johnm
07-08-2007, 02:53 PM
Folks -
Okay, we're getting ready to extend the bed on our lathe so we can do full 8' turnings. We are not yet equipped with a stepper setup, but I do need to find a way to reduce speed on the VS lathe to less than the current minimum speed of 600 RPM. We are turning 4 large kitchen island legs out of solid cherry - more than 6" dia, and a poplar turning that is almost 8" - also solid stock... No room for error and don't need to spin the stock fast at all to do the milling. Any advice on rotation speed or turning advice would be welcome as well.
I was thinking about hooking up a large VS drill motor directly to the back side of the arbor spindle. This would be fairly easy, as the arbor shaft is hollow for the knock out rod, and is already tapped for 1/2" N/C thread. I was going to simply screw in a length of bolt rod with a lock nut and attach the drill motor to this.
Would I run into any trouble having the existing drive motor being "driven" by new setup? I could disconnect the belt, but it's kind of a PITA.
I'll post some pics in a bit, but wanted to get some feedback. Our setup is nearly identical to Wayne Locke's down in Texas.
Thanks,
John
Okay, we're getting ready to extend the bed on our lathe so we can do full 8' turnings. We are not yet equipped with a stepper setup, but I do need to find a way to reduce speed on the VS lathe to less than the current minimum speed of 600 RPM. We are turning 4 large kitchen island legs out of solid cherry - more than 6" dia, and a poplar turning that is almost 8" - also solid stock... No room for error and don't need to spin the stock fast at all to do the milling. Any advice on rotation speed or turning advice would be welcome as well.
I was thinking about hooking up a large VS drill motor directly to the back side of the arbor spindle. This would be fairly easy, as the arbor shaft is hollow for the knock out rod, and is already tapped for 1/2" N/C thread. I was going to simply screw in a length of bolt rod with a lock nut and attach the drill motor to this.
Would I run into any trouble having the existing drive motor being "driven" by new setup? I could disconnect the belt, but it's kind of a PITA.
I'll post some pics in a bit, but wanted to get some feedback. Our setup is nearly identical to Wayne Locke's down in Texas.
Thanks,
John