Superbowl lathe?

[Hu Lowery]

I have noticed several metal lathes like this or similar for sale at moderate prices recently. Still very accurate to meet the demands of woodturning and the interesting thing is that the ways are a moving assembly, everything above the gray paint moves back and forth on a second set of ways. That gives this lathe a huge throat to turn bowls or hollow forms. It could be pretty extensively modified but all that really needs to be done is have a banjo made to fit the lower ways. This particular one is already converted to single phase and with the massive bearings and spindle required to handle the size metal this lathe can turn the weight of huge pieces of wood shouldn't be any issue.

The speed of a metal lathe would be relatively slow but for the size wood this thing could turn speeds would be slow anyway. Not of interest to me but I thought some in the go big camp might be interested in this lathe design. Seems like monster sized bowls and hollow forms would be possible, just have to find big enough wood. Just had a thought, if someone made a banjo and left the metal working carriage in place, what a hollower it would make!

Hu

 

[Richard Coers]

I don't think metal lathes work all that well as wood lathes. Especially if you leave the cross slide on it. Wood dust and metal to metal with oiled contact surfaces, don't play well together. They have odd and oversize threads on the headstock, which makes conventional woodturning chucks difficult. The lathe ways are much wider than the headstock, so access may be limited at times. Not a fan.

 

[Hu Lowery]

limited use

I don't think metal lathes work all that well as wood lathes. Especially if you leave the cross slide on it. Wood dust and metal to metal with oiled contact surfaces, don't play well together. They have odd and oversize threads on the headstock, which makes conventional woodturning chucks difficult. The lathe ways are much wider than the headstock, so access may be limited at times. Not a fan.

Richard,

Definitely a limited use lathe, not something I would want as a primary lathe. These are massive enough to use a faceplate mounted in the metal turning chuck to mount wood. No way that I would use any wood chuck that I have seen to mount the hundreds of pound pieces this lathe can turn so woodturning chucks not fitting are a non issue. One could be mounted various ways but not much reason to use this lathe and comparatively low speeds to turn something small anyway. The cross slide would be completely behind the area you were woodturning in with this design of lathe. As mentioned, the whole bed assembly tracks back and forth; roughly four feet. It has to have some kind of precision ways it is tracking on. Making a banjo to fit these lower ways is where I think it gets interesting. Then the ways are roughly two feet away from the spindle.

The bed is in the forward position in this picture. With it four to five feet from the chuck a piece roughly as large as four feet long and four feet in diameter could be turned between centers. As far as I know everyone turning monster sized pieces is using repurposed metal turning equipment or homemade stuff. If the bearings are decent in one of these old machines you can't begin to build the equal homemade for the price of one of these in the used market. Also this thing is massive and almost certainly Meehanite, wild guess probably three or four tons of it. Vibration probably won't be an issue!

I wouldn't turn finials on it except as a joke but there are a couple things I'd like to turn right now that I'd like to have it for if I had the room. I know hardly anything about metal spinning but it might work well for that too. Just posted a picture to give the people into monster turnings something to think about. Most metal lathes with big enough swings for wood turning are also very long. This would be more of a bowl or hollow form type lathe on a grand scale. As big as it is it is quite compact for the throat size if those ways the bed moves on can be used to mount a banjo.

Hu

 

[Bill Boehme]

Looks like a good pen and bottle stopper lathe.

 

[Richard Coers]

Sorry, more words did not sell me on the idea.

Richard,

Definitely a limited use lathe, not something I would want as a primary lathe. These are massive enough to use a faceplate mounted in the metal turning chuck to mount wood. No way that I would use any wood chuck that I have seen to mount the hundreds of pound pieces this lathe can turn so woodturning chucks not fitting are a non issue. One could be mounted various ways but not much reason to use this lathe and comparatively low speeds to turn something small anyway. The cross slide would be completely behind the area you were woodturning in with this design of lathe. As mentioned, the whole bed assembly tracks back and forth; roughly four feet. It has to have some kind of precision ways it is tracking on. Making a banjo to fit these lower ways is where I think it gets interesting. Then the ways are roughly two feet away from the spindle.

The bed is in the forward position in this picture. With it four to five feet from the chuck a piece roughly as large as four feet long and four feet in diameter could be turned between centers. As far as I know everyone turning monster sized pieces is using repurposed metal turning equipment or homemade stuff. If the bearings are decent in one of these old machines you can't begin to build the equal homemade for the price of one of these in the used market. Also this thing is massive and almost certainly Meehanite, wild guess probably three or four tons of it. Vibration probably won't be an issue!

I wouldn't turn finials on it except as a joke but there are a couple things I'd like to turn right now that I'd like to have it for if I had the room. I know hardly anything about metal spinning but it might work well for that too. Just posted a picture to give the people into monster turnings something to think about. Most metal lathes with big enough swings for wood turning are also very long. This would be more of a bowl or hollow form type lathe on a grand scale. As big as it is it is quite compact for the throat size if those ways the bed moves on can be used to mount a banjo.

Hu

 

[Hu Lowery]

might not be sold myself!

Sorry, more words did not sell me on the idea.

Richard,

Reading your post I wasn't sure you had noticed the cross slide wouldn't be used the way I was thinking one might work. Don't know that I would be sold on using one myself after I really looked at what needed doing to make it work. Seems like things would be pretty simple but I don't know for sure without actually looking at what the bed travels on. I plan to do a good bit of riding around later this week and may get within thirty or forty miles of the lathe. If time allows I'll take a look for future reference. Probably never find one when and if I am actually looking though!



Bill,

I have been known to haul my garbage can to the curb using the gin pole on my John Deere field tractor back when I had one and I have always heard that you can turn small stuff with big lathes and big tools, bottle stoppers and pens might not be out of the question! Have to admit the thought of removing a banjo and turning a crank to have a metal lathe back in operation is pretty tempting too. A lot of times I miss my metal lathe and mill. Between the two there isn't much that can't be made. Using both modes with a lathe like this I might be able to turn some mighty impressive tooth picks. 'sides which, I'd be the only kid on the block with one of these lathes!

Hu

 

[Odie]

Sorry, more words did not sell me on the idea.

Your initial thoughts are correct, Richard.

Metal lathes rely on sliding surfaces lubricated with Way Oil, a special high compression oil for that purpose. In addition to that, all of the adjustments use Acme threads. Repeated exposure to wood dust plays havoc with these contact surfaces, and this kind of minute particle dust isn't present with normal metal cutting operations. I suppose a metal lathe could be used for woodturning, but eventually the wood dust and break-down of wood shavings mixing with the oil and working into all the mechanical surfaces, will reduce the efficiency of these things.

ooc

 

[Hu Lowery]

where to start?

Your initial thoughts are correct, Richard.

Metal lathes rely on sliding surfaces lubricated with Way Oil, a special high compression oil for that purpose. In addition to that, all of the adjustments use Acme threads. Repeated exposure to wood dust plays havoc with these contact surfaces, and this kind of minute particle dust isn't present with normal metal cutting operations. I suppose a metal lathe could be used for woodturning, but eventually the wood dust and break-down of wood shavings mixing with the oil and working into all the mechanical surfaces, will reduce the efficiency of these things. ooc

Where to start? All adjustments aren't by acme threads. Repeated exposure to wood dust doesn't "play havoc" with these surfaces as demonstrated by pattern making lathes with saddles and cross slides that have been in use for generations. Wood dust is less harmful than the typical environment in a machine shop. Thousands of cue lathes with ways, cross slides, and compounds in use every day turning wood with no adverse effects. The one I used five years was and is as new as far as surface issues. All indications are that a metal style lathe used primarily for turning wood will far outlast one used for turning metals. Some cue builders use metal lathes exclusively and Leonard Bludworth, one of the most respected names in the business, marketed a converted metal lathe for cue building until his retirement.

I certainly wouldn't disagree with machines needing cleaning now and then, I cleaned the machines I used daily if not more often working in a metal shop with no wood around and clean my wood lathe quite often too.

"Eventually" and "reduce the efficiency" are such vague terms as to have no meaning. Any first hand experience to relate Odie?

Thanks in advance,
Hu

 

[Odie]

Where to start? All adjustments aren't by acme threads. Repeated exposure to wood dust doesn't "play havoc" with these surfaces as demonstrated by pattern making lathes with saddles and cross slides that have been in use for generations. Wood dust is less harmful than the typical environment in a machine shop. Thousands of cue lathes with ways, cross slides, and compounds in use every day turning wood with no adverse effects. The one I used five years was and is as new as far as surface issues. All indications are that a metal style lathe used primarily for turning wood will far outlast one used for turning metals. Some cue builders use metal lathes exclusively and Leonard Bludworth, one of the most respected names in the business, marketed a converted metal lathe for cue building until his retirement.

I certainly wouldn't disagree with machines needing cleaning now and then, I cleaned the machines I used daily if not more often working in a metal shop with no wood around and clean my wood lathe quite often too.

"Eventually" and "reduce the efficiency" are such vague terms as to have no meaning. Any first hand experience to relate Odie?

Thanks in advance,
Hu

Your post is noted, Hu......

My only experience is working full time in a metal working machine shop for the past 17 years........

ooc

 

[hockenbery]

Anyone following this thread will be interested in Two of Bill Ooms demonstrations at the AAW symposium in Phoenix.

Using a metal mini lathe for woodturning

Turning pen parts on a metal lathe

Al