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What the heck is this?
- Thread starter Milan454
- Start date
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2015
- Messages
- 814
To me, it looks like an upside down attachment for a wood lathe to do light metal turning. I have something similar for my craftsman wood lathe.
joe
joe
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2019
- Messages
- 508
I'd go with this answer. Delta sold a similar setup for the very common delta/homecraft wood lathes. I have one.
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2015
- Messages
- 814
I didn't want to get too oil-smelling before bed, but here's mine. From the front-tailstock perspective :
From the tailstock end (looking at the tailstock because I didn't want to move it) looking toward the headstock :
And from the back side of the lathe (yes, if anyone asks, that IS a spare lathe bed hanging off the back) :
Hopefully this will show you how they are used. Essentially, the device is bolted to the bed. It is definitely harder to ensure the cross slide is perpendicular to the lathe, but with some care, you can still do pretty much any light metal work with these. They aren't designed for a lot of deep cuts, e.g. you'd need to do light cuts with them, but they will still work as needed.
Did this help to see how wood lathe metal attachments are used? Yes, I definitely need to clean mine before I use it again (if I ever do). It just hangs off the side of the lathe on two aluminum bars to keep it all together.
From the tailstock end (looking at the tailstock because I didn't want to move it) looking toward the headstock :
And from the back side of the lathe (yes, if anyone asks, that IS a spare lathe bed hanging off the back) :
Hopefully this will show you how they are used. Essentially, the device is bolted to the bed. It is definitely harder to ensure the cross slide is perpendicular to the lathe, but with some care, you can still do pretty much any light metal work with these. They aren't designed for a lot of deep cuts, e.g. you'd need to do light cuts with them, but they will still work as needed.
Did this help to see how wood lathe metal attachments are used? Yes, I definitely need to clean mine before I use it again (if I ever do). It just hangs off the side of the lathe on two aluminum bars to keep it all together.
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2015
- Messages
- 814
Oh, and typically, there's an associated lantern tool post that goes into the t-slot to hold your lathe turning tool, just like most modern lathes.
I don't think it would work as a milling attachment on a south bend - it definitely will not fit a south bend bed. If you were going to use an angle plate and bolt this to it, you COULD make that work, but it might be easier to adapt your compound slide and base to the angle plate and the angle plate to the cross slide. If you are going that far, that's where I'd be focusing. For example, a very cheap hack using angle iron :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKXZZxDpcwE
Or, in my opinion a much better form because it will be more rigid and also be at least a little bit accurate :
I'd think the last one would work better for you, and if you wanted to use the cross/compound version, you can easily drill mounting holes through the angle plate - but you will probably have to mill out a slot in the angle plate because these wood lathe attachments often have bosses to fit through a bed gap. If you can mimic the bed gap on your angle plate, you're pretty much there.
I don't think it would work as a milling attachment on a south bend - it definitely will not fit a south bend bed. If you were going to use an angle plate and bolt this to it, you COULD make that work, but it might be easier to adapt your compound slide and base to the angle plate and the angle plate to the cross slide. If you are going that far, that's where I'd be focusing. For example, a very cheap hack using angle iron :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKXZZxDpcwE
Or, in my opinion a much better form because it will be more rigid and also be at least a little bit accurate :
I'd think the last one would work better for you, and if you wanted to use the cross/compound version, you can easily drill mounting holes through the angle plate - but you will probably have to mill out a slot in the angle plate because these wood lathe attachments often have bosses to fit through a bed gap. If you can mimic the bed gap on your angle plate, you're pretty much there.
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2019
- Messages
- 6,632
$10 bucks worth of cast iron. Might be good on a drill press for making holes in a straight line.
John
