Shorter Toolrest for MC900?

[Dean]

Anyone know where to get say a 150mm toolrest to fit the MC900 wood lathe (which is 19mm diameter rod I believe)?

The VicMarc toolrests don't fit :(

[Woodchuck]

Hi Dean

Try any good woodworking supplier that deals with lathes & they should have something. Timbecon show the woodfast range of tool rests in their catalogue. I'm sure I saw 3/4" (think thats 19mm) by 150mm for under $60.

Another option is a modular tool rest system which has all different size stems for the rests. Then you just pick the size or style of tool rest you want as it has standard crossbars in different lenghs & also internal & external bowl crossbars that can be fitted to it as well. I think both MIK & Jim Carroll sell this. Might be worth a look at.

Hope this helps.

A side note, does anyone know if the curved crossbars for bowls make life a great deal easier for doing the insides of bowls ?

Cheers

Woodchuck

[rsser]

You could look at buying a standard replacement and shortening it yourself.

Or Roy Green of Get Woodworking in Williamstown (Melb.) can have one made up for you. Cost would be in the region of $40 to $50 I'd guess.

He also can supply a range of C and S shaped rests out of 12 - 19 mm hardened steel rod, with a post to match your banjo. I use the C rests internally and externally for bowl turning Woodchuck and find they really help. Internally they reduce the tool overhang, reducing chatter and giving a cleaner cut. You can use smaller (and cheaper!) gouges rolled onto their side with the flute facing the turning axis. The rests also provide a much more even swing for your scraper, and with less overhang again, you can avoid the need for heavy duty tools.

On the topic of tool post diameters .. since 1" = 25.4 mm, you don't have direct metric-imperial equivalences, and while that doesn't matter in some applications, it does in this one! So measure your post carefully.

Cheers,

Ern

[Dean]

Just posting a followup to avoid any future confusion.
The actual diameter of the toolrest stem on my MC900 is 1", not 3/4" as I stated above.