowl rests, and the stuff available from Monster tools: www.monster-wood-tool.com/wst_page5.html

I find the cast iron rests get nicked quickly and have been told to file them smooth. Is this common practice?
Are the stainless steel or tool steel rests going to be harder on my tools, being harder than the iron? Do the round bar rests work better for most applications?
Can anyone comment on the quality of the Oneway rests? I got some other Oneway stuff that was not welded straight and am concerned about this happening with their tool rests.

Also, is anyone using the vacum hood that attaches to the 3520's tool base? How do you like it?

Thanks in advance for your comments!!

[Gordon Seto]

IMO, the best tool rest is the Robust Comfort Rest.
http://70.169.135.35/showthread.php?p=841213#poststop
Here is my post on Oneway Tool rest.
http://70.169.135.35/showthread.php?p=797565#poststop
I also have the round tool rest which I don't like for turning small objects. There is no room to anchor finger under the rest for control, and the leverage point is farther than the slant top tool rest.

I bought my Robust tool rests from Bill Grumbine. He said a lot of PM owners switched to the Robust TR.

[Gregg Feldstone]

1st.....How do I get the Robust rest from Grumbie?

2nd...What about the bowl rests? They're my primary concern now. I have tried curved rests and do prefer them to straight once I have roughed out the shape. Any opinions on these??

[Dennis Peacock]

Greg,

Monster Tool makes good stuff. You can even go cheaper and purchase some 1" Cold Roll Steel and have a welder friend weld you up some tool rests that will last a very long time and be all that you need or want them to be. :)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Last summer while driving the Jet Mini, I bought a Robert Sorby modular system at the Cutting Edge while visiting in Houston. When I upgraded to the PM3520B in September I just bought the bigger post and now the modular system works on both lathes.

[Gordon Seto]

1st.....How do I get the Robust rest from Grumbie?

2nd...What about the bowl rests? They're my primary concern now. I have tried curved rests and do prefer them to straight once I have roughed out the shape. Any opinions on these??
Bill Grumbine is a distributor. You can email him or call him to order:
http://www.wonderfulwood.com/

I have the bowl rest from Nova (old style with curved round bar); I find the curvature rarely fit the shape I am turning.

I heard a lot of good things about the Oneway curved tool rests; but I haven't tried them yet.

[robert hainstock]

I use the 1/4 in toolsteel ros welded to a substantial block of steel with removable post. I don't remember who sold it to me twenty years ago, but Iam sure that I saw it in somecatalog or other recently. all tool rests have thier pluses, and minisus, but that small area of rolled steel on top is the least resistant to tool movement, very strong, (like the rests made og 3/4-1in steelrod. It works for me best of all the rests I have used in over fifty years of turning. :)
Bob

[Ken Glass]

Greg,
These are the in/out rests I made for my 3520b. I didn't like the full 1/4" thickness of the Powermatic rests. I have a total of $8.20 in the two of them. I posted this a few weeks ago here. I even painted them to match my Mustard monster. The 1" steel stock and 3/16" x 1-1/2" steel stock are really cheap. Even if you had to have it welded at a machine shop, the cost would still be under $10.00 for each rest. Just a consideration.

[Reed Gray]

I have the inside and outside tool rests from Oneway, and really like them. I prefer the bar to the round stock. The inside tool rest is a bit bouncy if you are working out at the end, and light cuts are required. If you get the ones from Oneway, I think you have to special order them. They used to fit the PM stock, but Oneway modified them to fit their 16 inch lathe. They made the posts shorter. I asked Brent about his inside tool rest which is made from round stock, and he said that his bounces a bit also. I want to take one and modify it so that it has a support finger welded on at an angle like the support finger with the Oneway coring system. This would stabilize it up a bit I think. As far as the straight rests, I just got my Robust lathe, and love the Comfort rest. The hard bar on the top is super. Makes tool movement much easier.
Robust robo hippy

[Paul Heely]

Another vote for the Robust rests. I just received my 4" and 9" ones yesterday and I think they are great. I ordered directly from Brent and had them in less than a week.

--
Paul

[Wayne Cannon]

I have trouble with rests made of hardened steel rod rusting very readily compared with my other rests, so keep them waxed (I know, I know -- the real answer to rust is to use them more!).

Yes, periodically filing the surface of cast iron rests smooth with a mill file is appropriate maintenance. However, after I rounded the bottom corners of my, skews, bedans, and parting tools, I no longer have problems with my cast iron rests getting dinged up.

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Advanced Lathe Tools LLC. by Steve Sinner & Jerry Seargent, hand makes custom Tool rest with a Hardened Steel Rod Top. Tools just glide over them effortlessly.They only make straight tool rest though. Most Proffesional Turners will use a Straight tool rest for bowl turning as well as for spindles.
The Company is owned by a couple of Proffesional Turners., They are members of the Quad City & Chicago chapers of the AAW Clubs.
Quite a few High End turners from these clubs use their Tool Rest.

[Gregg Feldstone]

Has anyone tried these from Craft Supplies?
http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Lathe_Accessories___Tool_Rests___S_Curve_Bowl_Rest ___s_curve_rest?Args=

The setup would cost $60 for a dual inboard and outboard. rest. They told me the thread is 3/4" x 10 tip. The rest itself looks to be finished better the Powermatic. Anyone think I could get the same wobbling toward the inside of the bowl?

I will be getting the Robust comfort rest. Trying to decide between the 6" and 9". I want to do a broad range of projects.

[Gregg Feldstone]

DO you have a link to Advanced Lathe Tools ?..I googled them to no avail.

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

They do not have a web site. They sell their tool rest mostly from word of mouth reccomendations form users of their rest. They have sold quite a few in the Chicago & Quad City areas where they are AAW Chapter members. They will also be selling them at the up coming Chicago symposium & the AAW Symposium in Richmond.
These are not a Cheap rest!!! However They use only Quailty materials & they are a pleasure to use.
Jerry says there kinda like a Microwave Oven. You don't really need it but after you have one you wouldn't want to be without one.
Steve can be emailed @ ssinner@mchsi.com
Jerry can be emailed @ sarge02@mchsi.com
If you email them put LLC Tool Rest in the subject line.