Wayne Smith

[Wayne Smith]

Hi fellow wood peckers.

I have worked with wood in some form or another since a teen. In high school I had a summer job for several years as a hard wood refinisher and installer. For a short period, I worked in Nebraska building town houses and in an industrial manufacturing plant as a carpenter. When I returned to my primary job as a researcher in plastics, I maintained a fairly steady side business of home improvement.

28 years ago I got involved with Habitat for Humanity and now that I'm retired I work 2 days a week building houses with the local chapter in Delaware framing and finishing houses.

I recently acquired my fathers old Dunlop wood lathe. I am learning a new skill now and enjoy making things on that lathe. I have purchased a chuck and a live center to upgrade the unit. The one thing that will frustrate me is the small capacity of the lathe with regard to the diameter of bowls I can produce. I'm looking for suggestions on how to improve this tool.

 

[Roger Wiegand]

Welcome!

With many lathes it is possible to make and add a ~2" riser block under the head and tail stock to increase capacity. How easy or hard that is really depends on the specific design of the lathe. It won't be an off-the-shelf solution. You might then also need longer posts on your toolrest. At some point it becomes easier (and cheaper if you're paying a machinist) to scan Craigslist every day for a bigger lathe.

 

[hockenbery]

Welcome
I suggest you connect with a local chapter of AAW.
Excellent resource for turners if all skill,levels,and quite helpful for newer turners.

Closest ones seem to be Annapolis and Newcastle

I used to live in Annapolis and some time around 2002-2004 I did a Demo for a woodworking group in DelMar.
They were trying to get a woodturning chapter started. They might be a resource and may have a small group of active turners you can connect with.
In 2004 Chesapeake woodturners in Annapolis was the only AAW chapter in Maryland and there were none in Delaware so we had quite a few members coming Over the bay bridge at least 2 from Del.

 

[Wayne Smith]

Welcome!

With many lathes it is possible to make and add a ~2" riser block under the head and tail stock to increase capacity. How easy or hard that is really depends on the specific design of the lathe. It won't be an off-the-shelf solution. You might then also need longer posts on your toolrest. At some point it becomes easier (and cheaper if you're paying a machinist) to scan Craigslist every day for a bigger lathe.

Thanks, one of my brothers actually suggested that. Trying to find a 2" thick block of steel or aluminum will be the challenge. I'm trying to minimize capital outlay until I'm sure that this is something I want to expand my resume of talents on.

 

[Wayne Smith]

Welcome
I suggest you connect with a local chapter of AAW.
Excellent resource for turners if all skill,levels,and quite helpful for newer turners.

Closest ones seem to be Annapolis and Newcastle

I used to live in Annapolis and some time around 2002-2004 I did a Demo for a woodworking group in DelMar.
They were trying to get a woodturning chapter started. They might be a resource and may have a small group of active turners you can connect with.
In 2004 Chesapeake woodturners in Annapolis was the only AAW chapter in Maryland and there were none in Delaware so we had quite a few members coming Over the bay bridge at least 2 from Del.

Thanks Hockenbery, Delmar is closer than Annapolis and the director of our local Habitat is a "turner". I'm planning on getting together with him to get council.

 

[Lamar Wright]

Welcome to the AAW forum Wayne. You'll find a lot of help here. Happy turning!

 

[Timothy White]

Welcome:
Woodturning. Sooner or later us flat woodworkers will get “A round tuit”

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Welcome aboard. Hope you are prepared for this Addicting hobby. Adding the riser may be ok if you can find it cheap but not likely unless you have access to lots of metal to pick from. Just wait on that and if you really want to get into it you will have that 500 to apply to a better lathe .

 

[Bill Boehme]

I recently acquired my fathers old Dunlop wood lathe. I am learning a new skill now and enjoy making things on that lathe. I have purchased a chuck and a live center to upgrade the unit. The one thing that will frustrate me is the small capacity of the lathe with regard to the diameter of bowls I can produce. I'm looking for suggestions on how to improve this tool.

Here is an interesting link to a Sears Dunlap wood lathe restoration: Dunlap Lathe Restoration

While it is possible to raise the headstock and tailstock, a more powerful motor would be needed for the larger swing. Also, the speed would need to be reduced considerably for roughing out bowl blanks. This can be accomplished by using a four pole motor (1750 RPM) plus changing the pulley ratio which might be a big expensive deal.

I think that it might be better to use the lathe as it is and save your money for a another lathe later on.