Faceplate Rings adding options

just turn one on your lathe - with HSS tools you can cut steel no problem (yes, I've done it) - a metal lathe is better, but you can do it by hand

In message , William Noble writes

I'm lucky enough to have a small metal lathe too. So will be a little easier :)

That Bill & John can cut steel freehand on a woodturning lathe with no problem is not the same as a newbie just starting out doing it. Those two can turn a spindle on a spur without a tail center while holding the tool handle against their bellies and many here can also.

IMHO, turning steel freehand is not a safe procedure and I don't think Bill will mind my butting in. I think that he meant that yes it can be done, but was only advising it for John, not as general advice to rcw.

Be careful out there. Spinning or using a graver for soft metal is different, but even that requires expertise and careful attention.

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

And it also adds the fun of sparks and metal shavings in the shop..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Hello John,

You've had several replies to your post, but I don't believe anyone answered your question. I think a lot depends on the type of chucks you use. A faceplate ring should work fine with a clamp down onto the outside of the ring tenon provided your chuck has a dovetail like the Nova Chucks have on their jaws. Then if you size the tenon for the chuck to grip and make the dovetail match the chuck with the jaws almost closed (this way they are the most round) the outside grip on the faceplate ring should work just fine. It will run most true if you have it so the chuck jaws fit against a shoulder on the ring.

Doing it this way you can make up faceplate rings to fit each of your sets of chuck jaws, then you can choose a ring that fits your jaws that are currently in the chuck. Incidentally, if you are making rings to hold bowls, making the rings as large as possible will allow you to have the screws in an area of the bowl that will be turned away when you final turn the foot of the bowl. I suppose this would work also for hollow forms.

I personally use a clamping grip on the tenon of a bowl with my chuck jaws. I've found that this holds well and it eliminates the possibility of splitting the bowl (rather suddenly) from the expanding pressure when you use and expanding pressure in a recess to hold the bowl.

Incidentally, I don't use faceplate rings, although I have several, I simply start my bowls between centers (actually between the live center in the tailstock and the face of the chuck jaws) and turn the outside to finish shape including a tenon to fit the chuck that is mounted on the lathe. I reverse the blank and mount it in the chuck jaws with a compression grip and hollow out the inside. I final sand the inside and outside and put on the finish. I then reverse bowl again using one of several mounting devices (a vacuum chuck, a Rim Chuck, a Longworth chuck, or a jam fit chuck with tailstock support). All of the reverse chucking methods should use the tailstock support as long as possible to ensure the bowl doesn't come loose.

Fred Holder

following up on metal on a wood lathe -

1. if you try this WEAR EYE PROTECTION - a steel sliver in the eye is not at all a good thing, and a piece of steel hitting you in the teeth is also not a good thing

1. you need to turn at a very slow speed compared to wood - on my metal lathe, when I face off a 4 inch faceplate, I'm turning it at about 150 RPM with carbide tools, slower with HSS

2. It really isn't fun to step on steel shavings and then try to pull the barbed ******s out of your foot - don't wear sandals (DAMHIKT)

1. I'd suggest trying a softer metal first just to convince yourself you can do it - Brass and Aluminum come to mind

2. You REALLY don't want a catch

1. NO OVERHANG !!!!!! keep toolrest really really close to the work.

In message , Fred Holder writes

Hi Fred thanks for the comprehensive reply Interesting you say almost closed. With the chuck jaws I have , I think the optimum diameter is a little further out that, but as the manufacturers are so kind to provide dimensioned drawings , its a big bonus :) I had assumed external clamping should work , as we clamp to a turned dovetail in the wood, though that does have an element of compression

Its interesting you say as large as possible. I have tended to uses the smallest ring I have, probably because the maximum thickness wood I have mounted in this manner has been 6 inches thick, so by the time the screws penetrate into the wood I am starting to encroach on my bowl material :) But I see your point the larger ring would definitely provide a more stable platform. When I get a larger piece of wood I will give it a try.

But definitely the plan is for several Faceplate rings of different and the same sizes

Yes these expanding pressures can be a pain. Early on I had several items break the internal dovetail. Sometimes the wall was just not thick enough, others the wood would just split (very dry oak) The problem was how much do you turn the chuck key. At what point does it provide optimum grip, when is it too loose or when it over tight. Its not an easy one to determine. I have tended to tighten till contact it established fully then add a part turn to nip it up, but in some cases its been just a little too much. With the external clamping the worst I can see is distortion of the tenon through over tightening, but there is also a limiting factor in that you can only compress so far

I think a lot of this section is for next months lesson :) I have a lot to learn, but the process is great fun

If you are using brazed carbide tools, 400 surface feet would be about right. 400 surface feet on a 4 inch disk would be 382 RPM. If using indexable inserts, 600 surface feet will work well.

I think you misunderstood about large faceplates - imagine a bowl shape - big at the top, small at the bottom - or a hollow form - still small at the bottom, right? So you use a big faceplate and the screws go near the outer edge of the wood - you turn to shape down to where hte screws are and then reverse and turn the bottom to shape - as you do that, you cut away the wood where the screws were, eliminating all evidence -

bigger faceplates make this easier

stuff snipped ">

you are right, but if I run at full speed without coolant, I get red hot chips flying all over the shop (well sometimes even orange hot) - and it turns out the carbide (brazed or inserts) lasts longer if I run a bit slower - I suppose I ought to double check now, I might actually be running closer to the 300 to 400 RPM - but it doesn't matter for this forum - my point was that you need to turn a whole lot slower than you would on a wood lathe. And take a finer cut