The Joys and Woes of working on the lathe

From Sandpaper blocks to 3D printers, what is helpful and what is a waste of money
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bernomatic
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#1 The Joys and Woes of working on the lathe

Post by bernomatic »

One nice thing about having the lathe is to be able to turn a prototype Nose Cone. Well, as long as you don't chunk it :oops:

Below is a prototype nose cone for a BT-60 based on the nose cone of the Big Bertha. This one is turned out of scrap 2x4. I was thinking of altering the shape a bit from the standard when... Thunk-
Chunked Nose Cone.JPG
Chunked Nose Cone.JPG (131.23 KiB) Viewed 5182 times
Some wood filler and sanding...
Filled Nose Cone.JPG
Filled Nose Cone.JPG (126.22 KiB) Viewed 5182 times
Almost as good as new. :D
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#2 Re: The Joys and Woes of working on the lathe

Post by bernomatic »

A couple of hours later, and I was reminded of why it is important to follow safe lathe practices and keep the tool rest as close as possible to the work when while working on some wood from the defunct apple tree in the backyard, I again chunked the piece but also snapped my 1/2" skew a couple centimeters shorter. I admit I became complacent to the catching and careless, but no more. Having a 3-4 cm long piece of tool steel go bouncing about and whizzing past you can really give you a new appreciation for the safety procedures. And yes, I was wearing eye protection, but not a full face shield.
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#3 Re: The Joys and Woes of working on the lathe

Post by bernomatic »

Another benefit is being able to create things from "scrap" lumber. An Apple tree was blown over in the backyard this spring. I am using it to turn items and practice pieces. My latest is a handle for a carbide tip. The same tool would cost me upwards of $150 elsewhere. I figure my total cost when finished will be less than ten bucks. I'll post a picture of the handle when I get home.

The Apple wood it's very hard on my tools, and I hope that means it will last a long time.
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#4 Re: The Joys and Woes of working on the lathe

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