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comgreserv
12th March 2013, 01:55 AM
right now for stupid question time....
I have been lucky enough to pick up an old Tough with outboard tool rest set up. Am turn a bowl completely on the left hand of the lathe if a get an adaptor thread made up to use expanding collet chuck that I would normally use in the right hand side? I want to do some larger turnings than the right hand will allow :) I'm not a novice and will be bolting lathe down and run at low speeds etc :)

Skew ChiDAMN!!
12th March 2013, 06:32 AM
When I first started turning I seriously wanted a Tough lathe. :)

From memory, outboard thread is left-handed hence the need for the adapter?

That should be fine so long as the chuck already uses an adapter to fit on the inboard side. Otherwise the adapter'll be an extension of the shaft (even if only an inch or so) and - unless accurately machined - likely to add an element of run-out.

ie. More likely to not quite run true and add some 'wobble.' Which can be a right headache if you need to re-mount a piece.

Also, whether LH thread or RH, it's an idea to make sure that the adapter can be secured to the shaft. Whether by grub-screw or otherwise. There's little worse than spinning up (or down in the case of LH thread) the lathe and watching your nicely finished piece of work go scooting out the door and across the road with the chuck still attached.

(Eh, ? :innocent:)

RETIRED
12th March 2013, 07:58 AM
:rolleyes::D

turnerted
12th March 2013, 05:09 PM
I use a RH to LH adaptor made by Vermec to outboard turn on my Vicmarc . I just screw out the normal adaptor from my chuck and replace it with the LH one . As Skew said, you have to be carefull about it accidently coming loose . There is a pretty ineffectual grub screw which is supposed to stop the adaptor screwing out of the chuck and I just screw the chuck, with adaptor fitted, hard onto the threaded shaft. I think the only time I had an exciting moment was when I used my hand on a bowl to slow it down when I was waiting for it to stop .
Ted

Mobyturns
13th March 2013, 06:44 PM
I use a RH to LH adaptor made by Vermec to outboard turn on my Vicmarc . I just screw out the normal adaptor from my chuck and replace it with the LH one . As Skew said, you have to be carefull about it accidently coming loose . There is a pretty ineffectual grub screw which is supposed to stop the adaptor screwing out of the chuck and I just screw the chuck, with adaptor fitted, hard onto the threaded shaft. I think the only time I had an exciting moment was when I used my hand on a bowl to slow it down when I was waiting for it to stop .
Ted

So does that mean it comes off in both directions?:D

issatree
13th March 2013, 08:11 PM
Hi Comgreserv,
If you were lucky enough to get all the Accessories for your Tough, then you should have a Face Plate.
This Face Plate has 2 Threads internal, 1 left & 1 right. You have to be rather careful Screwing it on, as the F/P is of Cast Iron, & it is very easy to Cross Thread the Plate.
The Lowest Speed on a Tough is 590 RPM.
Some times that is way to fast for Bigger Stuff.
My 2 sence worth.

comgreserv
13th March 2013, 11:30 PM
Hi Comgreserv,
If you were lucky enough to get all the Accessories for your Tough, then you should have a Face Plate.
This Face Plate has 2 Threads internal, 1 left & 1 right. You have to be rather careful Screwing it on, as the F/P is of Cast Iron, & it is very easy to Cross Thread the Plate.
The Lowest Speed on a Tough is 590 RPM.
Some times that is way to fast for Bigger Stuff.
My 2 sence worth.
Issatree I did get a fair few with the old girl and will check out the threads. There is already a big (200mm) faceplate on the outboard, perhaps as a a hand wheel stop thingy. I also have a short bed woodfast and hope the threads are the same. The tailsock on the tough isn't hollow though, can this be rectified or too hard?
Thanks all for your responses so far :)

Rod Gilbert
14th March 2013, 08:14 AM
Hi comgreserv,
Lucky you I also have a tough lathe and morticer and the are very solid well made machine's could you please put up a photo of the out board set up on your lathe. MY lathe came with a left and right threaded 200mm dia face plate a 200mm left hand threaded plate and a 115 dia right hand plate with a removable tapered screw to the centre of it. I can't help with the tailstock question but I am also interested in the answer.
Regards Rod.

turnerted
14th March 2013, 04:39 PM
comgresery
Yes . There is the potential for it to unscrew either way. When I turn outboard, I run my lathe in reverse. This means that at least the insert is not going to unscrew off the shaft and I am relying on the grub screw to keep the the insert in the chuck . My Vicmarc is a 96 model. Latter models have a locking coller to stop the chuck unscrewing .If you are just going to use your LH thread faceplate you have no problems. It is only when you want to use a chuck that it becomes interesting.
Ted

issatree
14th March 2013, 05:22 PM
Hi Again,
The Toughs Thread is 10 TPI x 1in. & I think it is not the same as your Woodfast, but, I could be wrong.
The Amount of times you wood want to use the hollow Tail Stock is almost nil. I have never worried about it, ever.
Most likely if you Googled for a Hole Boring Jig, there wood be something there.
I was lucky enough to have an old Friend make me a 3½ in - 90mm. Hand Wheel with a very nice grip.
The Tough, you will find, runs on, after you switch it off, but that changed for me, when I put Variable Speed on it. From 3000 RPM to Zero, 3 - 4 Secs.
I've had my Tough since 1990. Could not ask for a better Lathe than it.

Skew ChiDAMN!!
14th March 2013, 05:33 PM
comgresery
Yes . There is the potential for it to unscrew either way. When I turn outboard, I run my lathe in reverse.
...
If you are just going to use your LH thread faceplate you have no problems. It is only when you want to use a chuck that it becomes interesting.


The idea behind LH thread on the outboard side (or RH thread on inboard) is so that the pressure of the tools cutting 'tightens' your holding fixture onto the spindle when the lathe is running in normal direction.

With either of these combinations running the lathe in reverse makes things interesting!

I agree that the grub screws that come with chucks aren't particularly secure. In fact, one of my chucks the grubscrew locks it to the adapter... but there's nothing to lock the adapter to the spindle. Not only is this chuck prone to working loose when 'braking' the lathe by grabbing the hand-wheel, but it also has a nasty habit of over-tightening on the spindle if I have a bad catch. (Yeah. I still have my share... mostly from inattention, but there ya go. :rolleyes: ) It can be a right mongrel to remove, even though I use a washer on the spindle to make it that li'l bit easier.

A grubscrew is better than nothing... but I've been looking for accurately made nuts which can be used as lock nuts instead. Without much success. (Or real effort on my behalf, in all honesty.)

FWIW, I've also seen the odd lathe with RH thread on both in- & out-board, in which case the safest way to turn outboard is in reverse!

Ah well, it all keeps life interesting. :D

issatree
15th March 2013, 01:28 AM
Hi Andy Mc,
There is a much easier way you know.
After you have the Face Plate screwed on the Outboard Thread, Drill a hole right through the F/P & the Spindle, so as you may put a large Cotter Pin or Small Bolt & Nut through.
It can't come loose then, & also if you bore the correct size hole, you can use an old Stanley Screwdriver, approx. 5/16th. - 9mm. +- with the end removed & squared.
To remove the F/Plate, you can use the Indexing Pin on the Front of the Tough, to secure the Spindle.
A long time ago, I broke that Pin, so I re-bored it, used a Piece of a Cement Nail, & re-bored the Pulley where the 12 Holes were.
I use this all the time these days, as a locking device to open or close the jaws on my Chucks, & to remove the Chuck from the Spindle.
Have never had a problem of any kind that way.

turnerted
15th March 2013, 04:41 PM
Skew
What I wrote yesterday was wrong . I am just just screwing the chuck tight on the shaft and except when I grabbed a bowl to slow it down, I havn't had a problem . If I ran the lathe in the normal direction I would have to use the gouge on the RH side of the bowl and the design of my OB system is not condusive to this so I just live with it how it is. I don't turn OB very often.
Ted

BamBam53
16th March 2013, 08:40 PM
This won't help with the Tough problem, but it is a different approach to inboard / outboard turning.

My lathe does not have a thread on the ends of the spindle. Instead it is #4 morse taper on both ends and the chuck goes onto a #4 MT adaptor. To change from inboard to outboard turning all I have do is swap the chuck and hand wheel end for end and change the forward / reverse switch.

The chuck will still unscrew if you don't reverse when turning outboard but I havn't been caught yet.
258013 258015 258014

Michael

Skew ChiDAMN!!
16th March 2013, 10:23 PM
Interesting! :think:

I gather there's a bolt pulling the two morse tapers together?

issatree
17th March 2013, 12:11 AM
Hi Michael,
Beats me why there wood be a 4MT On a Lathe with such a Spindly Bed.
Must Bounce like mad at times.

BamBam53
17th March 2013, 06:32 PM
Interesting! :think:

I gather there's a bolt pulling the two morse tapers together?

There is a dirty great bolt through the handwheel that holds the chuck in. It would get interesting turning without it.

BamBam53
17th March 2013, 07:12 PM
Hi Michael,
Beats me why there wood be a 4MT On a Lathe with such a Spindly Bed.
Must Bounce like mad at times.

It might look spindly but I have not noticed any bouncing. It is bolted to the floor and the bed rails are filled with concrete.

Now that you have said that I am going to be paranoid about every little vibration.

Michael

Drillit
18th March 2013, 01:08 PM
What I did to outboard turn was (2) things. I had a large alo gluechuck made up (120mm) with a left hand thread.
If I am using the supa nova chuck, I use a L Hand adaptor. I have found these two ways successful. I have found using
hot melt glue with the alo chuck very successful and to date I have not had any problems with this approach in
turning large bowls or platters (up to 400mm). I am about to go bigger with a large platter of monteray pine.
As you know, I am sure, keep the speed down, until you get it into balance and then in safe increments. I do not turn in reverse,
but some do, where they have ample room on both sides of the lathe. Drillit.
PS. I limit reverse to sanding.

RETIRED
18th March 2013, 03:27 PM
Alo?

Paul39
19th March 2013, 12:46 PM
It might look spindly but I have not noticed any bouncing. It is bolted to the floor and the bed rails are filled with concrete.

Now that you have said that I am going to be paranoid about every little vibration.

Michael

Nice range of speeds on the lathe. Did you fill the bed tubes with concrete, or did they come that way from the factory?

I have a Hegner with square steel tubes for the bed which shakes like a dog pooping peach seeds, and rings like a bell. I have considered drilling out the ends and filling the tubes with machine setting grout. Maybe even running a 5/8 inch rebar down the middle to stiffen things.

Yours looks like a nice stout lathe. What is the swing over the bed?

BamBam53
19th March 2013, 08:36 PM
Hi Paul,

The lathe came from the factory with the concrete in the tubes. The tubes are welded to 5 mm steel plate at the ends and I think the tubes are 4 or 5 mm wall thickness. I was told the concrete was to dampen vibration.

It will swing 50 cm (20 inches) over the bed and 80 cm (32 inches) outboard. The biggest piece I have had on it was about 40 cm (16 inches). It's not too bad as long as you keep the speed down until things are in balance.

Michael<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

Paul39
20th March 2013, 02:20 AM
Thanks Michael,

I tried to find more information on the lathe. I found two that were offered for sale in NZ, one with a photo on a rather spindly stand.