spindle adapters & extenders

Best Wood Tools

John K Jordan

Excellent products! I think one guy makes everything so you may not always get "amazon prime" delivery gratification but the quality of everything I've bought from them has been top notch.

One of my favorite buys is the articulated carving post/stand. I have used it for carving but even more for hand scraping/sanding/finishing - while the piece is in the chuck take it off the lathe and mount it on the stand held in the banjo. The design of this one is far better than others I've seen for woodturnings since a separate locking lever allows 360-deg rotation around the axis of the piece while keeping the tilt the same. This is far better than the awkward 2-lever juggling method for simple axial rotation.

http://bestwoodtools.stores.yahoo.net/arcaandfipow.html (and no, I have no connection other than being a satisfied customer)

I like the box rest too, but don't care as much for the tool rests made from round rods, although very well made. The Baxter threading jig is possibly the best available although the cost is high. Unlike those that mount in the banjo, no height or parallel alignment is needed - it is always perfect. (I mount it on a second lathe so I can turn on one and thread on the other.)

JKJ

Re: Best Wood Tools

mikeee12345

One of the best tools to own when you have a wood lathe is a metal lathe. Whenever I need

a jig or tool for the wood lathe I can always use the metal lathe to make them. Using the metal

lathe is usually a quickly learned process as the concepts are very similar between the two machines.

Many of the accessories can be used on both machines depending on the head-stock and tail-stock.

Perfect timing

David Smith

Your post is perfectly timed. I was wanting a spindle adapter so that I could use my chuck on the smaller lathes at the Vet's Garage but I just couldn't fine the size I needed. I went to the site you mentioned and there it was! Thank you for sharing.

Re: Perfect timing

Jimmy Edwards

Well the post by John K. has got me curious about the articulated carving post/stand and the Baxter threading jig. I never knew about them and don't really need them. BUT wait a minute, they are jigs so I'm sure I have to have them.

articulated carving/finishing post

John K Jordan

You won't be sorry! This girl is working on a small squarish platter with a random orbital sander. The stand puts the work in a comfortable position where you can SEE what you are doing!

(This is her third project at the lathe)

JKJ

Re: articulated carving/finishing post

John C Lucas

I have the Best woodtools articulating carving stand. I use it a lot. I just carved the Yin Yang mirror on it. It has advantages and disadvantages. It has a seperate rotating head. Sometimes i really like it. When doing repetitive cuts around a piece its wonderful because the piece sgays at the same angle. With a single handle carving stand everything flops when released and you ha e to reposition it. Sometimes the single lever is better and sometimes i prefer the double lever. One thing that you have to learn with the BWT carving stand is the tilting part has to be set so.that any downward force will tighten the locking screw. Not a problem since the head rotates seperately. If you lock it the other way the downward force breaks it loose and the piece falls over. Thats not good but you learn quickly to avoid it. I think i would like a pneumatic foot locking carving stand but thats probably out of my price range if anyone makes one.

Re: articulated carving/finishing post

Jeff Smith

I’ve been using a ProCut carving stand for a while now - both in the banjo and on a separate stand fastened to the bench (mostly). It uses the two handles that are concentric - kind of a pain until I got used to it. the nice thing is it can be used with both regular four jaw chucks and my vacuum chucks. With the vac system I find I use the handles less and just turn off the vacuum to reposition the piece. Allowed me to use an older rocking piston vac pump I had sitting around. It’s very quiet, but doesn’t pull enough vac for comfortable use on the lathe...

Re: Best Wood Tools

Don Evans

I like the looks of this vise, I'm using the ELI now.

I could not find a picture showing the table mount for the Best Wood one. They did mention it.

Does anyone know where I can see the unit with the table mount?

Don

Re: Best Wood Tools

Don Evans

Guess I was just too tired when I looked. I found the picture of the thing with the table mount. They say it is also included in the price.

Thanks anyway.

Don

Re: Best Wood Tools

John C Lucas

I use the table mount more than puting it in the lathe banjo.

Re: Best Wood Tools

John K Jordan

It's probably because I have the best lighting at the lathe but I use the banjo mount when I'm using it to hold a turning for scraping, sanding, and finishing.

If carving I'd probably use the bench top mount, fastened lower so I could sit in a comfortable chair. I'm lazy.

Re: Best Wood Tools

William Duffield

Instead of screwing the mount directly to the bench top where the mount gets in the way whenever you want to use the bench for some other task, why not screw it to a block of wood that you can clamp in your bench vise? That way, to some extent, you can adjust the height of the work for standing or sitting, or for different size carvings.

Re: Best Wood Tools

Don Evans

That is a good idea but you need to consider if there will be bounce induced into the carving action. I have been spending a lot of time the last 3 days mentally designing a carving "sit down" bench and working on the same problem. I've already purchased a new chair for the bench so I would be able to work on the height of bench, vises etc.

Right now I'm thinking your suggestion has merit but the thing that holds the vise is gonna have to be metal. I just happen to have some 1/4" plate that I can cut and braze for this.

For dust collection I'm gonna put an arm under the top that swings out when using a sanding spindle, I can then push out from the bench a do it with elbows on the arm rest. I think I'm gonna end up with 3 dust ports, one just mention then another on top of bench and one more on a floor mount (big gulp) with gates at the bench for each. I got the idea for the swinging arm from a pro carver named Floyd Scholz in Vermont. He does mostly Raptors.

Comments?

Don

Re: Best Wood Tools

William Duffield

I don't think wood vs. metal is a real issue, as long as the base is properly proportioned and secured. After all, people have been carving wood for thousands of years holding it in vises with wooden jaws and wooden screws.

As far as dust collection is concerned, Scholz' technique, using rotary burrs or sanding drums, as illustrated in this video beginning at about 1:20, definitely needs dust collection at lap level:

https://videos.popularwoodworking.com/courses/bird-carving-with-rotary-tools-with-floyd-scholz

I do my detail carving mostly with gouges, which don't generate fine airborne dust, so I am not so concerned with dust collection at that stage of the process. I also rarely sit down when working in my shop, so I don't have ideas on that process. Yes, dust collection is important when using a band saw and stationary belt sander, disc sander and spindle sander.

Re: Best Wood Tools

Don Evans

I don't disagree, I really don't know the answer, only time will tell.

I've always stood in my shop to do carving but health issue now are dictating a different approach. It is much easier to stand and made everything work.

I'd never realized how much more important the heights of everything is till I started this planning process.

Of course I'll still stand for turning, table saw, drum sander, router table.

Thanks for your input.

Don