Shaping on a Metal Working Lathe

[Progcat]

Hello Everyone,

I have recently acquired a Smithy Metal Working Lathe. I have had great success drilling (as compared to the drill press) and have been able to shape some very basic round shapes. Since the tool holder is mounted on a turret which you position and turn with various wheels, is it possible to make different shapes, like tapered dublins and the slanted tops of bull dogs? If so, how does one position the tool? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Progcat@msn.com

[KurtHuhn]

I have never used a metal lathe for this type of work, but on a wood lathe it's easy. The process is extremely simple "Grab a spindle gouge and cut".

Well, not exactly that simple.

The best method I've come up with for shaping a pipe on a wood lathe is this:
- drill mortis/airway
- turn block of briar and drill tobacco chamber
- leave the briar in the same position (assuming the engineering of the pipe allows this)
- position the toolrest perpendicular to the tobacco chamber (parallel to the top of the bowl)
- use a parting tool to cut the stummel into a cylinder
- cutting a cylinder this way takes a fraction of the time it would if you shaped the cylinder using a more common method of taking off wood with a spindle gouge in multiple passes
- Once the cylinder is complete, and you've trimmed off the excess waste, all you have to do is reposition the toolrest and use a spindle gouge to rough in the bowl top and the sides.
- when everything is roughed in, follow up with a skew chisel and clean up the lines.

This is best described with demonstration rather than words. I hope I didn't confuse anyone further...

[ToddJohnson]

Hello Everyone,

I have recently acquired a Smithy Metal Working Lathe. I have had great success drilling (as compared to the drill press) and have been able to shape some very basic round shapes. Since the tool holder is mounted on a turret which you position and turn with various wheels, is it possible to make different shapes, like tapered dublins and the slanted tops of bull dogs? If so, how does one position the tool? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Progcat@msn.com

Hi,

The cutting tool should be mounted on the toolpost so that it cuts at a 45 degree angle to the stummell. It should be ground not to a point, but to a radius about the size of a small pea. Turning various shapes is just a matter of synchronizing your left and right hands (operating the cutter on its X and Y axes respectively) so that they create the shape you have in your head. My favorite description of this process is from Paul Tatum who likened it to drawing a perfect circle with an Etch-a-sketch on the first try. It essentially just comes with practice. One thing you can do to aid the process is create much larger wheels for advancing the cutting tool in each direction. These can be made from aluminum stock using your lathe and will allow you much better precision, especially on the "six to twelve" revolutions of each wheel.

Best,

Todd

[Progcat]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you all again. I will call the manufacturer of my machine to see if there are any attachments I can buy.

Progcat@msn.com

[ToddJohnson]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you all again. I will call the manufacturer of my machine to see if there are any attachments I can buy.

Progcat@msn.com

Hi,

There's no reason you would need to get anything brand or model-specific. Most tool supply places will carry tool-post mounted steady-rests. Basically this is just a tool shaped like a thin spatula. You mount the "handle" on your tool post and the "spatula" part serves as your tool rest. You can position it anywhere and it will usually be micro adjustable with a set screw so that you can use different size tools.

Best,

Todd

[Nick]

Is there a pic of this some where? Just curious.

[Nick]

Oh. Pretty simple gatget then. I guess I just couldn't visualize it. Thanks Random