simplest solution - put tailstock in a bench vise, arrange headstock the
proper distance away, insert wood and turn - if you are worried about the
lathe moving, tie the lathe to the bench with chain or wire (something that
does'nt streach much


"Owen Lawrence" wrote in message
...
I've got a lathe that can hold about 35" with the live centre, but I
want to turn bedposts 36" and 48" long. Obviously I'll have to do each
one in two or more sections. I can easily make a tenon on one end, but
how do I accurately make the receiving mortise (hole)? My drillpress has
a capacity of 16 1/2", minus whatever I lose for a forstner bit. I
suppose I could just try to drill it with the hand held drill, but I don't
believe I could get it drilled straight enough.

The obvious solution would be to just turn the posts in three sections,
but I'm not happy with that. My tailstock isn't designed to hold a chuck
and drill bit, so drilling on the lathe is out. Can you think of a better
way I can do this? I suppose I could just turn the tops of the posts and
use other techniques to fasten them to the square bottoms. I just have
this feeling I'm missing something obvious. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

- Owen -

P.S. In case it makes any difference, I'm laminating 2 pine 2x4s to make
the blanks.




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