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ONEWAY Bowl Steady.....tried one of these????

Odie

Odie

Panning for Montana gold, with Betsy, the mule!
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ONEWAY bowl steady

If you have one of these, or have tried one out, let me know your evaluation.

I'm considering getting one, but I've been suckered into buying things that don't work as advertised too many times! However, my initial thought is this just might work out well for reducing vibration when doing the interior of thin wall bowls.

Here's a link so you can see what it is:

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=4391

Thanks for your comments.

....odie
 
Some one-by poplar, a pipe flange and some pipe with a few and bolts and thumb screws attached to a couple of in-line skate wheels would save you about a hundred bucks. :cool2:
 
I have Oneway's bowl steady and the spindle steady. I like them both. I would also rather spend time turning instead of building. Most of the time anyway.
 
odie said:
ONEWAY bowl steady

If you have one of these, or have tried one out, let me know your evaluation.

I'm considering getting one, but I've been suckered into buying things that don't work as advertised too many times! However, my initial thought is this just might work out well for reducing vibration when doing the interior of thin wall bowls.

Here's a link so you can see what it is:

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=4391

Thanks for your comments.

....odie
Click to expand...

Odie,

I agree with both these folks. If you enjoy making your own rigs you can make one fairly easily and save a lot of $$. I bought the Oneway however, simply because I get little enough time to turn now as it is and didn't want to spend the time making one. I do like mine quite a bit and have used it a fair amount. Very handy. Given more time though I would have opted to make it.

Dave
 
Put it on a wish list a few years ago, and the kids collaborated on the purchase. It's a great item that I should use more often than I do. Which is why I'd buy if I were you rather than make some of the exotic designs I've seen on the 'net. Attachment is pretty simple (ratcheting box wrench) and the tool is undeniably sturdy beyond the capability of even expensive Baltic birch ply. When I'm doing dry stuff for a session I just swing the entire assembly around the back as if it were a spindle steady to keep attached but out of the way. Sort of miss the gap bed on the old lathe at those times.

Makes a huge difference on goblets and such if you remember to use it, too. Spindle steady is seldom used here, though it was honored on a subsequent wish list.
 
I made my version of it last week. Super easy and cost me less than $5.00 and a couple scrap (not too scrap) wood.

I also made a Steady for spindles, vase, etc and used the extra inline skates for that. More work than the bowl steady but almost finished both in one afternoon.

If you are interested, I can take a pic and post it here.
 
Odie My first question is why do you think you need it? Is there a problem your trying to solve? I've turned a lot of bowls both thick and thin and have never needed one. I did build a 3 wheel steady out of inline skate wheels to be used with long spindles and long hollow forms.
If your trying to reduce vibration while cutting the lip you may be pushing too hard on the bevel. You might also try leaving more wood in the lower portions of the bowl to reduce the overall vibration. Thin the first inch or so and then move down another inch and thin that.
For really thin bowls I slow the speed of the lathe down and support the outside with my left hand while thinning the inside. At least for the first few inches. After that the wood is usually stable enough to finish the rest without support.
 
If you do try to back up with the left hand, be sure to get the edge of the bowl rounded over. Those cuts are painful, as are the burns you can get if you forget to tape your fingers. I used masking tape.

You also swap one form of control for another, of course.
 
Attached are pics of my crude version of bowl steady and spindle steady (not yet complete). They share the ways lock.

Hope these pics help.
 

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Gentlemen....

As a result of contemplating the posts to this thread, I've ordered the Oneway Bowl Steady. It should be here within the week.

There seems to be differences of opinion as to the value of the device. I guess I'll just have to try it out and see for myself.

Dario...That looks like a well thought out steady you've made. I admire those who build all their own jigs. I've built a few myself, but decided I'd rather just pay the price and get this one.

Brodie.....I've heard of the advantages of using the variable speed when confronted with vibration problems.....but I don't have one. I may get a VS someday, but it's a pretty expensive conversion and I don't want to expend my resources on it right now. I've got the old fashioned step pulleys on my Woodfast lathe, and it's quite a jump in speed when switching over.

John Lucas.....To answer your question: Yes, I feel I need something more to reduce vibration. I have been using the technique of removing material from the interior of the bowl a small level at a time, as the wall is brought to final thickness.....then proceed to the next level. For many bowls, this is sufficient to overcome the vibration problems, but as you know, some shapes and species of wood react differently to your tools than others. It is these times where I feel some sort of additional support (other than my hand) is called for. The Oneway bowl steady sure does look appealing to me for this.

Thanks for all the replies, gentlemen. It's been appreciated.

....odie
 
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penmaker said:
I would rename the bowl steady a "large platter rim steady".
Click to expand...


The OW bowl steady came today. In the instructions, it mentions that it is a rim steady, too.

Although I haven't tried it out yet, I would imagine that all vibration originates at the rim anyway......so it should always be installed at the rim.....therefore, any point along the bowl wall will have reduced vibration.

Well....I think so, anyway!

Is it better to place the wheels close to the point where you are currently cutting?

For those of you who are using a bowl steady, homemade or OneWay.....what is your finding for the best location to position the wheels?

....odie
 
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I position in the general vicinity of where I'm working.

Also, if I'm working the inside I mount on front side of lathe. If I'm doing work on the outside, I mount on the back side of the lathe.

Ed
 
Position near the rim where the velocity is greatest. Generally the support there and the hold on the chuck is more than enough for me, a light cutter. I suppose heavier cuts might find an intermediate position useful.

Remember what causes coriolis, and don't position where the wheels span a big difference in diameters. The wheels are crowned round, so you can minimize any abrasion by keeping them perpendicular to the axis of rotation rather than the piece. Can only be tangent at one point, after all, just like gouge 100. After a while you may find yourself consciously planning to use it on some pieces, and planning a point for support. With me it's usually an afterthought. One of those "gee it's squirming" discoveries that make me remember I have a solution, if I'd only use it.
 
MichaelMouse said:
Position near the rim where the velocity is greatest. Generally the support there and the hold on the chuck is more than enough for me, a light cutter. I suppose heavier cuts might find an intermediate position useful.

Remember what causes coriolis, and don't position where the wheels span a big difference in diameters. The wheels are crowned round, so you can minimize any abrasion by keeping them perpendicular to the axis of rotation rather than the piece. Can only be tangent at one point, after all, just like gouge 100. After a while you may find yourself consciously planning to use it on some pieces, and planning a point for support. With me it's usually an afterthought. One of those "gee it's squirming" discoveries that make me remember I have a solution, if I'd only use it.
Click to expand...

MM....

It does make sense to me that the rim would be the critical area to control.....and probably the easiest spot to eliminate bowl flexing. I am involved in some other projects at the moment, so it'll be a few days before I can get some "hands on" experience with this new bowl steady. I'll be sure to try setting up the wheels in various locations to get a feel for what works for me.

What is coriolis? My dictionary doesn't have that one! I assume keeping the wheels perpendicular to the spindle axis is best, no matter what angle the wall of the bowl would be......right? Off hand, that seems to jive.

....odie
 
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Differential diameter. If you run parallel to the axis of rotation, for instance, outside will go faster, inside slower. It will abrade the outside. It's what puts the wind to your back when the low's to your left in the northern hemisphere. Because the surface of the earth has greater velocity at the equator compared to the poles.


Folks with inertial sanders will recognize the effect. We turners use differential diameter to help hold the bevel of the gouge against the work when turning, and it's what makes the shaving curl, too.
 
OK, I had the opportunity to use the Oneway bowl steady over the week-end. So far, so good. I can tell that this contraption definitely works! It doesn't seem to eliminate bowl flexing, or vibration completely, but it's certainly reduced. This is a worthwhile investment for me, as many of my turnings are targeted for "thin wall".

This particular bowl is Silver Maple with some small amount of spalt....8" in diameter by 4" thick. The wall is 1/8" at the rim, about 5/32" near the rim where the "accent" is, and about 1/8" from there to where it meets the base, where it's about 1/4". I was experiencing some high pitch vibration where the largest diameter of the bowl is. Reducing rpm to 370 didn't eliminate the problem. At that point I installed the Oneway bowl steady and noticed immediately that the vibration was reduced to the point where I could get a reasonable interior surface.

The Oneway bowl steady isn't a panacea, but effective and definitely worthwhile. I am impressed on how well it's designed and built.....very heavy duty and not cheap at all. Worthy of praise.

....odie
 

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Update: After using the Oneway bowl steady for about 15 years.....I find that I can't live without it!

-----odie-----

IMG_1518.JPG
 
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Robust Lathe Co. makes a great bowl steady rest. I have had one for several years. You might want to check it out before investing in a One Way.
 
Michael Anderson said:
Odie, I love the fact that you can just barely tell that it’s the same lathe in both photos. :p
Click to expand...

Yep.....there's been a lot of changes in the past 15 years! :)

-----odie-----

Someday, there might even be a new lathe......but, for the time being, I've very satisfied with this old Woodfast lathe. Absolutely everything that moves on it has been replaced. It may not look like much, but like Han Solo said....."She's got it where it counts!"

If there ever is another lathe, it will have a rotating headstock.....that's not negotiable! :)
 
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