Adding weight to the base of the lathe, and bolting the legs to a cement slab is a good thing. It will increase your ability to turn large and/or out of balance wood without your lathe tending to "dance".
Obtaining the "perfect cut" is an entirely different matter.
In order to get a perfect cut, weight is a factor, for sure.....but for bowl turning, weight closer to the wood being turned works best in contributing to the perfect cut. More specifically, weight in the headstock, tailstock (when used), and to some degree, the bedways works best to address
harmonic vibrations. Harmonic vibrations are a major cause in preventing the perfect cut, but like weight, when considered as a solution, it isn't the only contributing factor. Eliminating harmonic vibrations are primarily a combination of the best rpm and the ability of the lathe to reduce them.
Once you've maximized the reduction of the harmonic vibrations......you'll find this, too, helps in the effort to obtain the perfect cut......but, nonetheless, is only a component in a much larger equation. In your search for understanding these things, you'll find that it's a process of opening multiple doors of discovery, and each door reveals more doors!
Among those undiscovered doors, a turner might find it useful to find one labeled "spiritual turning".
In a thread not long ago, I spoke of "knowing what turners knew 100 years ago". In my opinion, the things our ancestors knew about turning, isn't something that can be written so that others can understand. You will not find the secrets of "spiritual turning" in any book. For the most part...
www.aawforum.org
I could make this a very long post, but to sum it up.....there is a process to discover those things that lead to the perfect cut, a cut that requires a minimum of sanding, and therefore maintaining overall geometric integrity. The perfect cut is only one component in a very large equation that can only be seen and thoroughly understood how it works and applies,
by having it in the rear-view mirror.
Time in the saddle, and one's own perceptive ability are the only things that will get you there......some things can't be taught.....they can only be experienced.
-----odie-----
