A Second Attempt

[Mark Mandell]

This is to follow up on the "Listen to Your Lathe" thread below.

Got this 24+" spalted sycamore winched up and faceplate-mounted on Stubby last night and will be proceeding to cut and hollow what I hope will be a 20" sphere.

No, I won't be spinning this at 1k More like 80 (no-k)

Have been holding this log for about a year, tarped and sealed with wax and shellac to encourage the natural spalt, so it's still pretty wet. In trimming to get it mounted, I've found some clear differences in the wood's density so it will be interesting to see if and how well it balances out. Will cut the initial round with the pithe on the lathe axis, then remount at 35-45* for completion of the sphere and hollowing.

 

[Charlie Knighton]

WOW, low earth orbit

that makes anything i attempted on entry level lathe as 2nd class, but my slowest speed is 500 RPM so between the too fast speed and if just a little out of balance with a piece of that size and my lathe might try low earth orbit

will definitly be on scout at richmond, coupons, points, % off, anybody got any!

 

[KEW]

I like your hoist.
Do you just put a screw-eye into the blank?
Any idea how much that weighs?

 

[Mark Mandell]

Before I (and 4 other guys) put that gray pile of iron alloy into my basement, I worked with a JET 1236 and routinely spun stuff at 11-1/2" (having been wisely told not to trust the cheesy "outboard" turning fitting). I had that lathe dancing from time-to-time, even with several hundred pounds of balast.

I rarely do big stuff (16+) any more because I just don't have the space to hold or show it, and big items, while showy and all, are of limited usefulness to others. I've done a few 20" commercial salad bowls for restaurants, but normal people want 12-14" bowls, and don't have a place for these monsters either. If you don't sell your turnings, try doing a couple of large items on a friend's big lathe, and then watch SWMBO's face when you say "See, Honey, I made this BIG Thing! Now where should we put it?"

There's a whole world of beautiful work being done on 12, 14, and 16" lathes (not to mention 6 & 8" minies), so don't call your stuff "2nd class" on account of size. Going big has its own hassels. Make sure you have a good chiropractor

 

[Mark Mandell]

I like your hoist.
Do you just put a screw-eye into the blank?
Any idea how much that weighs?

I use a 4-point rope hitch with 3/8" braided nylon and I-spliced ends; easy on, easy off. I also have a cargo net kind of rig that I also use on my trailer crane.

The bolt weighed about 160lbs and took two of us and a handtruck to get it down into the basement.

Hoist is a Harbor Freight $50 "440lb" special that runs on a piece of barn door track. Comes in very handy but is out of the way otherwise. I use the cable doubled so that the elevation movement is slower and more precise. This is mounted on an 8" faceplate with 12 #14 screws. That gets a bit touchy to get the plate to thread onto the spindle without crossing the threads which is a Really Bad Thing to do.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I think that I would want to put a faceplate on both ends of that meteorite!

Be sure to apply sufficient postage to it so that when it lands here in Texas, I will be able to mail it back to you.

Bill

 

[Charlie Knighton]

2nd class

There's a whole world of beautiful work being done on 12, 14, and 16" lathes (not to mention 6 & 8" minies), so don't call your stuff "2nd class" on account of size

some very good points, decisions, decisions,decisions
everytime i seriously consider upgrade i waffle back and forth, how big, what size motor, only thing i have definitely deceided is at least 50 RPM or lower slow speed starting something up that is out of balance or in your case large is scary i see you plan to start at around 80 RPM's

 

[Mark Mandell]

I think that I would want to put a faceplate on both ends of that meteorite!

Be sure to apply sufficient postage to it so that when it lands here in Texas, I will be able to mail it back to you.

Bill

Bill,

It was tough enough to get one faceplate threaded. Trying to get two of them precisely centered on the same axis would put me in a rubber room.

But I agree. It would feel a lot safer. I'll actually feel better when I start to hollow because that mounting will be at least partially screwed into the face grain rather than the end grain as it now sits.

 

[Mark Mandell]

i see you plan to start at around 80 RPM's

I tested it and it goes around "reasonably" stabil at 80. Will be keeping the gouges very sharp on this one.

This is where a big AC motor and EVS drive comes in because I'm going to have near full torque when I start cutting at this slow speed. That said, I could have saved $200 and gotten a 2 hp motor rather than the 3hp I have, because I so rarely use that kind of power.

Actually, if I had an electric chain saw, I'd be really tempted to rip off slabs from the heavy side using the lathe's indexer to visually balance the blank. Too many tools, not enough money.

MM

 

[dkulze]

Looks like fun. My biggest to date was a hollow form vase that's 19" at rim and 18" tall. Weighed in at about 75lb when mounted and was surprisingly balanced for chainsaw roughing.

I'm a big fan of letting it settle then chaining off a bit from the bottom until the whole thing rests still wherever I rotate it to.

dk

 

[waltben]

Actually, if I had an electric chain saw, I'd be really tempted to rip off slabs from the heavy side using the lathe's indexer to visually balance the blank. Too many tools, not enough money.

The largest I had on my 750 to date was a bowl blank that came in at about 90 lbs dry. It was too big to put on the bandsaw I had at the time, so I cheated a bit and ran my smallest gas chainsaw on it to round it out some, but then my 'studio' is my garage and I could open the door. Even a big-box cheapie saw will save you hours of roughing.

 

[Mark Mandell]

Even a big-box cheapie saw will save you hours of roughing.

I'm polling my friends and neighbors for an electric

PS FOUND ONE! a new Stihl too. Glad, standing in the throw-zone with the honkin piece of wood spinning towards me was a little unnerving.

 

[KEW]

Good deal!
I was gonna suggest either a hatchet, hammer & chisel, or bow saw.
Some people will pay money for the opportunity to burn calories.
In ant case, I wanted to post this option for anyone reading this who might not have such well equipped neighbors.

 

[Mark Mandell]

well equipped neighbors.

It's nice to have friends who also happen to be arborists and work for tree service companies. Giving away bowls has been a very good investment.

mm

 

[MichaelMouse]

Good deal!
I was gonna suggest either a hatchet, hammer & chisel, or bow saw.
Some people will pay money for the opportunity to burn calories.
In ant case, I wanted to post this option for anyone reading this who might not have such well equipped neighbors.

Drawknife. For more precise work, its cousin the spokeshave.

 

[George Van Beynen]

Mark, care to share your opinion on the Stihl saw vs gas?

 

[Mark Mandell]

Mark, care to share your opinion on the Stihl saw vs gas?

Hi George,

My little saw is a Stihl 023; 18 years, still strong, and cuts beautifully. Not that I'm trying to kill it, mind you, but if it ever dies I'll replace it with another Stihl (260-pro), even though my big saw is a Husky.

I don't get the electric until tomorrow, so when I get to play I'll let you know.

 

[blackhorse]

Keep sending us pics! Would love to see that sphere rotating when you get near the end.

 

[George Van Beynen]

Mark, I have had similar experiences with my 17 year old limbing saw a 021. It is a great saw to use for limbing while I'm logging in deep snow and smaller jobs where the Husky isn’t necessary. Every time I take the carburetor apart to get it running better I say I'm going to replace it and then it goes back to running like new. I wish I could say the same for my truck!
Looking forward to your opinion on the electric, George

 

[WODAD]

had to share

Long as your talking big, this hackberry bowl finished at 22.5 in. in diameter by 17 in at its tallest point. the piece weighed in at "heavy" final turning speed was just over 600 rpm. once on the lathe it was cut and sanded in a day. shavings filled a small 4x8 trailer. It was fun! Had to crop the pic to get it to fit.

Frank

 

[Donna Banfield]

If you don't have access to an electric chain saw...

if you have an angle grinder and a lancelot blade, that can also be used to roughly reshape an out-of-balance blank. The lancelot blade is a round blade, but has links just like a chain saw's chain.

You don't cut sections, or 'slices' off, as you would with an electric or gas chain saw; rather you 'remove' the material, and reshape the blank. It does make a big mess, but then if you're turning something that large, you shouldn't expect it to be tidy and neat in the first place.

 

[Mark Mandell]

Stage Three

Got the chain saw this morning and went to work.

George, the Stihl electric is VERY impressive, especially for an electric. Very nice balance and bunches of torque, but I'm not giving up my oil burners.

Donna, I have a Lancelot for my mini grinder. Works great but would have been like taking a knife to a gunfight in this case.

But anyway . . .

I HATE PEOPLE WHO ABUSE THEIR TREES:mad::mad::mad:

I'm getting this beast trimmed to where I'll be comfortable going back to the gouges and what do I find? Major steel buried in this log!! And by "major" I mean 3/4" in diameter by 8" long bent into a "v" hidden in the heavy side. Fortunately, I was half-expecting this kind of thing and pulled my friend's saw back before any damage occured.

By the time I cut this iron out and retrimmed the log to rough balance I looks like I'll be lucky to get a 16-18" ball out of this as you can see from the picture. The second pic (if I can get it to load in this frame) shows the great spalting and color I've got in this wood.

 

[George Van Beynen]

Thanks Mark, I have a fried in the city whose neighbors frown on early morning chain sawing, this will be a good option for him.

Too bad about the iron, but that is the trouble with yard/civilized trees compared to the woodlot. It sure looks like you have a great piece of wood left so I guess the disappointment will pass as soon as you start with the gouge and see what’s beneath.

 

[Mark Mandell]

Thanks Mark, I have a fried in the city whose neighbors frown on early morning chain sawing, this will be a good option for him

George,

Forgot to mention this was the "180 C-BQ" model of the Stihl. They make a bigger one (#220) but the best price I've seen on them is over $500 which I wouldn't pay for an 16" electric chain saw. My neighbors aren't THAT nice.

mm

 

[MichaelMouse]

Used to help the neighbors over at the sawmill, and you'd be surprised what some people hang in a crotch of a tree and forget. Tree grows over it, and after a few years even the telltale bulge is gone. Apparently trappers were especially careless about where they hung their traps in our area.

Someone hung an old singletree in the willow near the barn here. The fitting was there for my chainsaw - scratch one chain - years later. http://www.tcsag.com/Antiques/singletrees.html if you don't know what one is.

 

[waltben]

Buried metal things can work to your advantage. This cherry with walnut lid and 18p galvanized nail sold for over $400 last December. (Of course that gave me perhaps minimum wage for my time!)

 

[underdog]

I hate to admit, I've been one to abuse a tree... years later, I cut it down, but forgot I'd put staples in it to hold a dogwire fence...

I kept wondering why a couple of my blanks were so hard to cut on the bandsaw... It was only when I put it on the lathe and heard the gouge hitting that I realized what I'd done. Scratch one bandsaw blade...

I took a while to dig those staples out even so... I finally go them roughed out and bagged.

I haven't yet finished those bowls up. It should be interesting.

 

[Gretch Flo]

cropped pic

Had to crop the pic to get it to fit.

Frank

Or was it to obscure the mess in the shop that I and NOONE else on this forum seem to have????

 

[waltben]

Gee, you mean like my 'studio'?????