Jim C Bradley
Member
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Hi,
I wasn't sure where to put this. However, it is for my wood lathe, so I put it here. I want to fasten a half-inch diameter, very smooth, steel rod on to my lathe tool-rest.
I really should be ashamed to ask this question since my father was an excellent machinest (hobby related). He was good enough that, occasionally, one of the commercial machine shops in town would come to him and ask him to do something for them. On the other hand I have his old Atlas lathe and have not even used it for 35 years.
What I want to accomplish is to drill two parallel holes, crosswise, through a very smooth half-inch diameter steel rod so I can screw it to my steadyrest. I am totally new to woodturning, even though I have had a woodlathe for a few months now (I did one 6" bowl and am working on a turning tool handle).
The steady rest is not the smoothest thing in the world and it is tapered towards each end. Therefore when I am turning (on my first spindle) I get friction on my finger that rides the steadyrest AND my hand is forced to different distances from the wood by the steadyrest's artistic shape. I want to attach this eleven inch smooth piece of steel to the rest so I can slide my hand across easily (on the smooth rod) and maintain a constant distance from the wood.
Now I can be such a newbie that I don't have the foggiest notion how to use a lathe and have a heck of a lot to learn or my smooth rod will be a great help. Anyway I thought I would give it a try---unless you guys and gals tell me that it is a dumb thing to do.
QUESTION: How can I drill two holes through the rod, to insert counter sunk machine screws, to fasten to the steadyrest. I figure it would be great if the two holes went through the center of the rod and that the holes were parallel to each other. I would imagine the holes would be about 6 or 7 inches apart. I have a good drillpress and a machinest's V block.
I think that there might be a more complicated way to ask my question, however I could not think of it.
Thanks and Enjoy,
Jim
I wasn't sure where to put this. However, it is for my wood lathe, so I put it here. I want to fasten a half-inch diameter, very smooth, steel rod on to my lathe tool-rest.
I really should be ashamed to ask this question since my father was an excellent machinest (hobby related). He was good enough that, occasionally, one of the commercial machine shops in town would come to him and ask him to do something for them. On the other hand I have his old Atlas lathe and have not even used it for 35 years.
What I want to accomplish is to drill two parallel holes, crosswise, through a very smooth half-inch diameter steel rod so I can screw it to my steadyrest. I am totally new to woodturning, even though I have had a woodlathe for a few months now (I did one 6" bowl and am working on a turning tool handle).
The steady rest is not the smoothest thing in the world and it is tapered towards each end. Therefore when I am turning (on my first spindle) I get friction on my finger that rides the steadyrest AND my hand is forced to different distances from the wood by the steadyrest's artistic shape. I want to attach this eleven inch smooth piece of steel to the rest so I can slide my hand across easily (on the smooth rod) and maintain a constant distance from the wood.
Now I can be such a newbie that I don't have the foggiest notion how to use a lathe and have a heck of a lot to learn or my smooth rod will be a great help. Anyway I thought I would give it a try---unless you guys and gals tell me that it is a dumb thing to do.
QUESTION: How can I drill two holes through the rod, to insert counter sunk machine screws, to fasten to the steadyrest. I figure it would be great if the two holes went through the center of the rod and that the holes were parallel to each other. I would imagine the holes would be about 6 or 7 inches apart. I have a good drillpress and a machinest's V block.
I think that there might be a more complicated way to ask my question, however I could not think of it.
Thanks and Enjoy,
Jim
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