Lathe banjos

[chambezio]

I first built my wood lathe 33 years ago. At that time up here (Near Tamworth) I couldn't even buy lathe tools because the hobby just wasn't too prevalent. Its a very simple design, using 2/ 150mm X 75mm heavy channels welded web to web. A 6mm cap welded on top and 2 plumbers bearing supporting a 25mm shaft. Step pulleys on one end a 1" X 8 TPI male thread on the other. The bed is made from 2 pieces of lift car tracks that are about 75mm X 75mm in a Tee shape. well that was enough and I was away. The first thing I turned was an Oregon bowl about 200mm dia and cut with a flat file ground into a scraper.

A couple of years later I did a day's work for a mate and he made up the tail stock with a #2 Morse socket. The hand wheel was rescued of a farm tip and was the hand wheel off an old sewing machine. It may be a little crude in some places but it works fairly well.

The tail stock and tool rest were just bolted down to the bed with a ¾" bolt and nut and tightened with a ring spanner. That worked well but as time went on it started to get a bit tedious to move the Ts & TR and I noticed that most new lathes had a banjo locking device. Well I finally got around to making my own version. I used eye bolts with a 20mm hole. It took me 2 days to do them but now I am "as modern as tomorrow" with my old homemade lathe

I did some turning with the new banjos and boy they make a big difference to moving the TR &TS. Why didn't I get around to it earlier. I am now making a banjo set up for my 100+ year old metal lathe. Its amasing the work you can do in your brain and have no mes to clean up

[chuck1]

I really like home made! and. being home made if it breaks it can be fixed!

[Christos]

Now that is inspirational. You needed one and just made it.

I think we all have it in us to do things like that and this is part of who we are.

[chambezio]

Ah Christos. You are sounding like one of the great philosophers. I think it is in the genes. My Dad was born in 1914 and his Dad died in 1917 leaving Grandma 5 kids to look after. As the family grew up money was short so they had a "make do" attitude to get by. As I was growing up I watched my Dad do all sorts of things around the house because he was quite handy. Then when I went to work as a Carpenter I learned an awful lot about other trades as well so I ended up being able to do all sorts of things in the building line. I enjoy working with anything wood and have that same joy working with steel either machining or fabricating. The optimal goal is to get a good finish off the metal lathe. So far it has alluded me as my finish is usually "fine threads" on the surface. One thing though I keep trying searching for the"Holy Grayle" of a good finish off the metal lathe.