I am building a cabinet under the lathe bed and am considering extending it about 8 inches beyond the bedways on the right side of the lathe? I have only occationally have done anything on that side, could probably use one hand to count the times. The cabinet extending on that side will allow me to put a tee track for holding various items like dust collection fittings lamps etc. Just wondering if I am giving up anything...
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How useful is turning on the right side of the lathe?
- Thread starter David Souza
- Start date
By “right side” I have to assume you mean the tail stock end of the bed. If its a sliding HS you give up some or all ability to stand at the end to hollow bowls. Doesnt sound like you do that. Cant think of anything else.
If you mean the back side of the lathe, no, nothing given up. Having something to mount to back there helps. I would recommend raising the lathe up enough above the surface to get a hand and tool underneath to adjust HS and TS clamp nuts, and make easier to clean out chips.
If you mean the back side of the lathe, no, nothing given up. Having something to mount to back there helps. I would recommend raising the lathe up enough above the surface to get a hand and tool underneath to adjust HS and TS clamp nuts, and make easier to clean out chips.
sorry, not specific enough, if looking at the headstocks speed readout the other side, so perpendicular to the bedways. I plan to leave enough room for cleanout under the bedways and still be able to tighten down the head/tail stocks.
If I understand you are wanting to build a cabinet under the lathe to extend past the legs on the tail stock end. That would not be a problem for me. I have never turned off the end. If you aren’t turning off the end then it sounds like a good plan.
a mock up for distances etc.
If you are talking about turning on the far side of the lathe, it might be a problem, but only if you do much turning from there. I don't so I can't say.
More important to me is ease of cleanup -- the cabinet will somewhat impede cleaning the floor, and shavings etc will accumulate on its top. Adding tracks etc to the top of the cabinet will complicate cleanup there at least somewhat depending on what and how many things you have. I have nothing below the lathe bed. It comes down to what is more important to you, and how you turn.
More important to me is ease of cleanup -- the cabinet will somewhat impede cleaning the floor, and shavings etc will accumulate on its top. Adding tracks etc to the top of the cabinet will complicate cleanup there at least somewhat depending on what and how many things you have. I have nothing below the lathe bed. It comes down to what is more important to you, and how you turn.
If you are making this to attach a dust collection hood, there other ways that would not require the proposed add-on. I have the Black Hole dust collection system from Craft Supplies USA. The track mounts on the frame of the lathe with clips (so no drilling) and extends along the back of the lathe. Here's the link - https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/search?term=black+hole . It works well with my cyclone and collects all the finer dust and even some fine shavings from shear scraping. It is kind of expensive, but less time and effort than making something. Check it out. You might get ideas of how to make something similar to that without the base structure.
Donna Banfield
TOTW Team
There are two occasions you might encounter a need to be on that side of the lathe. If you ever have someone in your shop that you are teaching, and they are left-hand dominant, being able to turn from that side of the lathe makes bowl turning easier. I teach, and while most left-hand dominant people have learned how to do most things with both hands, I have had two people who simply could not use the bowl gouge safely on the side of the lathe that right-hand dominant turners do. They were grateful I could still teach them, as was I.
The second time might be if you were turning a bowl that had very steep sides, with the rim turned inward. Think Calabash style, but very exaggerated inward turned rim. Being able to stand on the opposite side of the lathe to get that interior rim turned is the best way to do it, unless you have a sliding headstock, or very short bed.
The second time might be if you were turning a bowl that had very steep sides, with the rim turned inward. Think Calabash style, but very exaggerated inward turned rim. Being able to stand on the opposite side of the lathe to get that interior rim turned is the best way to do it, unless you have a sliding headstock, or very short bed.
I tried turning on the opposite side (headstock on my right) of my 3520C once ... felt really odd and never did it again. I do occasionally turn in reverse (make sure you have the set screw(s) in your chuck secured to the spindle) ... comes in handy when I am hollowing bowls with an undercut rim.
Putting a T-track back there opens up many possible uses. However, if oriented facing up it will fill with chips pretty quickly. You might think about mounted it facing sideways, away from the lathe. I'd recess the entire T-track in a grove. It would be strongest this way.
Instead of a T track, consider a flat piece of steel, at least 1/8” thick, and use magnets to hold whatever - chips easily brushed out of the way. T track on the backside of the cabinet will work fine.
I added a ~1-1/2” piece of angle iron clamped to the bottom part of the bed. Works great for light placement (magnet). It gets way too busy trying to use that same area for lights and DC IMO. I was just using a magnet at the end of the DC hose. Recently added a dc boom/hood, happens to be on sale now. It requires some simple modification to work, but its very nice to position the hood anywhere I want and not be tangled up with lights.
www.woodcraft.com
I added a ~1-1/2” piece of angle iron clamped to the bottom part of the bed. Works great for light placement (magnet). It gets way too busy trying to use that same area for lights and DC IMO. I was just using a magnet at the end of the DC hose. Recently added a dc boom/hood, happens to be on sale now. It requires some simple modification to work, but its very nice to position the hood anywhere I want and not be tangled up with lights.
WoodRiver - Dust Connection - Universal Dust Collection Boom
Efficient dust collection begins with capturing dust and debris at the source. Sturdy mounting flange makes it easy to attach Universal Boom Arm to a floor base, clamp it to your workbench, or mount to the wall or ceiling. Articulated segments allow you to position the included dust hood where...
Will some body tell me what a box extending out the far side of the lathe has to do with turning off the end of the lathe? I have the Swing Away and although I have no box under the lathe there is nothing in my way of turning off the end of the lathe.
Guess you didnt read all posts. Wasnt clear where the box would extend until post 5
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Suspect some folks mis-read it , since O.P. talks about the "right side" of the lathe , which some folks may have initially thought meant "Tailstock End" ?
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Like most every woodturning decision it’s a tradeoff. Most every decision eliminates some possibilities and hopefully brings us closer to achieving a vision.
A long time ago when I was first learning to turn beads on hollow forms and bowls I could only turn them confidently with the rim on the left. So if I added a bead to a bowl in a Chuck I had to do it from the back side. I’m now confident in turning beads with the rim to the right of left.
My main concern with that cabinet is pilling it high with chips and the challenge it adds to sweep underneath the lathe and cabinet.
Another trade-off
I’d put the cabinet on rollers…
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To me the right side is the tail stock end. The picture in post 5 it is sticking out the back of the lathe not right side.
Words--they're the gelatinous goo of life.
We all know what the right side of out car is ? yes, and the front and end/rear, the steering wheel is on the left for all normal ??? countries 
.
Turners just call the RH side the back
, oh well.
.Turners just call the RH side the back
, oh well.
Wouldn't work for me, as I make a lot of hollow forms and stand on that side to do the hollowing with a long straight bar...
Keep in mind that if one were to turn on the "backside" of the lathe (with the headstock to your right elbow) you'd still need to reverse rotate the spindle. It's the same action no matter which side of the lathe you stand on.
The direction of rotation depends on which side of the workpiece the the tool is applied, rather than which side of the workpiece you are standing on. If standing on the backside of the lathe you may still be working on the front side of the piece.
I had a box under a lathe. Never again. Just a pain to clean around.
Back in the day in high school woodshop the Delta lathes had double ended spindles. The conventional end as most lathes have and an outboard left hand threaded spindle. The outboard spindle was used when turnings were too large diameter to be done over the bed ways on the conventional spindle. The tool rest was a heavy free standing support. It was interesting that the Delta faceplates were double threaded, both right and left hand threads for use on either end of the spindle.
I wonder why the double end spindle doesn't seem to be on any newer lathes.
I wonder why the double end spindle doesn't seem to be on any newer lathes.
Oneway has a double ended spindle. sliding or rotating headstock lathes don’t need one.
Thanks for all of the feedback, I'll have to give the cabinet some more thought. If I do add it, it will have to make sure there is plenty of room around it to clean up. When I was using the Jet 1642, it was a little light and i added a shelf using 2x6's and a sand core. After that, it was rock solid. The powermatic with the 4" riser blocks does provide more room under the shelf supports. Seems that the powermatic has plenty of weight and may not be a problem.
Also, the hollowing on that backside is something to think about as I do want to get a hollowing rig. That may be next years christmas present LOL...
Also, the hollowing on that backside is something to think about as I do want to get a hollowing rig. That may be next years christmas present LOL...
More to consider - I hollow in reverse vs going to the backside of the lathe. It does require swan neck tools bent “the other way”.
Much depends on what you are turning on a regular basis. I often turn for the other side, so both my lathes are away from any wall and can be readily walked around.
The old Woodfast lathes also had the facility to turn outboard on the back of the headstock and for many decades I did all of my faceplate turning there until Woodfast brought out their swivel head models and I then moved over to one of those.
The swivel head and sliding headstock lathes (and the short beds like the Graduate) overcame the need to have left hand threaded gear.
I still do 95% of my turning outboard as I find turning there is far more comfortable and my back also prefers it.
Donna said it best, but that's how J.Paul Fennell turns Hollow forms, says it's much easier on his shoulder. I believe I saw him @ St. Paul but not positive. I had already using the elbow tool so never really considered hand-held but it was a very interesting rotation and something I had never considered.