Man I love that Vicmarc lathe - what a work horse.
Now I need my chicken farmer to come for his bedding.
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Shop - After Production Run - Pics
- Thread starter dbonertz
- Start date
Man I love that Vicmarc lathe - what a work horse.
Now I need my chicken farmer to come for his bedding.
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2004
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- Lakeland, Florida
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- www.hockenberywoodturning.com
Nice pile of chips!
Ever have a problem finding a dropped set screw.
Ever have a problem finding a dropped set screw.
Good thing you stopped. Much more and you would have buried the lathe!
Be thankful you live where you can buy snow shovels.......! 
ooc
ooc
what do you call a production run a couple dozen pen's ?
ok I see a lot of shavings 
now what did you produce
other than chicken bedding
pics please!!
now what did you produce
other than chicken bedding
pics please!!
Funny stuff guy's. Al, screws I don't bother it's the gouges that I have a tough time finding.
Odie, snow shovels are plenty here.
Michael, the back end of the lathe is buried, so was my tool holder.
Sean, pens make to much of a mess so I just turn bowls.
Odie, snow shovels are plenty here.
Michael, the back end of the lathe is buried, so was my tool holder.
Sean, pens make to much of a mess so I just turn bowls.
Dale,
Maybe everyone doesn't know that you don't know how to turn dry wood and so can only make roughed bowl blanks. (Like a bazillion a year)
Maybe everyone doesn't know that you don't know how to turn dry wood and so can only make roughed bowl blanks.
(Like a bazillion a year)
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The first time that I turned sopping wet wood, it was so much fun that I forgot to stop and wound up with nothing but shavings.
The first time that I turned sopping wet wood, it was so much fun that I forgot to stop and wound up with nothing but shavings.
Do NOT [repeat N-O-T] attempt to turn wet dogwood, especially with a honed skew, lest you wind up buried in angle hair . . .
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Dale,
Maybe everyone doesn't know that you don't know how to turn dry wood and so can only make roughed bowl blanks.
That brought tears to my eyes. So funny. Sometimes I feel that it is not far from the truth since I rough turn so often and don't always have a chance to finish turn. Come to the Rocky Mountain Woodturning Symposium this year and I promise I'll have a few finished turned bowls in the instant gallery (even dried ones).
W Jack,
Here is a picture of my kiln loaded. This is what I produced but this particular picture is from a past kiln load.
- Joined
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... and, don't go in that briar patch, either.
I think that I know where there is a dogwood that has some sort of ailment and needs to be taken down before something bad happens ... like, uh ... maybe falling in the forest and not making a sound. Yeah, that's it.
dbonertz......have you decided not to sell the Vicmarc?
I am continuing to use my Australian Woodfast long bed lathe, and I am pretty much strictly a bowl turner. If you know how to overcome the disadvantages of that combination, there are some positive discoveries to be made! If money were not an object, I would give the new swivel head Vicmarc lathe a try, but I'm having a hard time convincing myself that I'll have advantages that justify the expense for now...... I know for sure, that there is nothing I'll be able to do with a new lathe, that I can't do now, but with some conveniences that seem like they would be nice to have.
ooc
I have decided to not sell my Vicmarc. As a matter of fact I don't know what I was thinking in the first place. Well I do since I was going to purchase another VL300 but short bed with an outboard bed extension. Turn the outside on the inboard side and the inside on the outboard side. I have discovered that I really like being able to slide the tail stock down to the end of the lathe and not get turners elbow because it is out of the way on my long bed. I use the tail stock so often that it would be inconvenient to use a swing away or tilt away. Especially with how much I core and like to put a quick tenon on the core using the larger blank as a jamb chuck. If I tried to do this on the outboard side I would have to lift the tail stock on and off which would really be a pain.
There is a place for sliding head stocks or swivel head stocks but not so much with what I do - bowls. If you slide the head stock to the end of the lathe (right side) to turn the inside of a bowl your body is not in the correct position for turning. Most people will stand at the end of the lathe and then have to move their feet to make a cut all the way to the bottom because their body will get in the way. In my opinion to make this cut and not have to move your feet it is better to reach across the lathe and bring the gouge to you which does not take very long into the cut and then move your body to finish the cut to the bottom of the bowl using your body movement. Or do this at the end of the lathe which defeats the purpose to even move the head stock. It is interesting since I just watched a professional bowl turner demonstration and he said the same thing that I feel. Also interesting he mentioned how he felt that sliding head stock lathes introduce more vibration and if you have read many of my posts I have been saying that for a long time. When he turns bowls on sliding head stock lathes he moves the head stock all the way to the stop on the left end of the lathe to gain as much stability as he can. Something I also try and do. This generally will remove any bed flexing (occurs when the head stock is in the middle of the lathe with no feet under it) and vibration in the machine this way. Sliding head stocks, to me, are for people who do more hollow form turning than bowl/spindle turning. Swivel head stock might be nice for bowl turning (inside), if you never core, but I would want it to stop at most 45 degrees to the bed - 25 or 30 degrees to the bed might be optimum but I would have to play around with that to know for sure. To clarify some of my opinions on the sliding head stocks are based on turning larger and heavier bowl blanks - more flexing and vibration are introduced with that type of turning. Smaller blanks you and me are probably are not going to notice this flexing as much. That is why for what I do I need a fixed head lathe.
So yes I have reconciled my differences with my lathe and we get along very well again. Most of my differences were based more on a shinier (new) model. But just like marriage you can't buy happiness (younger bride) you have to look deep into the qualities of the one your with. So yes I have fallen in love with my lathe again once I saw the great qualities within it.
There is a place for sliding head stocks or swivel head stocks but not so much with what I do - bowls. If you slide the head stock to the end of the lathe (right side) to turn the inside of a bowl your body is not in the correct position for turning. Most people will stand at the end of the lathe and then have to move their feet to make a cut all the way to the bottom because their body will get in the way. In my opinion to make this cut and not have to move your feet it is better to reach across the lathe and bring the gouge to you which does not take very long into the cut and then move your body to finish the cut to the bottom of the bowl using your body movement. Or do this at the end of the lathe which defeats the purpose to even move the head stock. It is interesting since I just watched a professional bowl turner demonstration and he said the same thing that I feel. Also interesting he mentioned how he felt that sliding head stock lathes introduce more vibration and if you have read many of my posts I have been saying that for a long time. When he turns bowls on sliding head stock lathes he moves the head stock all the way to the stop on the left end of the lathe to gain as much stability as he can. Something I also try and do. This generally will remove any bed flexing (occurs when the head stock is in the middle of the lathe with no feet under it) and vibration in the machine this way. Sliding head stocks, to me, are for people who do more hollow form turning than bowl/spindle turning. Swivel head stock might be nice for bowl turning (inside), if you never core, but I would want it to stop at most 45 degrees to the bed - 25 or 30 degrees to the bed might be optimum but I would have to play around with that to know for sure. To clarify some of my opinions on the sliding head stocks are based on turning larger and heavier bowl blanks - more flexing and vibration are introduced with that type of turning. Smaller blanks you and me are probably are not going to notice this flexing as much. That is why for what I do I need a fixed head lathe.
So yes I have reconciled my differences with my lathe and we get along very well again. Most of my differences were based more on a shinier (new) model. But just like marriage you can't buy happiness (younger bride) you have to look deep into the qualities of the one your with. So yes I have fallen in love with my lathe again once I saw the great qualities within it.
You know, dbonertz.......you have gone through many of the same mental gymnastics as I have!
One thing for sure is, you have a very high quality lathe, and as long as you can adapt your techniques to the circumstances you've created, there is no reason to not envision you having the Vicmarc VL300 long bed for a lifetime. Same for me, and my Australian Woodfast lathe. Heck, I've had it for 22 years now, and there isn't a single thing I can't do with it. Granted, there may be some inconveniences I'll have to live with, but nothing that can't be done, because all the production problems have been solved with good results not being sacrificed.
I keep buying my lottery tickets, and if Lady Luck smiles upon my wayward soul, I'll have that Vicmarc VL240 swivel head lathe!
ooc
One thing for sure is, you have a very high quality lathe, and as long as you can adapt your techniques to the circumstances you've created, there is no reason to not envision you having the Vicmarc VL300 long bed for a lifetime. Same for me, and my Australian Woodfast lathe. Heck, I've had it for 22 years now, and there isn't a single thing I can't do with it. Granted, there may be some inconveniences I'll have to live with, but nothing that can't be done, because all the production problems have been solved with good results not being sacrificed.
I keep buying my lottery tickets, and if Lady Luck smiles upon my wayward soul, I'll have that Vicmarc VL240 swivel head lathe!
ooc