outboard turning

[Charlie Knighton]

how large of piece (non balanceed) can be turned with jet evs 1642 lathe outboard

what setup and chucking does large outboard pieces questions need to be solved before turning?

would 20 to 24 inch wall hangings be possible?

 

[john lucas]

There are two limitations to outboard turning. One is the spindle size. I wouldn't want to hang something 24" in diamter and 8" deep on that size spindle. you could bend it. You won't have a tailstock to support it when It's out of balance so it could be a problem. I've turned a 28" disc that was 3" thick on a 1" spindle without a problem.
The other problem is the outboard tool rest. Free standing tool rests can be a problem. It tries to pull the tool and tool rest into the work. A free standing rest that is attached to the lathe like the Vicmarc outboard rest is a good idea.
http://www.vicmarc.com/default.asp?contentID=545

 

[Brujo]

Slow down there!

Make sure your rpm are slow so you don't get to much wobble.
or
I would really suggest trying to balance the piece before turning it.

I have made a faceplate(s) of sorts for large unbalanced pieces of wood. I started by cutting two circles of 1" MDF (or very flat plywood). Each circle is just barely smaller than the max swing on my lathe (around 40"). Glue the circles together, mount on a faceplate and turn it round.

Mounting the wood to the face plate can be done any way you want. I've used screws and have had good results with hot glue and wedges as well if your trying to keep a natural edge on the bottom.

Now hand rotate the piece. The heaviest part will go to the bottom. balance it with extra faceplates (or floor joyces, cheap from a big box store come in many sizes look like faceplates)

 

[Charlie Knighton]

thanks guys, things to consider before buying

 

[Malcolm Smith]

Interesting. This should be considered with caution. How large a blank can be mounted outboard on a lathe is sometimes what turners view as the outboard capacity of that lathe but the major consideration is really the useable slow speeds offered by the lathe and how effective the mounting. Modestly larger blanks place greatly increased stress on the lathe. Turning lathes that properly handle large blanks are much more heavily built.

Malcolm Smith.

 

[Turnedoutright]

Turning outboard on a 1642

I have turned a 24inch bowl outboard.
BUT! it was a laminated "ring bowl" made from pine so it was mostly in balance and not heavy.
The big problem was the tool rest, it is hard to get it stable especially in reference to the lathe.
The attached pictures show my approach which will work for occasional large and light work.
Thats why I bought a STUBBY 🙂.

 

[rsser]

How slow will your Jet go BB?

If you take the time and start slow you can even up a big lump and progressively increase the speed.

Does it need LH thread faceplate for outboard?

My lathe will do about 44" inboard but I couldn't! Lift that size blank on that is.

Also bear in mind that the bigger you go there seems to be an exponential increase in turning time. And it's d*mn boring listening to about 4 kerchunks a minute 🙁

 

[Charlie Knighton]

how slow

How slow will your Jet go BB?

i believe the jet evs 1642 will go from 1 to not sure

i am in the market for a lathe and outboard turning would decrease the size of lathe needed , but may increase chances of accidents to unacceptable levels , i now own a delta not sure model # but it is a reaves drive 14 inch swing and 42 inches between centers
its slowest speed is 500 rpm

500 rpm is why i would like to upgrade to evs

the swing is ok for now but would like to do some larger pieces, just do not know enough about outboard turning

the delta has an attachment where one can put the base of the toolrest under the headstock and still have the tool rest parallel to the ways(its advantage is that you have the full 14 inches of swing), but you really have to tighten thing s down or the tool rest gets pulled into the wood (like john was saying)

i was trying to turn some green pecan (first time on the pecan for me) and that stuff is hard, it pulled the tool rest with the swing attachment into the wood , i was able to cut the lathe off without damage except to my nervous system my delta only has 3/4 horse power motor so i really do not have the power or torque to turn pecan (i really can not imagine what pecan turns like that is dry

any body have a orphan powermatic that needs a good home? 😀

that is a good point about turning time, my time is limited so if i can turn for 6 hours twice a week that is great, more often it is only 5 hours 1 day a week

 

[rsser]

Well if you're keen on big then of course there are big lathes out there.

Like TO, a Stubby is good for large turnings but you have to check your equities portfolio first 🙄

I scored one 2nd hand but they're rarer than hen's teeth this way (actually, IIRC there may have been one advertised on the Stubby yahoo forum; I'll check if you want.)

 

[KEW]

I have a 3520 and found an 18 X 8 bowl blank. I figure I need to max out the capacity of the lathe once (18" X 8 is close enough for me). Unfortunately, the blank had some flaws which ultimately made it a 15" bowl. Sooner or later, I will turn that big bowl, but I'm not in any rush. It is monotonous and I'm not sure what to do with it once it is complete. 18" sure won't fit properly on any shelves in my house!
The 3520 is a great machine, but the 1642 is probably the best value in a lathe for a hobbiest. Think about what you really want to make. Also grab some of the biggest bowls in your kitchen and measure them. I can only speak for myself, but once I get that obligatory humongous bowl out of the way, I cannot foresee ever turning anything over 15" diameter, and at least 99% will be 12-13" or less.
That is my two cents, not that you asked for it! YMMV!

 

[rsser]

True, not a lot of folk want a huge bowl.

But BB is looking at a wall hanging.

 

[Charlie Knighton]

size

I cannot foresee ever turning anything over 15" diameter, and at least 99% will be 12-13" or less

yes, once you do something large what do you do with it, i was thinking wall hangings in the 20 to 24 inch range but i am very happy with vases in the 7 to 8 inches tall and from 4 to 8 inches wide

how do you sell something that normally can not be displayed?? i know it must be a market somewhere but it may be the very high end and my skills are not there yet

 

[Ed Karch]

When I got my 3520 I had to see how close I could get to 20. Made three 19" bowls. One sold after I returned it into an 18" salad bowl. You could have better luck with a wall hanging.

Ed

 

[john lucas]

I agree, I've turned 2 19" bowls which I still have. I think wall hangings that large are much more likely to sell and probably for more money.