With turners, there seems to be a natural progression toward larger material and a larger lathe to handle the bigger stock. I've also sensed a hint of elitism among turners with 'big lathes'. One morning I got to day dreaming about the woodturner equivalent of the arms race toward the biggest lathe and thought I'd see what you folks may have seen in the way of great big commercial or homemade lathes.
The conclusion of my imagining was a lathe powered by a Chevy V-8 engine, variable and/or very low speed from the transfer case off an old Blazer with the 4 wheel low transfer case, a drive shaft for a direct drive spindle and a trench for the turner to stand in. There's no way I could ever build such a thing, but if I can conceive it, somebody must have tried it.
Comments?
Dean Center
The conclusion of my imagining was a lathe powered by a Chevy V-8 engine, variable and/or very low speed from the transfer case off an old Blazer with the 4 wheel low transfer case, a drive shaft for a direct drive spindle and a trench for the turner to stand in. There's no way I could ever build such a thing, but if I can conceive it, somebody must have tried it.
Comments?
Dean Center