charlese wrote:Why not just turn the workpiece end for end - or put the tail on the other end of the Mark V and the drive center/chuck on the left side.
This is what Nick suggested in his video on using the Power Station to turn, the problem is while this may work for spindles it doesn't work well for bowls.
Reversing bowls is difficult enough just for finishing the bottom, many dedicated lathes offer reverse used mostly for finishing. Having not reverse did not prevent me from buying the Shopsmith but since Shopsmith figured it out, I am sorry they did not maintain it.
Paul Cohen
Beaverton, OR
A 1982 500 Shopsmith brand upgraded to a Mark 7 PowerPro, Jointer, Bandsaw (with Kreg fence), Strip Sander, Ring Master and lots of accessories all purchased new
12" Sliding Compound Mitre Saw, 1200 CFM DC
paulmcohen wrote:... Having no reverse did not prevent me from buying the Shopsmith but since Shopsmith figured it out, I am sorry they did not maintain it.
Don't be sorry Paul. The two switch method did not work on my first crafters station. I had to manually rotate the spindle in order for it to start in reverse - kind of like spinning a crank. Got a replacement CS and that one worked for a couple of days then went bad and had to give that one a hand spin also. Sometimes (if I wasn't fast enough on the spin) it just hummed and blew the circuit. (20 amp) Shopsmith asked if I had voltage problems, but it was a new home - we had it built a month before I purchased the CS, and the line voltage was 119 V. My radial arm saw worked fine. Later on my Mark V worked without a hitch. All other things in the house worked fine. I understand there are still some of those Crafters Stations out there. I do wonder how they perform.
As for bowls - although I have never made one, I cant see why a chuck or face plate would not work on the accessory (left) spindle. The left spindle rotates clockwise while the right spindle (quill side) rotates counter clockwise.
Yes, there is no taper to the flat spot on the left spindle, but that should not offer an issue for an almost finished bowl. A chuck or face plate should tighten up well. I am assuming that reversing the turning of a bowl is done only after the thing is already roughed out.
Octogenarian's have an earned right to be a curmudgeon.
Chuck in Lancaster, CA
Yes, it has limitations but I'm going to develop the capability as far as it goes. If nothing else, it gives me one more tool in my arsenal; one more option.
I spend a lot of time at county fairs, horse shows, craft shows, etc. I can take this with me when I cannot easily take the Shopsmith.
For the same reason, I was very interested in the Crafter's Station and I still am. I'll have one, someday.
"Making Sawdust Safely" Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
charlese wrote:
As for bowls - although I have never made one, I cant see why a chuck or face plate would not work on the accessory (left) spindle. The left spindle rotates clockwise while the right spindle (quill side) rotates counter clockwise.
Mostly because I never thought of it. It is a great idea and it only takes a few seconds to swap the chuck.
Thanks
Paul Cohen
Beaverton, OR
A 1982 500 Shopsmith brand upgraded to a Mark 7 PowerPro, Jointer, Bandsaw (with Kreg fence), Strip Sander, Ring Master and lots of accessories all purchased new
12" Sliding Compound Mitre Saw, 1200 CFM DC
I have done both finish turning and sanding on both the inside and outside of bowls on the "off" side of the headstock by mounting a shop-made tool rest in the left-hand accessory holes. The tool rest is simply a bar of 3/4 stock with a beveled top edge that is fitted to two turned dowels that fit in the accessory mount holes. Swapping sides of the headstock reverses the direction of the grain of the bowl as it is presented to the tool or sandpaper and so has the same effect as a reversing switch would.
I had a few more thoughts on this subject since my last post, so please just consider this one a PS to the first posting.
It was mentioned earlier in this thread that it might be possible to use the left hand shaft for spindle turning, but I have my doubts about how succesful that would actually be. Once a turned spindle is removed from between the centers it is nearly impossible to re-mount it between centers and maintain "concentricity." This might not be too big an issue if the spindle were being moved to the left side just for finish sanding or polishing, but any actual turning/cutting/shaping on the work after it had been moved would be work done on a piece with a different centerline. Moving work that is affixed to a faceplate or a chuck avoids this problem.
Another issue that would become a problem if the left shaft is to be used for spindle turning is the tool rest. I suppose it is possible to move the carriage from the right side to the left, but that would involve taking the headstock off the tubes, which hardly seems worth the effort. If a second carriage is available you could configure the machine with one carriage on each side of the headstock, but given the above mentioned problem with maintaining the centerline of a spindle after removing and replacing it between centers, that seems like a lot of trouble for a small reward.
So, it seems to me that there might be some usefulness in moving a spindle which has had all the tool work finished on it to the left side for sanding/polishing, but I am not able to see any other use for mounting a spindle turning on the left side.
Right on Ed! I was thinking of sanding only while chucking on the left side of the headstock. I was up too late and wasn't specific enough. Thanks for your thoughts!
I had read somewhere that sanding in reverse is a better way to sand a bowl. Supposedly the fibers sand off better. Can't prove it by me! But if a person wants to sand in reverse - there is a way.
Octogenarian's have an earned right to be a curmudgeon.
Chuck in Lancaster, CA
Sanding bowls on the left side works very well. Spindles would be more difficult without the quill to tighten the piece securely against the tail center, if it is not secure enough the piece could be thrown out of the lathe when you turn it on or when sanding it.
