Tool Rest Height Question

[Kirk Poore]

Guys:

(This is my first post here, and I have almost no turning experience, so pardon my obliviousness. On to business...)

I recently bought a Craftsman (King-Seeley) lathe, model 103.23070, ~1950 or so. I built a stand and got it all set up with a 1/2 hp motor. Anyway, it didn't have a toolrest, but I was able to find a Craftsman one off of ebay. Anyway, the minimum toolrest height is 5", while the center of the rotation is, of course, 4-1/2". This seems awkward at least and a potential problem. Given the vintage of this lathe, an original (shorter) toolrest will be hard to find.

Here's a link to a picture a similar lathe. The first picture on the page matches mine, except mine has the threaded headstock & ball bearings, so it's not a 1947 model.
http://www.lathes.co.uk/craftsmanwood/page3.html

Anyway, I see a few possible options:

1. Grind down the shoulder of the toolrest by half an inch or more. Possible, but not desirable.
2. Raise the head & tailstock off the bed by an inch or so. Again, possible, since the headstock is held to the bed by 4 bolts. The tailstock should be raisable too, I think.
3. Look for a shorter 3rd party toolrest, with a 7/8" or less shaft. If it's smaller than 7/8", I could pour babbit around it to fill the space.

Thanks...

Kirk Poore
O'Fallon IL

[Earl Eyre]

If I'm following this correctly I think you will need something to make the tool rest far more adjustable. Just getting it to the center won't do it. Most of the time when you are using gouges the tool rest needs to be below center. For instance when you are working on the inside of a bowl, if the tool rest is at center, you won't be able to effectively move from the outside to the middle because you will be "gouging" straight into the wood instead of using the side of the gouge and cutting the wood. And the gouge will actually be above center because of the thickness of the shaft. You need to be able to adjust the tool rest from below center to above center. Make sense? Or did I misunderstand the problem? Earl

[Earl Eyre]

Should have looked at your pics first. You'll notice how low the tool rest is. That's what you need with it being adjustable to raise it. Go for C, no babbit, it has to be adjustable. You can get one made by a machiniest for very low cost. Get it done right and you'll be happier. Earl

[Scott Donley]

Hi Kirk, I have the same lathe. It has an 8 inch rest, if it would help you I can send a picture and the exact dimensions just let me know. Really is a nice little lathe, VERY solid. Now if I could only find a left thread face plate
By the way, Sears still has a few of those old parts, you can get the part number for it from the Sears web site.

[John Hart]

Hi Kirk!! Welcome! My first reaction was to just cut an inch off of the tool rest shaft. That would give you a little more play and you wouldn't have to mess with alteration of your lathe parts. You definitely want to be able to go below center.

[Brad Hart]

you can get both sorby and other brand modular rests that screw into different sized posts. This is the choise I would go with since I know of no manufactured 7/8" rest. This is plus for you if you upgrade to a bigger lathe later on since you will be able to take the superior tool rests to it with only the purchase of a new post.

While youn wait for an order to arive you should be able to use a makeshift rest made from 1/2" galvanized water pipe with either a t fitting in the middle of 2 pieces or using a 90 degree corner fitting. Just don't make it too long if you go that route. btw 1/2" has an od of 0.840" which is just over 1mm smaller than 7/8"

[Kirk Poore]

A new toolrest seems the best, then. Here's a couple of pictures of the lathe & toolrest:
http://www.owwm.com/PhotoIndex/Images/4414-A.jpg
http://www.owwm.com/PhotoIndex/Images/4414-B.jpg

Pouring babbit around the smaller shaft of a new toolrest will not freeze it in place--it will be adjustable up and down, though I may need to scrape it out a little.

Thanks...

Kirk

[Doug Thompson]

Kirk,
Thanks for the link... I have one buried in the basement and didn't know how old it was.

Have a new rest made to fit the lathe. I think this guy could make one http://www.monster-wood-tool.com/ Another idea would be to cut off the old shaft and replace it with a 7/8 but I wouldn't mess with it.

Hello everyone,
Doug

[Frank Fusco]

Go to a local welding shop and have whatever you need made exactly as you want it. I pay about $10 for custom tool rests.

[Joe Tonich]

While youn wait for an order to arive you should be able to use a makeshift rest made from 1/2" galvanized water pipe with either a t fitting in the middle of 2 pieces or using a 90 degree corner fitting. Just don't make it too long if you go that route. btw 1/2" has an od of 0.840" which is just over 1mm smaller than 7/8"

Sorry Brad, but I think I'd put this in the 'Are You NUTS????' catagory. Seeing what catches do to solid rests, I don't think I'd ever even think about using a pipe held by a 'T'. I think even a slight catch would be disasterous, but that's just my opinion. I'd just wait to get a welded, solid one made.

[Brad Hart]

Sorry Brad, but I think I'd put this in the 'Are You NUTS????' catagory. Seeing what catches do to solid rests, I don't think I'd ever even think about using a pipe held by a 'T'. I think even a slight catch would be disasterous, but that's just my opinion. I'd just wait to get a welded, solid one made.

Once again people make false asumptions about pipe. Until you start talking about very large diameters pipe where wall thickness doesn't have the same ratio to diamter even a mild steel like galvanized or wrought iron is structurally much stronger that a solid piece of metal, even higher grades of steel. In a solid piece of metal you are forcing all of the strain on a single point. In a pieces of pipe be it a tool or a tool rest you are dividing the pressure around the arc. It works for the same reason we make arcing damns, domes and arching doorways in big ol castles.

[Jim Ketron]

Brad, Pipe is structurally strong if it is built the right way like a crane boom, bridge, just like floor joists without the gussets it is weak! I work with pipe everyday at my job! using a pipe with threads for a tool rest is not a good Idea IMO! The threads are very weak because you are loosing half of the thickness of your pipe for the threads! I have replaced many broken pipes and they always break with the threads left in the fitting.
I can take a pipe wrench and crush a piece of pipe! I don't think it is possible to do that with solid stock.
And Like Joe said it would not take much force to break a pipe thread.
That might work if you loose the fitting and just weld the pipe together but IMO pipe is gona be too soft to take the abuse of turning for any length of time, but it would be cheap and making one every so often would not break the bank.