Toolrests - pros/cons of various types

[William Born]

What are the advantages / disadvantages of the various types - OEMs supplied by the round lathe manufactures (I don't know what to call them), After Market types, round bar ones, DIy angle iron ones, Etc? The only discussion o I could find was Mike Peace Video, and one review of the "7 Best Wood Lthe Tool Rests (Updated 2020)"
I also checked the AAW EXPLORE and Kurt Hertzon (He seems to be one of the the most prolific Author) sites hoping to find any info- no luck.
Any ides- likes or dislikes? Anyone?

 

[john lucas]

It almost.comes.down to.personal.taste.and style of turning. I have.several.Robust tool.rests and love them although I dont really like the curved.ones for my style of turning. Most people.love.them. one of my favorite rests it a.round bar one that I got from Bestwoodtools.com. it is a straight bar but the tool.post is not centered. Because its a.round bar you can rotate it 180 degrees so you can stick the long end in a bowl to better support the tool or.flip.it 180 to pit the short end in for turning inside.the lip. A disadvantage of a round bar and a few others is when turning platters. If.you move.the banjo up far.enough to just almost touch a large platter there may be too large of a gap between the tool rest and the work.piece. the large.Robust rests are shaped.so.they get the bar close.to.the work. The advanrage.of commercial.round bar and the Robust rests.is.that the surface is hardened so your tools.dont make dents in the bar. Homemade rests and cast iron rests are soft and periodically have.to be filed down to remove.the little nicks.

 

[robo hippy]

I couldn't find Mike's updated tool rest video, but did find the old one. I did one longer ago than that... I do prefer the hardened drill rod rests, and won't use anything else. Mostly it is how easily the tools slide over the rest as you turn. Comparing them to the cast iron ones is like comparing variable speed to change the belt lathes, they both work, but one is a lot easier to deal with than the other. I prefer a specialized rest for bowls. I found out my inside bowl rest works great for outside of the bowl, so don't use the outside curved rests any more. There are a number of other specialized rests. I did try the 1 inch round bar rests and just didn't like how they felt. I think that was mostly because if you drop your tool handle then your leverage point moves. Some of the straight rests that have a 1/4 round section of pipe or specialized bent support bar do kind of the same thing. Depending on how far you drop the handle, the lower part may get in the way. There are a number of specialty rests as well, mostly for boxes. My favorite box tool rests are the ones from D Way, which are case hardened stainless steel, and the tools slide over them like the hardened drill rod. The horizontal bar they use is 5/8 diameter, and most of the time when I am turning boxes, the tools are held horizontally rather than using a dropped handle.

robo hippy

 

[hockenbery]

The cast iron rests that come with quality lathes are fine. You do need to file them periodically.
wax will reduce friction.

a hardened steel rod on top needs cleaning but not filing. Very little resistance when clean.
The Robust tool rests are great! I have a short comfort rest and big j rest.

I highly recommend the j rest for bowls. @robo hippy makes a nice rest that is similar to the J
The short comfort rest is great for turning off the bottoms.
Large comfort rests are not good for pull cuts as the tool will ride on the front of the rest and not the top of it.

This Robust comfort rest belongs to a club


short robust comfort rest. Fits into tight spaces Tool is close to the center post for less vibration


large J rest. Nothing on the left to restrict body movement when hollowing a bowl.

 

[William Born]

Thanks for the input, it confirmed my idea that a hardened round bar would probably be the best kind for my use. I had not considered the 1" round bar hanging leverage point was likely an unconscious reasons I did not like my DIY version. I also had not thought about using the straight round bar type for tool support inside a bowl (I have not done any yet), but I also like the idea of the "J" shape for that use (I had not seen one of those).

I posted the thread because I have been experimenting with different DIY options since I did not want to spend a lot of money buying various tool rest I would not like or use. I wanted to get some advice of experienced Turners. .I stared turning about a year ago using DIY carbide tools. It is nice to have a machinist son

I started with the Cast iron OEM version that came with my lathe and then experimented with round bar toolrests. My son drilled and tapped a mild steel 1" round bar for a Nove modular toolpost but it is awkward to use, and too big for use on my mini lathe. I did not like the cast Iron ones that came with the lathe , I felt they were to heavy, hard to store and the tools did not slide as smoothly as I would like . I do mostly spindle work since I am still trying to properly use the various turning tools . This past weekend I brazed a 5/8" round bar toolrest, using a hardened steel "guide pin" that is used with plastic ejection molds for the top bar. So far I like this one the best, size wise and the tools slide very smoothly.

Since I am learning how to braze,I have decided against modular toolrests. Even though they are easiest to store, it can get expensive,. I much rather spend my money, when I am ready, on high quality chisels such as Sorby Crown,Thompson etc and other items I can not make or learn to make.

By the way, the (Updated 2020) refereed to the '7 Best Wood Lathe Tool Rests' not Mike Peace's video.

PS. Sorry if there are typos, etc. My vision is not what it used to be.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I have a bunch of Robust tool rests and I like most of them except that the large comfort rest doesn't work well with my style of turning (pull cuts with the handle dropped really low). The Robust J rest is one that I use a lot for turning beads on basket illusion pieces. My all around absolute favorite rest is the nine inch Advanced Lathe Tools (Steve Sinner) tool rest.

 

[Bill Blasic]

I myself like the cast iron ones that came with the lathes. I tried the ones with the hardened bar on top but prefer cast. Robo Hippy (who commented above) makes an outstanding set of curved bowl rests that even though they have the hardened bar I really like them a lot for getting into the bottom of the bowl. I know sounds crazy that I dislike straight tool rests with hardened bar but really like Robo's rests, there just isn't a good cast iron curved rest that I like.

 

[Dave Bunge]

My all around absolute favorite rest is the nine inch Advanced Lathe Tools (Steve Sinner) tool rest.

Bill, what makes you like the Advanced Lathe Tools tool rest so well? I ask as someone who already has 6 Robust rests of various configurations, but who's still susceptible to G.A.S. (gear acquisition syndrome).

I agree with others that the Robust J style rest is very useful. For cuts inside deep bowls it puts the support close to the work without getting in the way. I found that the curved rest that Robust makes for inside bowls to be less useful because the gouge handle hits the back of the rest when I make the cut. The curved rest should work fine with a scraper, although I haven't tried it

 

[john lucas]

There is a huge.difference in how a.rest is used when scraping vs bevel rubbing. I have one of the old cast iron S shaped rests that works wonderfully for scrapers. It let's you get the support right up to the edge. Wax it with candle wax and the tools glide with easy. I find it totally useless because I seldom use a scraper. My favorite rest.is a Robust mini lathe rest that has a 1" bar. It doesnt get in the way of my pull cuts. Its small enough you can get your fingers around it to support Christmas ornament finials and yet its solid enough to take big jogging cuts on bowls.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

Tool rests are tools. The best tool for the job depends on the job, who's doing it and the circumstances.

To this point I have collected half a dozen and the only one I don't seem to ever use is the one that came with the lathe.

Most often I use the 5/8" round "J" shaped rests I bought from Hannes Tools. Like other makers, Johannes' J rests have a right hand curve, but with some pleading I was able to get him to make me a custom left hand J, which has become my new favorite.

 

[Mark Hepburn]

I have a bunch of Robust tool rests and I like most of them except that the large comfort rest doesn't work well with my style of turning (pull cuts with the handle dropped really low). The Robust J rest is one that I use a lot for turning beads on basket illusion pieces. My all around absolute favorite rest is the nine inch Advanced Lathe Tools (Steve Sinner) tool rest.

I like the Robust a lot also and have a few. I like the large one but I don't drop the handle so low on pull cuts so the lower edge geometry isn't an issue for me. I especially like the smaller ones when doing finials and such.

But the Advanced is interesting. I'm always looking for new toys so...

 

[odie]

Most often I use the 5/8" round "J" shaped rests I bought from Hannes Tools. Like other makers, Johannes' J rests have a right hand curve, but with some pleading I was able to get him to make me a custom left hand J, which has become my new favorite.

Hi Mark.......

Thanks for the "heads up" on the Johannes smaller 5/8" round J rest w/1" post.......I just ordered one!

I have the large Robust J rest, but the smaller one wasn't available in a 1" post, last time I checked.

Out of curiosity, for what specific purpose do you have the J rest bent to the left, instead of the standard bend to the right?

odie, the eccentric old guy!
.

 

[odie]

What are the advantages / disadvantages of the various types - OEMs supplied by the round lathe manufactures (I don't know what to call them), After Market types, round bar ones, DIy angle iron ones, Etc? The only discussion o I could find was Mike Peace Video, and one review of the "7 Best Wood Lthe Tool Rests (Updated 2020)"
I also checked the AAW EXPLORE and Kurt Hertzon (He seems to be one of the the most prolific Author) sites hoping to find any info- no luck.
Any ides- likes or dislikes? Anyone?

In reply to William's original post to this thread.........

I find that cast tool rests, as those supplied as OEM on my lathe.....are too soft metal, dent and scratch too easily. They are also the least desirable for a smooth slide of the lathe tools over them. My original tool rests, plus the "S curve" rest I purchased as an accessory, are never used anymore.

Regular steel rests as used on Oneway, and many other aftermarket rests, are fine. (I have many of both) I am constantly using my Oneway tool rests, which for my purposes, has a better curvature than the Robust rests.

I have several Robust rests, and they are superb, but are not the panacea some feel they are. The hardened steel rod does have an advantage with heavy cuts that apply extreme downward pressure of the lathe tool to the rest. In this specific case, they do have a smoother slide of the tool over the rest, as compared to steel rests. However, most cuts are not that heavy, and apply much less downward pressure of tool to rest. For this general purpose, both the hardened rod rests, and the steel rests are perfectly adequate.

-----odie-----

 

[stu senator]

If you are going to design and build your own tool rest you need to formulate what you are going to use it for. Here are some design considerations.

Shaft
Hard, so it does not get dinged in tool box or by the gripping device
Tolerance, so it fits and is held securely.

Support arm
Stiff so it does not bend or vibrate under load. Less metal in horizontal , more depth or height is better
Not interfere with the tool handle is it lowered.
Not interfere with the wood inside a bowl. Curved away from the vertical and tapered (vertically) to the end.
Support the tool close to the work to reduce tool overhang.
Allow some visibility of the work area.
Allow the hand to support the tool near the rest with some protection and comfort.
Straight or curved to the inside of a bowl or the outside of the bowl.
May be symmetrical or asymmetrical about the shaft. This may depend on the project or the lathe design to clear obstructions such as the work attachment to the lathe.

Tool Rest
Hard, to resist dings. Not so hard as to ding the tool.
This can be a hard top as in cast iron, a hard tool steel rod welded or brazed to the support or possibly a case hardened curved surface on the top. I have not seen this last but it may be possible.

Others may have their own considerations so what would you consider?

Stu

 

[Doug Freeman]

I have tried the large bar rests and oem cast iron rests, and don't like them for the same reasons others stated. I have several Robust rests. The straight ones are great, and the outside bowl rest works well if the bowl is big enough. The regular comfort rest does not get in the way of a pull cut for me. The Robust inside bowl rest is just ok, it just doesn't work that often. I may try 1 or 2 of Robo's bowl rests. Comparing Robust to the Advanced Tools, I prefer the Robust 1/4" bar to the Advance 3/8" bar, but the Advance look like they would be good rests and priced competitively.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

Out of curiosity, for what specific purpose do you have the J rest bent to the left, instead of the standard bend to the right?

Well, I'm more eccentric than you are. OK, not possible , but I seldom turn a bowl shaped bowl. A lot of the time I am sort of making a hollow form, but one with complex curves on the inside. So I want to be able to reach in, hence the 5/8" round bar, and sometimes the contour line is best approached with a right J and sometimes a left.

 

[John Tisdale]

Not being a bowl turner, my tool-rest for shaping the outside profile must be something I can hide behind (cower behind). I use a 16" James Johnson - my tool-holding hand is well guarded in the "ker-chunkin" phase. To my thinking it is much easier to "see" convex curves on a straight rest.
On the inside of a hollow-form, I will use a "curve-left" with tooling-pin near the opening. I use some high-bright LEDs to see what I'm doing.

 

[RichColvin]

Thanks for the input, it confirmed my idea that a hardened round bar would probably be the best kind for my use. I had not considered the 1" round bar hanging leverage point was likely an unconscious reasons I did not like my DIY version. I also had not thought about using the straight round bar type for tool support inside a bowl (I have not done any yet), but I also like the idea of the "J" shape for that use (I had not seen one of those).

I posted the thread because I have been experimenting with different DIY options since I did not want to spend a lot of money buying various tool rest I would not like or use. I wanted to get some advice of experienced Turners. .I stared turning about a year ago using DIY carbide tools. It is nice to have a machinist son

I started with the Cast iron OEM version that came with my lathe and then experimented with round bar toolrests. My son drilled and tapped a mild steel 1" round bar for a Nove modular toolpost but it is awkward to use, and too big for use on my mini lathe. I did not like the cast Iron ones that came with the lathe , I felt they were to heavy, hard to store and the tools did not slide as smoothly as I would like . I do mostly spindle work since I am still trying to properly use the various turning tools . This past weekend I brazed a 5/8" round bar toolrest, using a hardened steel "guide pin" that is used with plastic ejection molds for the top bar. So far I like this one the best, size wise and the tools slide very smoothly.

Since I am learning how to braze,I have decided against modular toolrests. Even though they are easiest to store, it can get expensive,. I much rather spend my money, when I am ready, on high quality chisels such as Sorby Crown,Thompson etc and other items I can not make or learn to make.

By the way, the (Updated 2020) refereed to the '7 Best Wood Lathe Tool Rests' not Mike Peace's video.

PS. Sorry if there are typos, etc. My vision is not what it used to be.

If you are going to make your own, consider attaching the hardened rod to the top with epoxy instead of welding or brazing it. I read that before, but cannot remember where on this forum. The point made was that the epoxy bonds better.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Bill, what makes you like the Advanced Lathe Tools tool rest so well?

On other tool rests the tool shaft hits the lower edge of the finger rest when I am making a pull cut, shear cut, or shear scrape.

 

[robo hippy]

William, I can't find that video on 7 best tool rests for wood lathes anywhere I look. Do you have a link?

You can buy straight sections of drill rod. You want the A2, which is the hardest of them. You have to heat treat it yourself. You can epoxy it onto an existing tool rest and that does a good job of keeping it on until you drop it, and of course it always lands on the end and the drill rod pops off. Easy to repair. You can harden it if you have the skills, and then tack weld it onto a metal tool rest. In experimenting with it, I couldn't tell that hot welding did anything to the temper of the hardened drill rod.

robo hippy

 

[William Born]

robohippy,
It is not a video, it is a text review.
this is the link
https://www.thedailygardener.com/wood-lathe-tool-rest
sorry about the confusion

To all others have has replied to my thread:
Thank you!! I appreciate your suggestions and info.

The reason I like the the 5/8” round toolrest size is that I am mainly interested in spindle turning using either a cup (safety) or spur drive center, thus I do not think a heavy duty tool rest is needed. (I have two Nova chucks with various jaws but I seldom use them – bought them very early on because I thought they were essential to my type of turning (small lidded boxes and hollow forms) .

I feel the same as Alan Lacer in that you will be a better turner if you learn to turn with a safety drive center. sharp tools, proper technique, and alight touch. I think that learning to turn this way you really get to know how to use your tools, while preventing a dangerous catch.

Another reason I like a 5/8” toolrest is that my wood-turning interests are are small lidded boxes/hollow forms, Xmas and birdhouse ornaments, medallions,pendants, Tops, and miniatures. I feel that none of these place a heavy load on the tool rest. I am also like to design and make various specialty turning tools, accessories, and jigs /fixtures that are useful for my type of turning,

I don't want to buy a lot o f turning accessories that I think a might like, but that I may never or or seldom use and thus end up having to return them. I have been that route before in wood turning and my other interests/hobbies and ended up with some stuff I never or seldom used because they were not as use full for me as advertised The Srby Turnmaster, Wolverine Grinding Jig ,Vary-grind2, and a CBN wheel are some examples. I now use the Sorby ProEdge Sharpening system. Also as fae as I am concerned, the cheaper non-Sorby ceramic belts for the ProEdge system were a waste of money, In my opinion they are not the same quality as the Sorby belts in grain size/distribution (they seem to be rougher, thicker, and not as flexible as the Sorby belts).

Turning is a very relaxing part-time hobby for me. That and the ease of access are two of the reasons my min-lathe and my Sherline meta lathe are both located in the master bathroom of my house , not not in my Wood / Metal shop building (my wife died 15 years ago, so that was not a consideration).

I reread my initial reply and hope I did not leave the impression that I am a Miser. I am not above spending money on quality accessories. However , have learned over the years that I want to ether inspect, use, or have a live demonstration (with questions) before buying. Exceptions are items of known quality and use, such as the Crown Spindle gouge I bought two weeks ago. Demos on you tube and the internet are wonderful and valuable, but watching an expert demonstrate is far different from actually trying to do it yourself. A good example is using the Wolverine grinding jig to sharpen, especially if your eyesight is no longer what it used to be.

Unfortunately the nearest wood working/turning store (Woodcraft) is a 160+ mule round trip.

By the way I do use Epoxy quite a bit, but it and superglue does have their limitations.Brazing creates a much stronger joint. To date, I have only brazed hardened ejection mold guide pins and they seem to remain hardened (at least a file can't touch it). In brazing you only melt the brazing filler metal, not the metal(s) you try to join. W welding melts the two metal(s) together.

 

[hockenbery]

I do all my spindles that weigh under 20 pounds with a cup drive. So many advantages.

The Robust comfort drive is excellent for spindles.

I too like test driving...
got introduced to the comfort rest while demoing with a ball blank being driven by a cup center.
Mentioned it would be better to use s short rest because the long one provided was limited in position from hitting the tailstock. A guy in the front row offered to let me use his brand new comfort rest that he bought bat the trade show. After the demo I went to the trade show and bought one.

 

[John Hicks]

I'm poor so I went for the technatools and the sorby multi rest sets. I found the curved Nova rests rattle a bit when using near the ends. The sorby ones did not and were better made, but too short for an inside and outside bowl rest. I am saving up for Robust rests.

 

[robo hippy]

William, Thanks for the link. I don't consider that review to be very thorough. I think it read that it was a review of Amazon, or Amazon products. There are many options available that were not covered. Perhaps it is that the review wasn't done the way I would do it.

I recently purchased a Vicmarc 240 lathe with the pivoting headstock. Really love it. They have a round bar/rod on top of the straight tool rest. It is not the hardened drill rod.

I don't know how the brazing process works. It might be fine for hardened drill rod. My main concern would be that it may be too thin to get a good grip on the drill rod. I haven't seen any one use that process. I did try that when making my Big Ugly tools, where we were putting a 1 inch wide piece of tantung onto cold rolled steel. Standard silver solder did not work as it wouldn't wick all the way under and across the width. Same with the brazing. If you try it, show some pictures...

robo hippy

 

[odie]

I recently purchased a Vicmarc 240 lathe with the pivoting headstock. Really love it.

Howdy Robo........

Sometime, if you have the time and inclination, I'd be interested in hearing your review of the Vicmarc 240. (I'm sure I'm not the only one!)

Be sure to include some photos.....

-----odie-----

 

[robo hippy]

Well, posting photos is beyond my technical skill level.... It has become my favorite bowl lathe. I don't like turning bowls on long bed lathes. Just not ergonomically correct as you have to extend your arms and hands out away from your body. Weight wise, I think it is the heavier than my Beauty. Even with sand bags, I can drag the Beauty around on the concrete floor, but being able to put the headstock in the middle might be part of that. With the Vic, I can, but it takes a LOT of effort on the headstock end. With the headstock rotated to 30 degrees, the banjo on the lathe works for bowls up to 18 or so diameter, though I haven't tested it out for maximum size. Nice thing about the Vic is that the 3 settings, 0, 30 and 90 degrees, the set lock pin puts it dead on with no fiddling to get it lined back up. I did have some vibration issues at first until I discovered that you need to engage a locking set screw on the outside of the pivoting plate to prevent vibration. It has 3 speed ranges, which I think all lathes should have. With the 2 speed range lathes, most of the time, the low range max speed is too slow for a lot of the bowls I turn, and the high speed range tends to trip the breaker when you core. With that mid range, it is 'just right' for both turning and coring. I think the advantage the Vic has over a lot of lathes is that the headstock spindle comes directly off of the headstock rather than being in a bell type housing (also on Oneway, and similar to what is on the Laguna) so that the headstock spindle can be removed without having to take the entire headstock off. This puts the face of the chuck about 2 inches closer to the headstock tower. This reduces vibration when turning, especially when doing heavy roughing. Note here, on the Beauty, if you have the tailstock engaged, there is no vibration issue. If I could ever get the tilt away tail rest set up lined up dead on with the lathe bed, and could keep the tailstock on just the tilt away, that problem would go away, except for coring. Haven't been able to core on the Vic yet, I got a 30 mm post for my McNasty coring system, and it doesn't fit. I have to turn it down a bit. The swing away on the Vic is done so that it lines up dead on, though I don't use it on bowls. Oh, the slow speed on the Vic goes down to about 5 rpm, which is ideal for sanding my warped bowls. With the Beauty, and Brent's help, we got that down from 50 to about 15, which at times with some seriously warped madrone bowls, is almost too fast. I do have the outboard tool rest set up for the Vic, but not for the Beauty. I consider it fine for big pieces, but a bit cumbersome to move for production work. Both are fine lathes. There has been many comments about vibration issues with sliding headstocks vs bolted down headstocks, and stainless steel vs cast iron. With the headstocks, the Beauty excels with a full length bottom pressure plate. If a headstock that size only had a small circular plate like the banjo, that would cause problems. The first 3520A models had a small cast iron plate, but they went to a longer steel plate, though not full length. As for steel vs iron, as near as I can tell, the only real difference is that they make different noises as you turn. Same with 'if the sliding headstock is in the middle of the lathe, the bed flexes adding to the vibration'. On the Beauty, no issue. On some smaller less stout lathes like the Nova, I would consider that a probability, but that headstock does not slide. As near as I can tell, vibration issues are related to how close or far from the headstock your mounting point is, which is levers 101 to me. The farther away that point is, the more vibration issues you will have. The closer that point is, the less vibration issues you will have.

If some one ever invents Star Trek transporters, I would welcome you over for a play date... Or if you ever happen to venture out to Oregon.... So many turners I want to have play dates with....

robo hippy

 

[Keith Tompkins]

I like the Robust rests, and the Steve Sinner rests are great. There is a flat edge on the Sinner rest that is just below the bead edge. I run my index finger at the junction of the flat and the bead for excellent tool control. Oddly enough, the old General rests allow the same thing. I mount most of my spindle work with the spur center or the multi-spur spring loaded center. I don't use the cup centers....cannot stand it when they slip. For finial work, directly in the chuck...I ain't afraid of no catches!

 

[William Born]

I did not think too much either ‘7 best toolrests’ review . That t was the reason I started this thread to find out other turners used and why. One thing is for certain, I did not know there were so many toolrest manufacturer. The info and advise so far has been great. Thanks! By the way what is the correct name – Toolrest or Tool Rest.

I will definitely look at the Robust Comfort one when when the virus thing is over (Or I might order one). I had looked at it before , but I was not shure of the design. I will also take a look at the Steve inner design, I did not know it existed. It looks a lot like the Robust desgn

I know that properly brazed mils steel joint is as is as strong as the steel itself. I don’t know if this applies to hardened steel. I did not break the one I made with a couple a mild hammer blows. I do know that carbide saw blades and router bit are brazed. So far I have not discovered any inf on brazing Nitride case hardened steel (70 Rockwell scale). Which is what I am using. By the way the proper name for what I am using is “ejector pin’, not ‘guide pin’ . I will also provide a picture when I am not ashamed of my handiwork, which is not right now! I am still learning the process of brazing and it is not pretty.

I am not so much afraid of catches, but it is a learning process. If it slips, I know I am doing something wrong.

 

[Dave Landers]

The main difference I have found between Steve Sinner's rests and the Robust rests (I have both) is that Steve's are straight (vertical) which has the advantage of allowing you to drop the tool handle way down without bumping into the lower part of the rest. The Robust rests have a "swoop" shape which has the advantage of bringing the rest closer to your work relative to the banjo. So there's less risk of bumping your work into the vertical post of the banjo.

 

[Bill Boehme]

The main difference I have found between Steve Sinner's rests and the Robust rests (I have both) is that Steve's are straight (vertical) which has the advantage of allowing you to drop the tool handle way down without bumping into the lower part of the rest. The Robust rests have a "swoop" shape which has the advantage of bringing the rest closer to your work relative to the banjo. So there's less risk of bumping your work into the vertical post of the banjo.

I have ground away part of the lower edge of one of my Robust rests to give me something that sort of falls between the Sinner and Robust rests. Grinding the rest is a lot of gritty work.

 

[odie]

If some one ever invents Star Trek transporters, I would welcome you over for a play date... Or if you ever happen to venture out to Oregon.... So many turners I want to have play dates with....

robo hippy

I'd love to stop in for a visit, someday, robo......you and Emiliano, both!.....problem is, I haven't seen what's on the other side of the mountain in front of my place for over a decade!

I've always felt that VM240 was a very interesting lathe concept. You raise a good point about why a pivoting headstock may address vibration issues a bit better than a sliding headstock. The VM240 does have some design differences that would be in conflict with my personal needs and turning style, though. I'd constantly be using the 30 degree, but would never need the 60, or the 90 degree. For me, I love turning bowls on a long bed! ......the extra weight and longer footprint has obvious advantages, plus being able to rest my hips on the bed as I turn, has great benefits, IMHO. As for reaching across.....that's why I'd like to have the 30 degree rotation.......however, if the cut is very light anyway, this is of less benefit, as opposed to heavier cuts.

Thanks for responding, and g'day to you, robo!

-----odie-----

 

[robo hippy]

I guess I should add here, that I have very little experience on a long bed lathe. My first one was a 4 speed Atlas, which I upgraded to a 1 hp motor from the 1/2 hp motor that was on it. If I remember correctly Odie, you like to brace your hip against the lathe for a stable cut. With the Vic, that stop bar on the side would hinder that. The Vic and the Robust both have a very wide footprint compared to some of the other lathes.

robo hippy

 

[odie]

If I remember correctly Odie, you like to brace your hip against the lathe for a stable cut.

Yes, you are correct about that, robo...........but only when working on interiors of bowls.

With the Vic, that stop bar on the side would hinder that.

Yes, I think so. I hadn't thought of that, and it would, indeed.

Keep on keepin' on, robo.....

-----odie-----