Extra Large Handwheel

[OGYT]

I had a 19" Sweetgum Bowl to finish the bottom on. The other Longworth Chuck I made was for the 16" side of the lathe. :(
I made this one from Baltic Birch 1/2" Plywood. It works like a charm on the outboard.:D
Pic 1 - Smallest bowl it will hold is 120mm dia.
Pic 2 - Largest bowl it will hold is 520mm dia.
Pic 3 - I put a faceplate on this one. I don't have an extra Spindle Adapter for the outboard spindle, and I'm too lazy to change it:B , so I used a 100mm faceplate that came with my lathe.
Pic 4 - I also made a small holder to mount on the end of my lathe, to save a few steps, and falling tools (kept rolling off the bed). Used a knob on the bottom, and it's pretty fast and easy to set up and tear down. Probably won't mount it when I have the tailstock on... just did this makin' it up.

[tashammer]

whoosh, whoosh?

[chrisb691]

Now that's what I call BIG. I'm very suprised that you don't have flex problems towards the rim, given how small the faceplate is relative to the chuck diameter.

What bolts and router bit combination did you use? I made a small one for my jet mini, and it didn't work because the bolts were too sloppy in the slots. Yet the next size up bolts, were too large. I just can't seem to find a suitable conbination.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Impressive "handwheel!" :thyel: (But wouldn't it have been easier to just replace the starting cap if you need to rollstart it? :innocent:)


Pic 4 - I also made a small holder to mount on the end of my lathe, to save a few steps, and falling tools (kept rolling off the bed). Used a knob on the bottom, and it's pretty fast and easy to set up and tear down. Probably won't mount it when I have the tailstock on... just did this makin' it up.

A while back I spent a few minutes and quickly knocked together something similar, but instead of fastening it upright to the bed like yours I made a "tab" on the back side of the top so I could "hook" it into the ways to sit flat. I also offset the tab to the left, so the tray could hang past the end of the lathe bed. From the pix you can see it's not the strongest assembly in the world, nor joinery to be proud of (just a quick tack-attack with a bradder :wink:) but it's more than strong enough for a few tools.

'Tis easily moved around, but I think that if I make another I'll leave the backing plate open like yours... it's a bit of a sawdust collector as it is. :-

[hughie]

Al,

Nice one! :2tsup: Thats a fair decent size for a Longworth chuck. :U

Have yet to get around making mine, no doubt as the need dictates....sigh


Have stuffed around with several ideas for a tool holder. Another nuisance/annoyance driven project. :C :U :U

[tashammer]

don't worry Hughie, just remember things are darkest before they turn completely black and you will be...

[BernieP]

G'Day Al

Great longworth, bet it keeps you cool in summer LOL

Cheers
Bernie

[OGYT]

Chris: What bolts and router bit combination did you use?
I used 1/4" bolts, 3" long. I didn't use a router, I used a compass to draw the double arcs 1/4" apart, and sawed them out very carefully with a small saber saw. Then I filed the arcs fairly smooth.
The buttons are 1/4" i.d. tubing, slipped into 1/2" i.d. tubing. The 1/4" inside is 1/8" shorter than the outside, allowing the head of the bolt to be covered. I put a washer on the bottom of the button, that isn't bigger than the outside tubing (this makes the tubing swell outward when you tighten the wingnut. Then on the outside, I placed a fender washer and a wing nut. Wax the inside of the disks with paraffin, it's slicker than snot. And don't tighten the hub bolt too tight. If it catches when I try to open it up or close it down, I just slap it, and it frees it up... but it don't catch much.

Skew: a "tab" on the back side of the top so I could "hook" it into the ways to sit flat.
The tab is a good idea, Skew... may adapt mine to do the same. You wouldn't believe the first way I had mine set up...
Skew: I'm very suprised that you don't have flex problems towards the rim
Didn't have any flex that I noticed, but the bottoms of the bowls are always gonna be closer to the size of the faceplate... still, the wood is held by the buttons out at the edge... ????? Hmmmm.. I'll have to watch that next big bowl.

Hughie, when I come across a nuisance need, if I can take the time, I just stop what I'm doing and try to solve the problem... (that's why I'm so darn slow.)

Hmmm... wonder if blades added to the longworth would keep the sanding dust out of me eyes????

[TTIT]

After getting a couple of knuckles bumped by some nasty types of bolt heads on my Longworths, I changed to this arrangement with the 'connector' bolts as they're called here. Very low profile with no sharp edges to massage my knuckles, broad surface area so there's no need for a washer which also means the bolt and rubber 'stick' better so you don't need to hold them while you tighten/loosen the wing nuts - very handy when you're gripping from the inside of a piece. The feet are just standard rubber type feet you get from any hardware shop.:U

Edit - sorry about the dust and cobwebs - didn't notice them before!!!

[chrisb691]

After getting a couple of knuckles bumped by some nasty types of bolt heads on my Longworths, I changed to this arrangement with the 'connector' bolts as they're called here. Very low profile with no sharp edges to massage my knuckles, broad surface area so there's no need for a washer which also means the bolt and rubber 'stick' better so you don't need to hold them while you tighten/loosen the wing nuts - very handy when you're gripping from the inside of a piece. The feet are just standard rubber type feet you get from any hardware shop.:U

Edit - sorry about the dust and cobwebs - didn't notice them before!!!

Thanks for that...."a picture is worth a thousand words".What sort of clearance between your bolt, and the slot.

[TTIT]

What sort of clearance between your bolt, and the slot.
Not much - Slot was cut with 1/4" router bit (6.35mm) and the connector bolts are 6mm.

[La truciolara]

OGYT
Congratulation and quite interesting.!
May I suggest you do a second disk but this time the way for your nuts should be just straight.
You put this disk behind yours and the two disks should rotate around the same axel.
What would be the advantage, you would say?
You just transformed yours in a self centering jig which speeds up the process of mounting your turnings on it.

[TTIT]

OGYT
Congratulation and quite interesting.!
May I suggest you do a second disk but this time the way for your nuts should be just straight.
You put this disk behind yours and the two disks should rotate around the same axel.
What would be the advantage, you would say?
You just transformed yours in a self centering jig which speeds up the process of mounting your turnings on it.I think you might have missed something in the pics LaTruc' - it is as you say - wouldn't be a Longworth without 2 disks!:;

[Cliff Rogers]

Impressive....:2tsup: and so it the fridge... I wish I had a drink fridge like that in the shed. :D

[TTIT]

Impressive....:2tsup: and so it the fridge... I wish I had a drink fridge like that in the shed. :DWish I had a shed big enough to fit that fridge :shrug: :no:

[La truciolara]

I think you might have missed something in the pics LaTruc' - it is as you say - wouldn't be a Longworth without 2 disks!:;
I'm sorry about that. I must say we are not very familiar with Longworth down here in Italy and I am immidiately going to make a search on the web. Thank you for having drawn my attention.

[cypher]

I have seen these made before, but not this big. Very nice. My dumb question is how does one cut the spirals accurately. So that the match all the way around. I would think the accuracy of these would be important for proper centering. I just got myself the vicmarc 14' jumbo jaws but since in only have a 16' lathe it limits me to only open the jaws 1' the device you made would be easier because I would not have to expand the jaws to fit the piece and it allows variable sizes.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

[OGYT]

Sorry for so long before replies, Mates.:( :-
Had to leave town for a few days... my Grandson had surgery in Ft Worth, and I had to be there for that. He's fine, now, and doing well.
I really appreciate the kind comments on the Longworth.
Cypher: "My dumb question is how does one cut the spirals accurately?"
I marked the arcs all the way round, then moved the compass out 1/4" and marked another arc by each of the first ones. Then I used a saber saw... very carefully, barely removing the lines... then sanded the blade marks out of the tracks. It works. A router would be better, but I didn't have the correct size bit, and didn't want to order one in.

Cliff and TTIT - The fridge's are my wood kilns... heated with light bulbs and fans, holes in the bottom and top to allow air movement. Haven't had 'em all that long, but works pretty well, so far.:2tsup:
TTIT, I like your button arrangement better than mine... but can't tell just how big the rubber feet are from the pics... 'bout 25mm? How tall are they, off the disk?:?

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I marked the arcs all the way round, then moved the compass out 1/4" and marked another arc by each of the first ones. Then I used a saber saw... very carefully, barely removing the lines... then sanded the blade marks out of the tracks. It works. A router would be better, but I didn't have the correct size bit, and didn't want to order one in.

A sabre saw? :oo: Surely even a jigsaw would've been better?

I've yet to make one for myself, but I checked out a mates' and his also had four small (around 2mm) holes near the rim. When I asked him what they were for he just grinned and said that they were the centres of his arcs. He'd drilled 'em first, set a fixed arm of desired radius on his router with a pin to drop in the 'ole, et voila! A perfect arc every time. :)

That's how I'll be doing it, too... although later I'd re-drill 'em to around 20-25mm to use as finger holes for easy adjustment. (And hide the orig. holes. :wink:)

[TTIT]

..........I've yet to make one for myself, but I checked out a mates' and his also had four small (around 2mm) holes near the rim. When I asked him what they were for he just grinned and said that they were the centres of his arcs. He'd drilled 'em first, set a fixed arm of desired radius on his router with a pin to drop in the 'ole, et voila! A perfect arc every time. :)

That's how I'll be doing it, too... although later I'd re-drill 'em to around 20-25mm to use as finger holes for easy adjustment. (And hide the orig. holes. :wink:)Skew - best way to do it but if you put them in the correct position (halfway between min' and max' diameter), they won't make very good fingerholes. Highlighted mine in the pic - not too obvious really.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Thanks TTIT. :thyel:

I'm sure his were closer to the edge, but I won't swear to it. Although a quick sketch and simple geometry shows you're right... :rolleyes:

[OGYT]

Skew, I did use a jig-saw. Little, new, orange-colored, VS B&D that I bought at Wally-World. (Been breathin' too much smoke, I guess. :fireman: )
When I said Saber Saw, I was thinkin' back. About 40 years ago it wouldn't have been a lie... that's what we used to call a jig saw, back then. Sometimes I.... well, you know.... :russian:
Eight arcs will give you 8 buttons for more security if you go for a larger size. :U