How do I turn bedposts longer than my lathe?

"Owen Lawrence" wrote: (clip)I've got a lathe that can hold about 35" with the live centre, but I want to turn bedposts 36" and 48" long. Obviously I'll have to do each one in two or more sections. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Sometimes the obvious is wrong. You could hold the work in a chuck and a steady rest. I have described, in an earlier thread, how to hold square stock in the steady rest, so I won't go into it again, unless you ask.

How does your tailstock hold a live center? Isn't there a Morse taper? Do you know that you can buy collets that fit in a Morse taper, for any drill size you care to use? Uses up less bed space than a jacobs chuck, and more accurate.

You can get a "drill bit chuck for the non-powered end of the chuck. Then all you would need to do would be turn a peg on one end and drill the hole on the other. I do hope your lathe can turn slow enough to not harm the drill bit.

It has a Morse taper, but it's held in an outside-threaded cylinder. To move it forward or back you turn this wheel that sits around the cylinder. (It's kind of like those routers that adjust the height by turning the ring around the motor.) The problem is, when you loosen the thing so it can move, it slops all over the place. It's a really dumb design if you ask me. (Sears Craftsman lathe)

I don't really like my lathe, but it's what I have right now. I intend to upgrade it someday, but this day isn't it.

Thanks for the great idea!

- Owen -

Make a fixture to hold the post off the drill press table. Not too tough ... use a wooden clamp (the kind with two handles and wooden jaws - I don't know the precise name) to hold the post and any other sort of stout clamp to hold that clamp to the table. Swivel the table around to put the post under the bit.

Bill

I've also seen, but never had occasion to try, secondary "tail stocks" attached to a wall to turn long spindles. Something like that could be as simple as a 60* center mounted on the wall, provided you got it at the right height. It seemed to be working out okay for the guys I've seen doing it, but I would think it wouldn't hurt to add a little "insurance" by mounting a couple of big eye bolts to the wall as well, and using a rachet strap to cinch the lathe against the work so it can't slide and let your long spindle fly out at you.

That's only useful, of course, if (like myself) you don't have a steady rest- or if you are turning a really big column that doesn't leave enough room for a steady.

I do a lot of vases and hollow forms, and while my Delta does not work the same way as you've described the Craftsman, it *is* limited to

2.5" of travel on the tailstock- since I like to drill a pilot hole for hollowing, especially in end-grain, and most of my stuff is quite a bit deeper than that, I've experimented a little, and found that it's not really a problem to chuck up a drill bit in the tailstock, and then slide the entire assembly along the ways without worrying about the depth adjustment at all. There *is* the possibility of slop, but one hand on the jacob's chuck keeping the chuck in place and pushing the tailstock lightly downward, and the other feeding the tailstock in seems to do the trick just fine- I can't find any real difference in the finished hole between that method and feeding it in with the hand crank.

Might be worth a try, and if it doesn't work for you, the bright side is that it's not only a cheap accessory, but one that is more easily moved to a different lathe at some future time than a threaded item like a chuck.

Yep, you can take a couple of strips of metal of suitable thickness and space them to gain some adjustment on your (really) gap bed lathe. Architectural columns want some real slow speeds, but a countershaft and some 2x6 "ways" made a big'un out of a 12" Delta. Had to turn the small end over the real bed, though.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ How about drilling on the lathe by sliding the tailstock forward instead of cranking the ram? (I still recomend using a steady rest, and doing the bedposts in one piece.)

simplest solution - put tailstock in a bench vise, arrange headstock the proper distance away, insert wood and turn - if you are worried about the lathe moving, tie the lathe to the bench with chain or wire (something that does'nt streach much

Hi Owen KISS Make a steady rest, take the tail stock off of the lathe, then use your turning tools (scraper etc.) to make the hole in the end. Just the same you would make a small box close to the head stock, now just at the end. Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

wrote: Make a steady rest, take the tail stock off of the lathe, (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I'm with you so far, other Leo. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ then use your turning tools (scraper etc.) to make the hole in the end. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Owen's need for the hole in the end is for doweling the two halves together. I contend that with a steady rest, he can do it all in one piece.

Too friggin' easy, Bill...

lol

mac

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My lathe isn't long enough to use the tailstock this way for this project. I suppose it's something to try some other time, but I tend to research things to death before ever trying anything that could be the slightest bit dangerous. Everything about my tailstock is sloppy until it's locked down. I wouldn't want to get the bit canted and then have it jamb or snap.

Can you tell me where I can find a picture of your suggested steady rest? I think I get the concept okay, but I'd like to see it in action. I looked for one, but didn't find one. If I can turn the whole length on my lathe, then I can drill the hole by just ramming a gouge into the end, can't I?

- Owen -

"Owen Lawrence" wrote: Can you tell me where I can find a picture of your suggested steady rest? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Owen, if I delete "no spam" from your address, I wind up with nothing ahead of the @. If you would like to see a picture of my steady rest, please e-mail me, or explain how to get a usable e-mail address out of what I am looking at.

My e-mail username is 'owen'. Thanks.

- Owen -

Sure you could- but would you need to? I thought the idea was to drill the hole to use as a mortise to connect multiple shorter parts of a spindle to make one long one- if that's the case, and you get around it by turning the whole post in one go, why would you still need the hole? (Just curious)

Hi Jesse, I'm in my silly mode again this morning so I'll suggest some foolish answers. A hole in bottom of bedposts for inserting casters or teflon slides. Holes on tops of bedposts for attaching foot and head boards or a canopy. Hidden hole on top of posts covered with finials to hide valuables. Making holes on bedpost tops and bottoms just because owen can.

Sorry! It's the heat, not the hmidity. :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

.... or mortises for tenons to attach a double decker bunk bed or to attach a swinging tray for breakfast in bed or maybe two reading lights or shelves for books (or these days a revolver) or a footboard shelf for a TV or to throw clothes on or to sit on to tie shoe laces. Arragh! :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

Well, Arch, since you've lowered the standard this much, I'll carry it a step lower yet. (Did you think that was possible?) How about putting the chewing gum IN the bedpost overnight?

You left our screw eyes for the ropes and chains, Arch...

mac

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