2 ? for PM owners (a re-post)
John Trant (aka Boxes-n-Bowls)
>I am still interested in adding a extension bed to my Nova 3K to make a 24" bowl lathe (originally posted below). With everyone's help (on-line and by email), I have decided to mount the extension bed 180 degrees to the Nova bed and move the lathe to the middle of the room so that I can work from both sides. I would like to use the banjo from a PM 4224 ($90) but I cannot decide which extension bed to use. The extension bed for the 4224 is way too expensive.
My viable options:
1) The extension bed for the 3520 is affordable ($205) and I understand that the banjo for the 4224 can be modified to fit it. Unfortunately, George Moore (thanks George!) thinks that the end of the bed is not 90 degrees to the ways thus making it difficult to mount squarely. This may not be a hugh problem.
2) The 20" long extension bed for the Nova is cheap ($155) and has flat ends with four holes and 2 alignment pins. Unfortunately, it may not be compatable with the PM banjo.
My requests to PM owners:
1) Is there at least one flat end to the 18" extension bed for the PM3520?
2)Can the PM4224 or the PM3520 banjo be readily modified to fit the Nova bed? The Nova bed's ways are made from 13/32" thick metal with a horizonal gap of 1-31/32". The horizonal gap underneath the ways for the hold-down clamp to travel is 2-15/32".
Thanks for everyone's help
John