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Tool Rest
- Thread starter Vincent Vogel
- Start date
I used a 6 inch radius for my bends, kind of thinking of a 12 inch bowl as being a common shape. Maybe a bit too much hook on the far end of it, but is should work fine. Try it out and let us know. Funny thing about my design is that I made it specifically for the inside of a bowl, but it worked pretty good for the outside as well. Also can come in handy for hollow forms.
Did you put a piece of hardened drill rod on top? Can't really tell. You can harden it first, and then weld it on second. Doesn't seem to bother the hardness of the top rod. As is, I think the A2 drill rod is fairly good all by itself.
D Way does now supply M42 straight rod for rests. They also make round rod rests that are case hardened. Seem to slide as well as the hardened A2. I may have to try some of the M42. I do want a longer straight rest....
robo hippy
Did you put a piece of hardened drill rod on top? Can't really tell. You can harden it first, and then weld it on second. Doesn't seem to bother the hardness of the top rod. As is, I think the A2 drill rod is fairly good all by itself.
D Way does now supply M42 straight rod for rests. They also make round rod rests that are case hardened. Seem to slide as well as the hardened A2. I may have to try some of the M42. I do want a longer straight rest....
robo hippy
I've made a variety of tool rests...here are a few:
Tim
Tim
Robo, thanks for the dimension. I used a 4" pipe for my mandrel when I bent the short end. I will use a 6" pipe to reshape it and I'm adding about 1 1/2" to the length of the short end also. I used A1 oil hardening drill rod but welded it solid. I will have to heat it red and throw it in a bucket of oil to harden it. I was roughing out a 14" bowl, the inside part was perfect but the outside was too sharp of a bend. I'm making a smaller version also and I sized it to a 9" bowl.
Tim, thanks for the pictures. Will report back when I get them done and how they work.
Tim, thanks for the pictures. Will report back when I get them done and how they work.
Well here they are done. The large one is working on a 14" diameter x 5' deep bowl. When I re arched the outside portion I used a 6" pipe for the mandrel and added 1 1/2" to the length. As you see it fits a large bowl good. The smaller one is perfect for bowls 6" to about 11' diameter. They work really well and are rock solid to turn on even at the ends. They are made from 5/16" flat bar with 3/8" drill rod on top. I got them hardened and a file skates on them. Thanks for the advice fellows.
Attachments
How are these bent? Are you using a forge or oxy/acetylene torch to heat up the metal? Then hammer to size over an anvil or pipe as Vincent mentioned? It has me wondering if you could bend the shape on a pipe bender. I have several friends that fabricate roll cages for 4x4's using thick dom tube. I wonder if their benders could handle something thick enough that I could use for rest. Do you weld the drill rod to the top before you bend it to shape? I guess that would make sense.
When I built mine I used an oxy-acetylene torch for heat. I used a combination of pipe and a vise for bending with metal hot, then cut slots in the curves and bent them upward with heat and clamped in a vise and rewelded the slots together. I bent the drill rod to the proper shape cold with the vise and a mandrel then welded the drill rod on with 7018, then reheat to red and quench in oil since I had O1 anealed drill rod. It was time consuming but worth the effort. I probably had a total of 5 hours for both units.
I have a question and thought this thread would be the appropriate place to ask since those that commented have experience working with metal. I have a number of Robust tool rests that I love but have an issue that just cropped up. For my Nova DVR-XP the short post works fine, but I'm currently turning the largest bowl I've ever done, 18" of Walnut requiring that I pivot the headstock and use, for the first time, my outrigger attachment. The design of the outrigger will only accommodate a short post all three of the Robusts I would like to use have have the long post and are unusable.
so my first thought was perhaps I can do it myself. I do have an angle grinder, but aware that some metals cut much easier than other, my question is, how easy would it be for me to cut off a couple inches from the post?
so my first thought was perhaps I can do it myself. I do have an angle grinder, but aware that some metals cut much easier than other, my question is, how easy would it be for me to cut off a couple inches from the post?
Dave Landers
Beta Tester
@Dave Hulett I'm in a similar situation. Moved and until the shop is built, I don't (yet) have 220 in the garage so I'm turning on my older Jet. My robust rests fit, but the posts on my favorite Steve Sinner and Robo rests are too long. I don't have an angle grinder, so am reluctant to go at it with a hacksaw or sawzall. Probably easier for me to wire a 220 outlet....
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Dave (Both of ya) - Tool rest posts are easy enough to cut with a hacksaw - when I first started trying alternatives to the cast iron HF rests, I got a Sorby "system" (changeable rests on one post) and could not find a post of the right length to fit, so I got the longer post and just cut it down to the length needed. Then again, I knew already that steels like that cut fairly easily with a hacksaw as it was not uncommon to have to cut down the crankshaft on a new small engine to fit the application it was installed to... and my reasoning was the tool posts were a similar steel (just from the feel of it) , so I just grabbed my hacksaw and cut em down - very easy to do. no sparks to deal with and with a little prior skill at hacksawing was not difficult to cut them down pretty much square on.
The tool post would be easy to cut with any of the above mentioned methods. I've not run across a tool post that's hardened. If it's hardened the angle grinder would still cut it. I would save the piece you cut off so you could put a pin in it and put it back on if needed.
I cut my robust with a hacksaw. Not a problem. The leftover piece made a nice bottom weight for a candlestick.
I actually did this. Shortened one for my 12” lathe, and bolted the cut piece back on when I traded up to a 3520.
I have a Galaxi with the outrigger, very similar to the xp. I measured my Robust rests - ~6” total height. At least one was a long bar that I cut off. Easy to do with hacksaw or abrasive wheel. The bars are mild steel.
I use the outrigger all the time, to hollow bowls over ~ 6” dia. You really need to try it, it is so much more ergonomic to be able to stand anywhere you want to direct the tool through the required sweep. No bending, twisting, etc, and no removal/replacement of the tailstock, etc.
I hope you use the HS pivot feature to get the bowl to the side or end of the lathe for sanding/finishing - much better access to all the surfaces, whether hand or powered sanding, and no finish dripped or slung onto the lathe bed.
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I use the first indent (22.5 degrees I think) quite often. Hollowing would be a pain without it and most stuff I turn is 10" or less but up to this walnut bowl, I've only used the full 90 degree pivot when roughing out to get a piece less than 16". Then I rotate back to the 0 or 22.5 which can be reached with the standard banjo. I love my DVR-XP.
Thanks to all for the replies. I'll cut one off today as I need to reach inside and to the center and the big J-arm Robust will be perfect. I've got a recip saw that will make it easy
Thought those on this thread might find this interesting as I did. This issue came up using my outrigger BEFORE the tool post length I posted a few days ago. Link: fits tighter than a glove
Wow, mine was never that tight! 1/16” drilled at the bottom takes care of it.
Several of my tool posts were also a suction fit Iike that (not a Nova) until I drilled a few holes near the bottom of the banjo bore. That also overcame the issue of fine shavings/dust building up inside the bore of the banjo. If your bleed holes are big enough the post will squirt the fine dust out when you drop the posts into the banjo.