new tool rest

Frank Fusco

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Mountain Home, Arkansas
Below is a 4" tool rest for my new Grizzly lathe. It is a 1" post and I let the old one go with my previous lathe as it was only 3/4". I had this made up at a local welder shop for $10.00. Exactly what I wanted, no waiting and much less money than the ones in the catalogs that are about $30.00 each. Later I'll be getting a larger one and a curved one for bowls.
 

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Looks great Frank...just think in a few weeks after you master the bowl gouge...you'll be having the same shop make you a hollow form rig....you just don't realize it yet.:D:rofl::rofl:
 
Looks great, Frank!:thumb:
Nice to be able to get it made at a reasonable price.


Well, might not turn out to be so reasonable. Won't fit. Should have tried before posting. The rest that came with the lathe measures .989". I had measured with a regular tape measure previously. The new rest is exactly 1.000", too fat for the banjo. I'll be going to a friends shop this afternoon to see if he can turn it down. He's a semi-retired machinist, I expect to pay him. For the other rests, I'll just buy the 1" stock and have him make.
 
On that same note... ever check and see what the diameter of the tool rest holder, always slightly smaller than nominal sized material, why, for that very reason, so you won't make new guys such as you have constructed... I know everybody likes his own style but there is a reason that over eons of decades the lathe has progressed as it has. reason for castiron tool rests, So they will break when you slam dunk a chunk, and not flip the broken tool into a projectile or break the tool rest holder. Tool rests are designed to be strong enough but as a weak point to accept the punishment and sacrifice itself for your safety. Bet most don't even know why the front edge of the tool rest has the cove cut along its face. :huh: To place your finger in when you grip the tool (between the thumb and forefinger) and allow you smoothly glide the cutting edge across and produce a smooth taper or straight edge, not the wavy barrel as some make.

I do have a few special rests I designed to reach in and support for special bowls and boxes, but the majority is cut using what they intended to be used.

IMHO, I would rather dance with what brung me, except for special occasions (a cute round curvy place to rest my tool is a handy advantage. BTW Total cost when done, you will excede the purchase price of factory cast iron.
 
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I have made several tool rests for my Grizzly and found that the post is just a little smaller than 1" dia. I made a wooden chuck and ground them down enough with a 4 inch grinder with the lathe at the slowest speed I have and it worked well. Need a very light touch with the grinder. I threaded the top of the tool rest to the post.
 
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