Hi,
Very newbie turner here. My focus is to make drum shells, typically 10″ – 16″ diameter. A basic web search shows most lathes don’t offer this kind of free space over the ways, certainly less over the tool rest. A suggestion from a well experienced turner at the local Woodcraft is to buy a ‘normal’ lathe, and run the headstock all the way to the end for outboard turning. (He was not a fan of turning the headstock 90* for outboard, figuring you’ve gone to the trouble to align the headstock, why mess it up with turning it?) Though a good solution, I have a fairly small garage, and managing a 30-40″ long lathe doesn’t quite fit my space.
Question 1 – is it at all safe to increase the swing of a mini lathe (e.g. Jet 1220 VS) by adding riser blocks under the head and tail stocks, similar to adding a riser block to a 14″ band saw? (Yes, I’d need a longer drive belt, but that’s minor.)
Question 2 – how to securely mount the shell for turning? My shells are stave construction, usually a 12 or 16 stave ring, weighing a handful of pounds, and I need to turn both exterior and interior with a degree of precision, outside diameter is critical (shells are usually no greater than 1/8″ undersized of their nominal diameter, to ensure the drum head seats to the bearing edge.) Forming the bearing edge of the shell is also a plus while it’s mounted.
I’ve made 4 shells so far using a shop made jig which rotates the shell around a central axis, and a router provides the cutting action. The shells are (at best) fair, from the standpoint of roundness, there is a slight wobble inaccuracy in my jig which translates to the shell; imagine a straight up Slinky, ever so slightly diagonal.
The picture is of a 14 x 5 snare drum and 12 x 9 rack tom, both of ash, both about 3/8 thick. They sound like drums!
Replies
First of all, I have no experience making drums!
I see no problem raising the headstock. I think that mini lathes generally have a short swing because that limits the amount of torque that can be applied. Bigger lathes with bigger swings have bigger motors. In your case, you are not hollowing out the drum, only doing minor stock removal (light cuts) and HP will not likely be an issue. At this stage, is it just the thin wall that you have to secure to the lathe? I would start by turning the inside - turn it round and go no further. Then make a jam chuck (a piece of wood sized to fit snugly inside the drum) and use another jam chuck on the other end of the drum and support that with the tailstock. Then turn the outside. You could probably turn the inside the same way, only using an external jam chuck.
Good luck and let us know what you end up doing!
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Chris,I've received all manners of advice on this issue (posted at wood central), and I'll lock down my final approach after going to a wood turner's con-fab in December here in the SF Bay Area.Most advice has been on the negative: very few thought safety wss out of bounds, most thought the 3/4 hp motor may not be up to the task. I've been advised to buy a Stubby, Oneway or a Robust. All are beautiful, gorgeous lathes, but I don't need an aircraft carrier when a canoe will suffice.Thanks for your feedback and advice about jam chucks. I'll keep that in mind when I ask questions at the wood turner's meeting; it'll make me look smart.Cheers,Seth
Seth
I see a lot of old used lathes at garage/estate sales going for $75-100. How about getting one of those and cutting the base off so you can use for this purpose? I would hate to mess with the alignment by modifying a relatively new mini.
STM,I've been cruising Craigslist for a while, just to see what's there. You're right, there could be a bargain out there, it just takes looking.
The headstock is really what I'm after, as long as the bearings are in good shape and the spindle isn't bent. The headstock can be mounted on a shop made, lathe-like jig of some manner(we are Fine Wood Workers, after all), or the old bed hacked down to make a short bed lathe.I've also cruised McMaster Carr for various precision bearings and shafts, so I can "make" my own center and be happy with its accuracy. That's last resort.Cheers,Seth
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Wood-Lathe-With-Digital-Readout/G0462
I think you can get by nicely with the above lathe and it isn't much more than a small bench lathe. You could start out with the 10" drums until you get the hang of it then work up from there. The turning headstock is designed to be moved to the best position for the job at hand and then returned. Sometimes a persons preference for a particular type of lathe not always based on any first hand use, just their idea of what is "right". My father has been using a Nova 3000 for years and swings the headstock to turn green 20"+ bowls that are a lot heavier than any drum you will ever make.
One issue you may have is that with the headstock rotated and a bigger drum mounted, you would not have the support of a tail stock with the lathe as it comes. The risers you planed for the lathe would be easier with this lathe because the motor is part of the headstock and will go up with it.
The other possible issue is the lowest speed is 600 rpm. That "might" be too fast to start with if the drum big and is way out of balance. You could minimize that by adapting your router setup you presently have to work on the lathe while hand rotating the drum to rough out the inside and outside. Or rough the blank on the existing setup and then put it on the lathe. It may be possible to add a jack shaft / lay shaft between the motor and headstock to slow the lathe down more.
I don't have this lathe but do have the GO658 machine and have no complaints but the GO462 would be better for your intended use than modifying one like mine.
QCI,Thanks for the good comments.600 RPM does sound a bit fast for rough drums 18" and larger. I don't fancy making many 24" x 24" kick drums, but I'll leave myself the possibility.If only the world was perfect, eh?Cheers,Seth
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