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Running the motor at 90Hz with a frequency drive, I reckon I'm about 2000 rpm. Could go higher on the spindle but the countershaft is on plain bearings. I'd go faster if I thought the countershaft would take it. Lathe is fairly heavy and rigid, 2-jaw chuck is probably close to 20lbs. by itself, no p...

The slower the speed, the more time per rev the tool has to poke in too far. Faster speed gives smoother cut and better finish. It's a nice thing about a metal lathe, though -- for roughing you get to use the cross slide and compound, and you can't poke the tool in unless you turn the crank too fast...

Sounds like you're starting with the block and roughing down -- this is a very tricky thing to do with hand tools. First thing, tool rest as close as possible to the work. Get as close to the centerline as possible with your tool. Above it won't bite, but too far below gives the work too much mechan...

Pulling a spindle isn't that bad. There are no alignment issues; the only issue is replacing the bearings as Logan tried something different with the 10 inch lathes. Rather than have an external preload arrangement (like the wave washers on the 11 inch) for the spindle bearings, they specified a spe...

I know some guys here use Atlas lathes. I don't like them; the ways are flat and made of cheese, very susceptible to abrasive damage. The handles are a low-temperature allow designed for ease of casting, not for strength, very easily broken. If you get one with plain bearings in the headstock you ar...

The worst thing for your metal lathe is the abrasive grit from sanding. Briar dust will soak up oil, so diligent maintenance is to clean the ways and re-lube after each day's work, but wood dust isn't all that abrasive on its own. Logans don't have an oiling system, so you do need to keep up with it...

Sasquatch wrote:Leave Mike alone! You're lucky he even performs for you bastards.

OK. Sorry.

I've seen architects and artists who don't give a damn how long it takes, or what anyone else in the world thinks about the end product, as long as they are okay with it. I'm sure this is true, but I doubt that some guy just out of architect or art school hangs out his shingle and gets exorbitant p...

e Markle wrote:[

I'd love to buy one of those PM machines, but I don't have the space.

Pfffft. You have the space. You just don't have as much room to jump out of the way if something goes ape sh*t.

I'd encourage you not to buy a lathe from Grizzly. A good friend of mine bought the G4000 (I believe) for pipe making, and it has been nothing but headaches for him. If you're willing to drop that much cash for one, I'd just go with a Jet 920. There are several makers that use this model (I have on...

Look up old posts and blogs by Trever Talbert. At one point he had all the time, materials, and sundries required to bring a pipe to market figured to a gnat's chuff and -- rare combination -- was willing to write about it. Better yet, interview him. He's been making a living with his mitts for year...

If you're really looking down the road, save more for a better lathe. You can make your own drills and bits. Lathe, not so much. For turned shapes, I highly recommend a chuck like mine, about which I've posted ad nauseum, but you'll want a 10 to 12 inch metal lathe to swing it. If you're committed t...

I do a lot of hand sanding -- more than most, from what I can tell. My advice is, 1. get bigger things to hang on to. Make a dowel handle that fits into the pipe bowl so that you can hang onto the handle rather than gripping with your fingertips. Wrap your sandpaper around a longer stick so you can ...

Yikes! May just be the photo but that one inside looks almost half the wall thickness deep. I wonder if those two flaws link up. Something that big I'd fill with pipe mud -- paste of cigar ash and water. Almost all the pipes of mine that I keep are because of flaws inside the bowl, and it's pretty s...

Tyler, since you're using a Mac, you're probably using iPhoto too. When you export the pictures from iPhoto to whatever folder you're using to save them, you are given an option for size. Pick something smaller than maximum size, say, max dimension of 600 px, when you save. The resulting photos may ...

Just finished restoring my Southbend 9A. I still need to get a chuck for holding briar. Any opinions on Oneway vs Trent Rudat's or waiting to see what Todd Johnson produces. Here are some photos: http://photobucket.com/nolopics http://public.jwh.fastmail.fm/images/Bison1.jpg You didn't mention this...

I'm fortunate to live in an area that is very high in manufacturing so there are metal lathes aplenty and for cheap if you are quick on the draw. I can still turn tendons on a wood lathe with PIMO tool correct? Just don't have the same tolerances as a metal lathe? I'm thinking I'll go with a wood l...

It's pretty rare that a beginning pipe maker approaches the craft with anything approaching an adequate budget, but that's just fine. Time, creativity, and persistence can almost always be substituted for money. I started with a drill press and a clapped-out 6" Craftsman lathe, sold a few pipes...

If it is indeed true that a wood lathe gives you more freedom to shape the bowl than a wood lathe, it's freedom you don't really need. I have both, and find no limitation in shaping bowls with turning tools on a metal lathe. Any limitation would be due to not rigging a good tool rest for the metal l...

Ok, local green horn chimin' in here... What's the hoopla about ebonite vs other stem materials? I went to cut an ebonite stem on my shiney new Pimo tenon tool a few days ago and it burned/bubbled the hell out of it. I know that I can turn them slower on my less shiney but still more impressive and...