Freestanding lathe toolrest

[ribot]

Has anyone made a freestanding tollrest for outboard turning?
I have made one using timber but its not stable enought.
I think something like a concrete filled base and a centre post with an arm welded to it to take my Teknatool 1000 might do the trick?
Any thoughts?

[RETIRED]

Has anyone made a freestanding tollrest for outboard turning?
I have made one using timber but its not stable enought.
I think something like a concrete filled base and a centre post with an arm welded to it to take my Teknatool 1000 might do the trick?
Any thoughts?Yes. Use a 20 litre drum, fill with concrete with a pipe in the centre (2" diam. minimum) and attach the tool rest to this.

They still can be a little unsteady so hasten slowly with your cuts.

[DJ’s Timber]

Have a look in this thread (http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=41391), this is one that I have made for myself and a few other people as well

[Cliff Rogers]

I thought Gary Pye used to have one in his stuff but I can't find it now. :?

[Stu in Tokyo]

I was going to do just that, a 20 L pail filled with concrete and a post in it, but I had a chat with Bill Grumbine about this, and he said it would work, but it would NEVER be stable enough to give you confidence in turning big stuff.

He made up an outboard stand for his Poole Wood lathe..........

Bill's Outboard stand (http://www.enter.net/%7Eultradad/bowlcoring.html) <- link with lots of pics.

Basically the long and the short of it was you have to tie the stand to the lathe somehow. I'm thinking that a pail full of concrete with a steel post in it, then a knuckle of some sort, bolted to the lathe would work....... :?Cheers!

[Caveman]

This Guy (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=45576&page=2) seems to have made one for himself.

[NeilS]

Mine is a bit similar to the one (http://www.woodworkforums.com/showpost.php?p=418583&postcount=4) from DJ, but, rather than having three feet that sit flat on the floor, it has a tripod made of heavy duty angle iron. One of the tripod legs has a flat plate welded to its foot, which I stand on to further reduce any tendency to tip or move. As with some of the others mentioned, mine also has a solid round (about 40mm) post.

Whenever I use mine I do so with quite a bit of trepidation as I don't use it all the time and only on pieces larger than 18" diam (I have an attached outboard tool rest that handles up to that diameter), but those are the very pieces that you least want to go wrong.

I know that pattern makers in the past have turned pattern rings as tall as themselves using free standing tool rests that they moved about on the floor to optimise their access around the piece, but I don't know any details of the tool rests they used other than they were sometimes temporarily bolted to the floor.

All the best with your project Ribot

Neil

[Wild Dingo]

Im wondering here... what about one of those super jaws? might be a tad too long and so out to far but perhaps something of that sort or shorten the body of one?... you get the tripod setup PLUS the vice to connect the toolrest to? Just thinkin

[Gil Jones]

I would not want to turn from a freestanding tool rest, but I would make or buy this set-up from VicMarc (and it is in your own backyard...sorta).
http://www.vicmarc.goinglive.com.au/default.asp?contentID=545

[OGYT]

Mr. Antonucci made this free standing toolrest. It attaches to the toolrest banjo with a short length of pipe. Then a Tee, then a longer length of pipe sticking in a timber 2X4 that sits on the floor. It gives very good stability, according to him, and doesn't have the tendency to tip over during a catch. By attaching it to the banjo, I guess it's somewhat adjustable.
Here's his quote:

Since the toolrest inserts into the regular banjo and the freestanding leg only holds up the end of the bar, it's pretty stable. (doesn't tip) I could rebuild it much "beefier" if I wanted too, but it works well enough as is. The base is a simple X screwed into the bottom. I filled it the blackpipe with sand to dampen the vibrations, and sealed the end with a wooden plug that I hammered in. For scale, the platter on my Nova is 23" across.

Hope this helps.

[Speanwoody]

A home made one for sale on ebay here in the UK not much use to you lads but the pictures may give food for thought in making one,
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Freestanding-Lathe-tool-rest_W0QQitemZ200130681880QQihZ010QQcategoryZ3126QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[scooter]

Could use "downee" water pipe fittings to help "tie" the rest to the lathe.

DJ mentioned at the turnfest about having one leg of the tripod pointing forward under your cut for proper support reducing tipping.


Cheers.................Sean