Ouch!

Bill Lantry

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Hey, folks,

So there I was, merrily turning away on the other piece of apple. The tool rest was slipping a little, so I stopped and tightened it a little bit. Kept going, life was good. Suddenly, THUNK!

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ouch 002 (Medium).jpg

ouch 003 (Medium).jpg

Yes, that used to be the base of my toolrest. Darn! So, what are my options (and why do they make these things out of cast iron???) Should I just order a new one from Grizzly? Or are there aftermarket rests out there?

DARN!

Thanks,

Bill
 
Really bad luck Bill, any blacksmit in the neighborhood ?
A metal U profile with a bolted sqaire block could be a solution :huh:
 
Ye musta clunked it real hard at one time. I doubt the replacement part is very expensive. I got a tool rest extension when I bought my new lathe, it was only about $8.00. That cast iron piece can be brazed by a good welder. But, I would just buy new.
 
Do both, Order a new one, and have a welder braze the old one, but check on the price as the new one may be cheaper than the fix. Reason I said do both is that you would have a backup and a second tool rest holder so IF you should do some L-O-N-G turning like a straight taper, you can contrive a long two legged tool rest and support it in the holder.

As for why it broke, You did something Wrong and created the problem, As for why Cast iron, So it will take the impact, not spring back as steel , not bend as steel, not flex as steel.
 
Can't tell from your picture the size of your tool rest post, but check with PSI.. they have a 3 pc set.. 6, 9 & 12 in., out of round bar at a pretty reasonable price. I got a set when I snapped the crossbar off my toolrest post on my little jet.
 
Yikes ... that's one busted banjo!

I'm with the others, pick up a new one from the maker if you can. Shouldn't be too pricy, I would hope. I've never seen a banjo snap like that before - good show! :D
 
Now that is one serious catch! :clap:

Boy you done slammed that Banjo, what length monster tool were you using?

bills_catch.jpg
Big chunks like that with voids in them can be hard to do, you have to make sure you are not pushing the tool into the wood too much, you have a void there, it looks like the tool went into the void, and then a massive catch developed.:eek:

Just be glad that something gave (the banjo) and that something was nothing that has to "Heal" :rolleyes: :D

I'd see if you can get the cast iron MIG welded, remember, I MIG welded my drill press table, it worked fine, or get a good weldor to braze it, having the second banjo can be of use for sure, I would buy a new one to replace this one.

Good luck! :wave:
 
Well, it turns out the piece only costs seven bucks to replace. It actually costs as much to ship it. Didn't feel it would be right to claim the warranty, as this was me being foolish. Wish I had a welder... ;)

I'm putting it down to lessons learned. Now if I could only figure out what I did wrong. I bet Stu's diagnosis is exactly correct. I was using one of Randy's Monster tools, and as you can see in the picture, I was still cutting some air. Maybe I pushed it too far, had it catch, let the handle move, and had the whole thing positioned too far out. I guess it just never occurred to me that something like that could actually break! ;)

Thanks,

Bill
 
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Well, I'm back up and running. I'd been meaning to buy a pair of specialized pliers (don't know what to call them, but you use them to take off and put on retaining rings) ever since I needed some to fix my chainsaw last summer. Picked a pair up in advance, so when the part arrived yesterday, I was able to switch it out. Of course, first thing I did was to lose one of the rings in the sawdust. Oh well.

Anyway, I left that piece of apple on the lathe when the banjo broke. You would not believe how badly it cracked! Spent over an hour *carefully* whittling it down past the cracks. Had to give over the play near midnight. At that point, I hard the outside form nearly done, including a small tenon/base. Did some 60 grit sanding, and then put a couple coats of lacquer on it, hoping it will slow down the drying. With a little luck, when I go home this evening, it will not be too cracked. maybe I'll be able to finish the final outside turning, reverse it, and do the inside hollowing.

Thanks,

Bill
 
Yeah, snap ring pliers, got a couple pair of those, innys and outies :rolleyes:

Bill, in the future, don't waste lacquer on the not done turning, just wrap it up in a plastic bag, right on the lathe! :thumb:

Good luck, I've heard that apple is nice but cracks a lot :dunno:
 
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