charlieb wrote:
Being able to turn a knob and dial in a higher or lower speed
rather than moving a belt and changing pulleys has become
almost a necessity - for me. Being able to dial down the rpms
for a very delicate cut or to clean up a narrow deep V now
seems crazy at higher rpms. I'm still playing in the lowest
rpm range on the JET mini/midi .

Being able to turn the lathe on and off without having to
pull the tool away to get to the on/off switch has become
a necessity - for me. There are delicate cuts that must
end with the cutting edge at a specific point, and tool
orientation which I formerly blew often pulling the tool
away.

A long goose neck lamp that puts light right where I
need it, yet shields my eyes from the bulb has become
a necessity - for me (and will no doubt require a higher
watt bulb as my vision goes).

My ceiling is low over the lathe, so I use a ceiling mounted outdoor
spotlight fixture with a high intensity spot bulb mounted over my
tailstock end. With a wall switch mounted beside it.

An MT jacobs chuck for the tail stock makes drilling,
either with a forstner bit or brad point bit, beats
TRYING to drill a hole in the end of a turned piece
on a drill press - and therefore has become a necessity
- for me.

Watch that chuck taper when you back out. My chuck pulled off it's
taper once while backing out. It was attached to a spade bit and
imagine that chuck whirling around slamming the ways every rotation.
And the switch was on the other side of the throw line. I just ran and
threw the breaker. That is a poor man's stress test.


Turning a tenon on the end of a finial that must fit
a hole in the lid of a turned box - when you can't
fit the tenon to the hole while the finial is on the
lathe - necessitates a dial caliper - a digital dial
caliper.

check. But mine isn't digital.

Having a decent scroll chuck - and several sets of
jaws has become a necessity - for me. The possibilities
it/they opened up changed not only what I can do,
but how I can do it. Definitely THE lathe accessory.

Have you got an "accessory" you didn't know you had
to have until you had it and used it? Why?

charlie b

I just had three more tool rests made by a local guy. A 6 inch long L
shaped skinny one for working inside deep small bowls. A 6 inch one
mounted on the front of the post with a curve on the end for similar
use. A 2 1/2 inch high one for use with my router to round really
irregular chunks. The chunk is hand turned while the router hangs over
the rest with a home-made brass baseplate that has a piece that clips
over the tool rest. He charged me $10 for all three! I paid him $25
plus a small bowl I made using the tool rests.

Before anyone says it, I already had a flat scraper rest for deep
boxes and bowls, but I really don't use a scraper unless I have to.
--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

The large print giveth and the small
print taketh away.