Tool Rests

[WillyInBris]

Hey ladies and gents,

I have a MC1100, anyway it came with a tool-rest but when I make pens etc I cant get the rest close enough as its to wide.

Can different widths be brought? I was having a look at the Carbatec site but couldn't find any.

If worst comes to worst I will get my mate to arc up his Mig and make me a couple when he gets back from his vacation in a month or so but ideally I would like one sooner.

Thanks in advance.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Yep, you can buy 'em.

I just had a look at Jim Carroll's site, but these were all I found. I'm pretty sure that he also carries the modular rests, where you buy just the appropriate stem and then can screw on variously shaped & sized round rests. Wouldn't hurt to ask him...

Having a tame engineer nearby works out cheaper IMHO though.

[GordRocks]

I just ordered one from www.woodzone.com that should do the trick for me. But if it's smaller you want, do you have a hacksaw handy?

.....Gord

[rsser]

Yep; see The Woodsmith for the Sorby modular jobs, and search the Timbecon site for toolrests.

Hi Skew; seems I'm following you round today ;-}

[ciscokid]

Having a tame engineer nearby works out cheaper IMHO though.

There is no such thing as a tame engineer.

[WillyInBris]

Has anyone tried the Sorby modular jobs, Its got me interested especially the S shape for bowls?

[rsser]

Nope.

There are other S rests out there made of plate rather than rod which seem stronger than the Sorby looks.

I was brought up in the school of curved rests ;-} and like them cos you can get in close to reduce chatter.

Anvil used to make a range of S and C rests to order.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

You'd be the bloke to ask then, Ern...

When spindle turning, I prefer a plate rest 'cos you can place the edge that actually supports the tool closer to the cutting face than you can with the tubular type. (Unless you're scraping. )

But when hollowing narrow forms, (eg. deep goblets) the curvature of the bowl tends to interfere with the bottom of the rest... so I've been using a thin rest which, of course, is more prone to flex and cause chatter. Do you think a tubular S-rest might be more practical then? I'm pretty sure the Sorby S-rests come in 3/4" or 1" stock and it'd take a bit to flex that...

Not that I'd buy a Sorby rest, mind, I'd much rather buy a bottle of a local friends' favourite vintage.

[DJ’s Timber]

You'd be the bloke to ask then, Ern...

When spindle turning, I prefer a plate rest 'cos you can place the edge that actually supports the tool closer to the cutting face than you can with the tubular type. (Unless you're scraping. )

But when hollowing narrow forms, (eg. deep goblets) the curvature of the bowl tends to interfere with the bottom of the rest... so I've been using a thin rest which, of course, is more prone to flex and cause chatter. Do you think a tubular S-rest might be more practical then? I'm pretty sure the Sorby S-rests come in 3/4" or 1" stock and it'd take a bit to flex that...

Not that I'd buy a Sorby rest, mind, I'd much rather buy a bottle of a local friends' favourite vintage.

Skew, you got a 25mm or 1" banjo. Got a few laying around here if you want to try one out

[rsser]

When spindle turning, I prefer a plate rest 'cos you can place the edge that actually supports the tool closer to the cutting face than you can with the tubular type. (Unless you're scraping. )

But when hollowing narrow forms, (eg. deep goblets) the curvature of the bowl tends to interfere with the bottom of the rest... so I've been using a thin rest which, of course, is more prone to flex and cause chatter. Do you think a tubular S-rest might be more practical then? I'm pretty sure the Sorby S-rests come in 3/4" or 1" stock and it'd take a bit to flex that...

Skew, that's exactly the trade-off with the plate type. You can see how Vicmarc works the trade-off by tapering the wings of their S rest.

Mind you, with my bigger rod rests you have the same issue: with 1" rod you're moving the fulcrum away from the stock and you need the clearance within a hollow form to do that. The medium S rest uses 3/4" rod and that works nicely; you can lay a small bowl gouge on its side with the shank near horizontal and bore into forms. (I think you might have made this one for me DJ; two shanks ago).

The plus with C rests is easier external bowl shaping than with a straight rest. You have more consistent support around the profile and can use the rest as a guide to achieving the profile.

These days I use the curved rests less and less for internal work though, having the Munro hollowers and now the brilliant Proforme job. They require less bending over.

[tashammer]

i wonder if a canted lens shaped profile might be better? i seem to remember quadrant sectioned lathe rests (just in case you might not know, i am about 30 years out of date.)

[rsser]

Should do.

Bending them would be a challenge wouldn't it?

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Your way ahead of me then, Ern. I've barely started using S-rests, I think it'll be a long time before I outgrown 'em.

Skew, you got a 25mm or 1" banjo. Got a few laying around here if you want to try one out

DJ, from memory my MC-900's are 15/16" or 31/32" or some equally stupid figure. Just an RCH under 1" anyway, but enough to matter.

[Dean]

Hey ladies and gents,

I have a MC1100, anyway it came with a tool-rest but when I make pens etc I cant get the rest close enough as its to wide.

Can different widths be brought? I was having a look at the Carbatec site but couldn't find any.

If worst comes to worst I will get my mate to arc up his Mig and make me a couple when he gets back from his vacation in a month or so but ideally I would like one sooner.

Thanks in advance.

Re the Sorby modular rests, see http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/rev...artoolrest.htm

Re the shorter toolrest. I got a short one from Vermec on the Northside of Brissy. Works great for pens. $40 off memory.
http://www.vermec.com/

[China]

Woodfast machinery make tool rests, the used to make them to order I don't know if they still do