Thread: Wood Turners Using Metal Turning Lathes

On a wood lathe we would turn them at 2500-3000rpm............

make sure you seal it up well...woodturning = dust storm!

Thank you gentlemen - tips noted.

Hooroo
KJL1951 aka Kev.

Look up Bill Ooms - http://www.billooms.com/

Bill recently demonstrated at Turnfest. He uses a metal lathe for very precise wood turning using his custom created software for both thin turning and his unique variation of ornamental turning.

Been using my old Myford S7 for just about anything turnable including wood for the last 40 years. Doesn't appear to have suffered any, I can still turn to 1/2 thou if I need it.
One tip - use a decent pump oil-can to push the muck out of the slideways regularly and use a vacuum to clean up rather than compressed air that just blows the dust where you don't want it.

Mark

Mobyturns and Old-Biker-UK, gentlemen thank you very much - Mobyturns I'll certainly check out the link provided.
Old-Biker-UK, thanks for tips, I don't have a water feature on this old lathe I'm restoring, you can see it in metalwork forum under 'He Who Dares To Dream' - I'm very interested in finding out about the cutters used on it for wood turning. Thank you both again for your tips.

Hooroo
KJL1951 aka Kev.

Re cutters:
Generally if I want any degree of accuracy as here https://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=178372 (talking about dense, stable hardwoods) I grab a tool holder with a cutter fit for mild steel (good top rake) and use the compound slide.
For fancy work I use a hand rest & (mostly home-made) small wood-turning tools.

Mark

Originally Posted by Old-Biker-UK

Re cutters:
Generally if I want any degree of accuracy as here https://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=178372 (talking about dense, stable hardwoods) I grab a tool holder with a cutter fit for mild steel (good top rake) and use the compound slide.
For fancy work I use a hand rest & (mostly home-made) small wood-turning tools.

Mark

Thanks Mark - me computer having trouble finding that link - will kick her in the G--ts and try again later,

Hooroo
KJL1951 aka Kev.

Mark, clicking on link tells me 'Problem in loading page', I tried a number of times but not workin'.

Hooroo
KJL1951 aka Kev.

the video isn't very goood but you get the idea. this lathe has done literally millions of turnings since 1949. I have some others on youtube as well for some of the tooling. the cross feed screw has been replaced by a lever and there is a template follower on the back of the crossfeed way cover. It can be used free hand as well. I have used hss tooling in the "lamp post" type holder. Quite a lot of relief can be ground in the tools both in the top and the side. I also use carbide inserts of many shapes. They are of a grind typically used for cutting aluminum. positive rake and sharp not honed. with a good amount of relief on the top as well. The bowls are kiln dried ash.and finish about 5" in diameter and about 3" tall.

Thanks oreos40 - Firstly I watched ya video and certainly going to take me ages to work out exactly what you were doing to create the bowl along with what you told me in text. Quote; the cross feed screw has been replaced by a lever and there is a template follower on the back of the crossfeed way cover. It can be used free hand as well. I have used hss tooling in the "lamp post" type holder. Quite a lot of relief can be ground in the tools both in the top and the side. I also use carbide inserts of many shapes. They are of a grind typically used for cutting aluminum. positive rake and sharp not honed. with a good amount of relief on the top as well. Unquote:

I have downloaded some metal lathe images that show all the names for different parts of a metal lathe so I'll have a check that all out to understand exactly what you are tell me. Again thanks for your help it to is greatly appreciated and I'll eventually learn.

Hooroo
KJL1951 aka Kev.

this one seems to work
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f122/chippys-answer-178372

Thank you Mark - Your first image is exactly the sort of cutters I'll be needing to use - the below two images show the rims that I'll be wanting to try and make from wood in 50mm or 60mm diam size for me wooden toy trucks.
Rim 1.jpgRim 2.jpg
Hooroo
KJL1951 aka Kev.

Hi, I have an old patternmakers lathe, to me it looks like a converted metalworking lathe but with a wider saddle with T slots
and a 3" taller spindle. I have turned alloy and small dia steel on it.
The biggest problem I think is lubricating the ways, especially when going from alloy to wood.
Wood dust is attracted to the oil and gums up very quickly. I use a nut oil that an old timer gave me and it is excellent
but I'm almost out of it now. I think there is something called silver slide? that can be used.
I use the "Eccentric Engineering" tool holder with round cobalt tooling and the wood just flys off.
I cut a half dozen 100mm dia (100mm long) cylinders out of 60 year old ironbark. The worse thing is it turned everything into a red dust powder.
And it was surprising, (for me) how often I had to sharpen the tooling. But I've also use standard HSS tooling in common tool holders.
Also turned the lathe into lever action and in the process of making the carriage, crossslide and compound independently lockable.
This and the lever action makes a massive time difference. Although a conventional metal working lathe would at least have a motorised carriage, mine doesn't.

Originally Posted by GSRocket

The biggest problem I think is lubricating the ways, especially when going from alloy to wood.
Wood dust is attracted to the oil and gums up very quickly.

Thanks for you remarks GSRocket they come at a time when I was running this very thing thru me head today 'Oil and saw dust don't mix so what ya gunna do'. I was thinking along the lines of maybe a bees wax or something similar but as its gunna be a little ways off before I get my restoration finished maybe some others might have an answer for us. The oil you have nearly run out of wasn't 'Macadamia Nut Oil' was it?, is plentiful here in Qld ya never know?.

There is certainly a lot I'm tryin' to learn while I do me restoration, turning a metal lathe into one for wood use is bringing up a number of problems that have to be well and truly thought out. Imagine the problems one would have trying to turn a wood lathe into a metal turning lathe but lets not go there, because no doubt someone will pop up here and tell us how they did it.

Again thanks GSRocket for your help like all others is greatly appreciated.

Hooroo
KJL1951 aka Kev.