wrote in message
oups.com...
I recently bought an old Walker Turner wood lathe at an estate sale.
It is about 50 or 60 years old and has some problems. One of them is a
slanted tool rest. The top of the tool rest is not parallel to the
axis of the headstock and tailstock. It drops about 1/4 of an inch from
one side of a 12" rest to the other end. How important is this? As
you quessed, I am just learning to turn..................... Thanks
............


Important enough that you should get another one soon. A lot of the "feel"
of turning will be wrong if you are using the entire rest and have to
compensate. Don't pitch it, it'll do for bowls.

I would never advocate giving leverage to the tool, so I'd keep the rest
close to the work so I could stay in charge. Varying your handle height
will compensate, but among all the adjustments you're supposed to be
learning to make a consistent curl, this is one handicap you don't need to
carry.