This points out one of the great things about a lathe - you really don't need an expensive or fancy one to do awfully nice (and fun) work. I have my Dad's old Sears Companion lathe he got maybe 35 years ago. It's turned a lot of miscellaneous chair rungs, wooden mallets, candlesticks etc. and probably didn't cost much over $100 new.
Tim Douglass
Can't do that. But...... I needed a bunch of handles for chisels I bought on ebay, couldn't swing the price of a lathe so, as I had an old article on pole lathes (bungee cord lathes) I just built my own. Making your own tools is a really enjoyable experience. It is tough standing on one leg and pumping the lathe with the other but the whole operation was fun.....and inexpensive. I turned out about 8 handles, had a lot of fun learning something of the bodger's trade, and should I need to do any more turning, that is the way I will do it (with some modifications this time of course ...and probably some more the next time).
If you are interested just do a Google search on pole lathe for a lot of good links. And someplace on my computer I have the articles scanned in if you think you would like to try it.
Kiyu
So how do you make a stair spindle that looks like rope which has been untwisted and hollow in the center? Can you do that on a lathe?
BTW you can make a set of salad bowls, matching and exactly the same size with so little measuring.
And if you show the SWMBO how the legacy works, she'll be begging you to buy is so she can use it. Then you'll never regret the decision.
-- Woody
Check out my Web Page at:
When you can make 4 stair spindles an hour that has bumps, knobs, tapers and spirals an hour on your lathe, you are getting your worth from it. However, you can make a 28 stair style set, identical on a legacy in one day and sell them for $50 plus each. ($1400)
If you are interested
-- Woody
Check out my Web Page at:
So Joe, how fun is the Legacy ? I work with wood because I enjoy it. = That's all its not to make a living its to have fun. Sure I supplement = my income a bit with the things I make but I have FUN. Get my point ? Puff
I got a lathe for Christmas. A JET mini. Fun, but a black hole for time. My shop smells like wet maple. Every surface in my shop is covered in wet maple. I have my turning tools laying on the table saw, which hasn't been turned on since Christmas. My workbench is covered with various bits of wet maple in various stages of being cut up or split.
(My neighbor pruned her maple tree. My practice stock is a couple hundred bf of maple in sizes ranging from 1" to 6" in diameter. More of the latter, of course. Not sure what I'll do with the really small stuff. Maybe have a nice bonfire at Beltane.)
I made one out of a 5x5 piece of red oak dunnage. It's whatever circle you can reduce a 5" square to, and pretty damn solid.
I have several different ones now, and beat the hell out of them with abandon. I can always make more. :)
Yeah, just don't say this too loud over on the woodturning newsgroup. They'll start talking about how if it doesn't weigh twice as much as your old Volkswagen, it's a piece of junk. :)
What a most unusual tree! Most trees that *I* know have more thin than thick branches...
What can you do with a lathe?
I'm a little slow on the uptake, but try this link:
I started doing some research on getting a lathe (thanks a pantload, Silvan ) and have decided that I can't possibly produce another project until I have one of these amazing machines.
My problem is that I have Buy The Last One First Syndrome. I won't be satisfied with anything less than top-notch. I held off on buying a table saw for a year and a half because I couldn't find a cabinet saw for a decent price. Now I have one, and couldn't be happier. Well, until I discovered I needed a Oneway lathe. :(
-Phil Crow
Heh. It's bolted to a bench he built. 2x4 frame supporting 6 drawers full of junk. It may weigh more than the truck you drive!
Tim Douglass
Funny you should catch that. I said something different originally, then discovered that I had accidentally deleted a big block of text when I read through the post prior to sending it. I hastily rewrote that bit to fill in the blank, and obviously got it wrong. :)
Very few 6" branches. Of course.
Maybe different with a lathe designed to sit on the floor... I have my JET mini on a stand made from two endtables stacked on top of each other and nailed together. It's a great height.
You can say that again. Sharpening these things is a large part of the battle.
You want to talk about fun. Well, fun is when you turn a pair of spindals, each looking like twisted rope with a hollow center (left twist and right twist) that has none of the strands touching, and you install them on the chair or chest you are building. Funiswhenyoumakeforafriendthestairstylesheneedeswhenheisbuildinghishouse. FunisknowingthatyourturningisbetterthanNorms.
-- Woody
Check out my Web Page at:
Make a few samples of spindles that you can't buy at the local borg. Show them you can make these for contractors on an as needed basis. Make a book of samples and take them into the borg where they can show the unique styles you can make to their contractors and customers. Let the borg know you can make custom replacements of broken items. Contact a home builder who may be interested in a special design. Build furniture for a local consignment store. Build furniture for a local interior designer.
BTW, A Legacy comes with a design pad that helps you design the shapes you need.
Remember, a complex stair spindle with knobs, flutes, spirals and contours only takes 15-20 minutes to make. You can make a whole set in a day.
I bet Norm wishes he had one. He made a 48" round table with a three leg pedestal base. He had to make a jig to do the tenons and morticing on the base. This could have all been done on the Legacy when the base was made.
Contact Legacy Ornamental Mills at 1-800-279-4570 or long on at
You want to talk about fun. Well, fun is when you turn a pair of spindles, each looking like twisted rope with a hollow center (left twist and right twist) that has none of the strands touching, and you install them on the chair or chest you are building. Fun is when you make for a friend the stair styles he needs when he is building his house. Fun is knowing that your turning is better than Norm's. Fun is knowing when you can make more stylish turnings that your friends that just have a lathe. Fun is being able to complete a project because you're not 'playing' on a lathe. Fun is seeing results in minutes. Fun is turning several 2" dowels in a matter of minutes, all with an exact duplication. Fun is knowing you don't have to spend $400 plus on a lathe duplicator. Fun is knowing you don't have to make jigs to finish a project.
Need I go on.
On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 09:27:18 -0500, Cape Cod Bob brought forth from the murky depths:
Don't forget the 7 P's: Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance ----------------------------------------------------
If *we* mention your name, will *we* get a discount on the price when calling that number for that well engineered product?
Also, if someone posts an item on the rec saying how they prefer to sharpen their shop pencil with a pocket knife or a chisel, will you rebuke them for not having the latest electric pencil sharpener?
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