Lathe Jigs

A sturdy stand with a bed extension and sand for ballast lets a bantam lathe function like a heavyweight.

If you plan to turn chair or table legs, Tim Manney’s shopmade long tool rest allows you to make fluid, full-body motions that yield consistent, smooth, flowing turnings.

Even experienced wood turners sometimes lay their tools temporarily on the lathe bed. If the tool falls, Murphy's Law kicks in, and the tool lands on its sharp edge. After…

To turn bedposts, you need a long-bed lathe-an expensive tool that uses lots of floor space. For less than $100, I made this bed extension for my midi-lathe. When not…

Here's a quick, simple way to attach a bowl blank to the lathe. The method requires a faceplate larger than the finished bowl. Start by screwing the square bowl blank…

There are advantages to leaving a turning on its faceplate from the first cut through finishing. It eliminates the work of reattaching and re-centering the work and provides a handle…

Put a perfect grind on your spindle and bowl gouges

The homemade stabilizer device shown above allows me to turn four-poster beds and architectural columns on my 9-ft. lathe. The stabilizer eliminates the whipping and vibrating that accompany long-stock turning.…

For years I have transferred lathe faceplate projects from the inboard spindle to the outboard spindle. Since the outboard spindle is left-hand threaded, this meant dismounting the work from one…

I frequently turn pieces that I have drilled out or turned hollow. To support these pieces for further turning and finishing, I use this large-diameter bull-nose tailstock. To make it,…