Bookmark Accounts
Home Articles Forums Gallery Marketplace Videos
A55 Smoothing Plane

WoodCentral Forums

Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998

Exotic Hardwood, Personally Sourced Worldwide. Inspected at Origin. Shop Rare Stock.

Laser Guide for Lathe

Posts

Laser Guide for Lathe

#1

Laser Guide for Lathe

mikeee12345

I turn a number of wood tools that are required to be of a specified diameter.

Does anyone use a laser attached to the lathe as a guide for reaching a predetermined dimension?

I am looking for a laser with a magnetic base that I can adjust to a specific height above the

center-line of the lathe. I have been looking but can't seem to find a basic laser pointer with a magnetic base, it needs to be small enough to fit between the headstock housing and the wood billet.

Re: Laser Guide for Lathe

#2

Re: Laser Guide for Lathe

Ivan Clark

You could use whatever laser pointer you want to use with the Lee Valley Trouble Light/Flashlight Holder

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=62640&cat=1,43456

Re: Laser Guide for Lathe

#3

Re: Laser Guide for Lathe

Mike Brazeau

Have you considered using a drop finger type measuring system. Found this old 1933 article from Popular Mechanix at Google Books. Had looked through all my resource books and could not find anything on this technique and finally Googled using Drop Finger measuring.


Re: Laser Guide for Lathe

#4

Re: Laser Guide for Lathe

mikeee12345

That would be a viable option.

I do have a laser pointer set up on the lathe now, the only issue is any vibration will tend

to move the pointer out of alignment. If it was locked into vertical rail it would work great.

The other option is mounting the laser pointer on the wall next to the lathe, no vibration and

the laser illuminates any target for quite a distance. The critical part is making sure the laser is level.

I can mark measurements to the left and to the right of lathe and locate the center point on both

scales and set the laser on one scale and aim it at the other scale at the desired point.

The level of the floor will be the variable I will need to check.