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Odie's crazy idea #10

odie

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I made this home made depth gauge about 20yrs ago. This isn't an original idea of mine......I think I originally saw it in a book on wood turning back then. Although I haven't seen one of these commercially available lately, there might be something like it available for purchase......don't know.

The depth gauge cross member was made out of a scrap piece of hardwood (cherry, I think) and the brass welding rod is simply a friction fit into a hole drilled into the cross member. The beauty of this is you can accurately judge the thickness of a bowl bottom while it's still on the waste block or chuck......just rest it on the rim and slide the brass rod till it touches the bottom center of the bowl. then place the rod on the outside of the bowl while the cross member rests on the rim. By looking at the tip of the rod and having your eye perpendicular to the axis of your lathe, you can easily check the thickness of the base of your bowl. Pretty slick!

Be sure to make the cross member long enough to fit across the rim of any bowl your lathe is capable of mounting.......the swing on my Woodfast lathe is 16" (or 8" for you purists!), so the cross member is slightly longer than that.......(I believe I made it when I was still using a Northwood lathe, but the swing on that one was also 16".)

Have fun making big piles of shavings!

otis of cologne
 

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I think many of us have something similar to the depth measuring device in the photograph. The only thing I wonder about is the lack of a way to really lock the measuring rod. If it slips, one is likely to use it and then turn through the bottom of a bowl. A similar home made depth gage I use has a set screw that solidly locks the rod in place.

Malcolm Smith.
 

odie

TOTW Team
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Dec 22, 2006
Messages
7,075
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Location
Panning for Montana gold, with Betsy, the mule!
I think many of us have something similar to the depth measuring device in the photograph. The only thing I wonder about is the lack of a way to really lock the measuring rod. If it slips, one is likely to use it and then turn through the bottom of a bowl. A similar home made depth gage I use has a set screw that solidly locks the rod in place.

Malcolm Smith.

I figgered many of the turners on this forum probably had something like this......and I knew from the gitgo that would be so......Malcolm, what you may not be understanding is many on this forum are beginning turners and want solutions to problems that beginners encounter.

BTW: The friction fit works fine.....doesn't need any locking device......but, if you want one, go for it!

However, your input is always appreciated......

otis of cologne
 
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