Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998
Swing increase on Rikon Midi lathe
Luca
Hi everyone,
I own a Rikon 70-220 Midi lathe which I use for minor hobbyist works. I'd like to try to turn some larger objects, so I'm wondering if it could be possible to increase its swing capacity. I've understood that there are "riser blocks" which can be used to pull up the headstock and the tailstock; however, I've not been able to find any for my specific model.
Do you have recommendations or links to look at?
Thanks for your help, Luca
Re: Swing increase on Rikon Midi lathe
Lyle Jamieson
In my opinion not a good option. The spindle and bearings are not strong enough to handle the loads from bigger work. At best it will result in vibration issues, and it is not safe to exceed the limits of any tools. You can have a lot of fun in the small scale your lathe is designed to carry. If you really want to go bigger, get a bigger stronger lathe.
Re: Swing increase on Rikon Midi lathe
Luca
Understood, and makes sense. Thanks for your feedback. Luca
Re: Swing increase on Rikon Midi lathe
john lucas
I have not seen riser blocks for that lathe. I had a pretty heavy duty 12" swing full size lathe that I put wooden riser blocks under. Yes it did increase the vibration but I was able to turn turn some things that were larger. Not really large deep bowls but bigger platters. I do agree with Lyle the bearings were not designed to handle that kind of load. Probably OK for a few pieces but if you plan on doing a lot of bigger stuff it wouldn't be a good idea.
Re: Swing increase on Rikon Midi lathe
Luca
Thank you John
Re: Swing increase on Rikon Midi lathe
Dick Coers
If you've kept track of parts problems with Delta Midi lathes, there was a rash of motor controller issues on that machine. Not saying you will have the same issues with your machine, but Delta's response at one time was that users were overheating the control board while turning oversize pieces for long periods of time. Torque requirements go up dramatically with a small diameter change of the work.
