"charlie b" wrote in message
...
Having just recently blown through the top of a turned lidded vessel,
and having noted that a light shining into the inside while looking
from the outside makes it semi-obvious how thick or thin the walls
are. But you can't put a light inside while your working on the inside
- duh. And it's kind of a PITA to turn the lathe off, get the tool
rest out of the way, stick the light up against the opening of the
hollow form then look at the piece from the chuck side.

BUT - You Can get donut shaped fluorescent light bulbs. And if
you can fix it to the drive end of the lathe - behind the chuck
or around the chuck - and made some kind of shade - then
you might be able to use light to tell you how thick the wall
of the piece your working on is getting. Could probably turn
a "shade" even.

Brilliant idea or a dumb idea?


Thin glass and power tools in proximity? If you've got some fixation that
thin means skill, attach a flexible shaft light like the mechanics use to
the tool itself and watch through the sides. Used to do it with ornaments,
now I don't. If you blow through or sand through, so what? Grab another
piece of wood and start over.

Suppose I might feel differently if I were buying my wood or using something
truly rare.

Wondering how much fun you could have with a fluorescent and an interrupted
edge at certain speeds. Bet you could make it run backward optically like
the wheels in the movies....