You done any turning with the 3000 head rotated? I've got a 21" chunk of birch that's thin enough at around 2 1/2" to give me some confidence I can work it without a tailstock, but I'll be extending around it rather than using the accessory they sell. Pitfalls? Warnings, cautions, notes?
I have turned on the wrongside orientations - outboard on Ol' Blue, and even a few times with a freestanding floor rest - don't - at the college, so I'm not a complete tyro.
Well, I am not Arch and he would know better than me, but this is my story. I have a Jet 1236 and decided to turn the head 90 degrees as the wood would not fit over the ways. Well I got a catch and that extension they gave broke and it and the tool rest bounced off my foot After the bad language stopped and my foot stopped throbbing, I tuned it straight and now move the head to get a better angle on the work so I don't have to lean over the bed so much. So be carfull
Bruce
George wrote:
I have read posts here warning that the tool rest extensions on some lathes are fragile and unsafe. Not sure of the brands, but the Nova outboard toolrest 'seems' to be heavier and better designed. I don't like floor stands.
However I agree with Bruce. I don't like to turn blanks that won't fit over the ways since that was the size the lathe was designed and engineered for. Plus I like to use tailstock support whenever possible.
By rotating the headstock, I have turned some 18" platters from glued up pre cut 1" dimension lumber. Any larger platters are too big for my dinner table and I leave table tops and large wall hangings for others to turn. I have very gingerly (slow ramp from zero) roughed out a few larger logs held on a faceplate to get them to fit over the ways. None larger than the N3K standard toolrest reached.
Otherwise, for comfort, visibility, and not having to remove the tailstock I use the rotating headstock a lot. Mostly on deep end grain after much shaping and hollowing between faceplate & tail center/ tenon.
I was given a Harbor Freight outboard bed extension and had thought to bolt it 2" lower and perpendicular to the bed for holding both toolrest and tailstock. I used it for a doorstop instead. :)
Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter
The one that came with my Delta 1440 broke at the stem that fits into the regular toolrest. They sent me a new one, but I haven't used it.
I'm thinking a half-turn approach may be the one I use, as you guys advise. My stand relies on geometry rather than weight to stay steady, and that will keep things closer to reality. Probably be able to use the standard banjo and rest for it as well, though I do have the old style Delta reach-around extension if I need to try it. Come to think, I could probably rig the entire banjo from Ol' Blue onto a table bolt-on. It's still out in the garage.
It would have been a little tight in my shop to rotate the full 90 degrees and get a good stance, so I'd almost have to have moved the stand right about 2 feet. That would have meant moving the workbench too.
As soon as the snow melts, I'll give it a swing. Since it'll be shallow, I shouldn't be in a hurry to hollow it out, so I'll be gentle. Back to the planer, now that he's had a chance to cool down and I to drink up.
George, I don't know how old your N3K is, but some time back Technatool/Woodcraft offered a free upgrade for the headstock locking device. A tapered shaft with cross wise holes and a stout bar for cranking. You might want to check with Woodcraft or a parts list if there is any question about yours. They sent me one promptly and didn't ask where I got my N3K.
Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter
Mine's after that modification, I believe, but before the tailstock change. I've had him for a bit over a year and a half, and his former owner for two. It's got the same setup pictured in the October 2003 manual, is yours different?
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