aluminum face plate?

Re: aluminum face plate?

Chris Wright

>I have used the aluminum faceplates that both Don Pencil and Steve Mink sell for about 3 years now. They work just as well as my steel ones and in fact are easier to true the faces if necessary.

Re: aluminum face plate?

Carole in VA

>I use the Don Pencil ones, BUT it is my understanding that if you are going to mount a heavy or very off balance piece, you should use steel. I don't have a lathe that can handle heavy pieces so I can't speak from experience, but it makes sense since aluminum is relatively soft compared to steel.

Re: aluminum face plate?

John Trant (Baltimore/DC area)

>Steel (e.g. BestWoodTools) is better for large, out-of-balanced pieces but aluminum is perfectly fine for most work we do.

John

Re: aluminum face plate?

Don Pencil

>Ken,

Whatever a 2" steel faceplate can handle, so can an aluminum faceplate of the same size. That applies to 2.5", 3", 3.5", and 4". If one needed a faceplate to turn a 24"-36" out of balance blank then steel would certainly be a must (mainly because the cost of making such a faceplate would be prohibitive).

I would be more concerned (blanks over 16") with how many and how large the screws are for the faceplate.

Anything I can turn on my 16" x 42" lathe with it's 1 1/4" x 8tpi spindle a 3.5" aluminum faceplate will handle. For small work, 8" and under, I generally use a 2.5" faceplate.

Keep up the good work.

Don

Re: aluminum face plate?

Steve Worcester

>"Steel (e.g. BestWoodTools) is better for large, out-of-balanced pieces but aluminum is perfectly fine for most work we do. "

Best Wood Tools faceplates are aluminum.

Steve Worcester

www.turningwood.com