So, now that I have my lathe, it seems that you can basically do everything with a lathe and some hand tools:
Drilling with Jacob's chuck in tailstock
Top part of bowl and shank shaping
Jacob's chuck arbor and sanding wheel for the rest of the shaping/sanding
Stem drilling (except slot) with Jacob's chuck in tailstock
Tenon cutting and rough shaping of stem
More shaping of stem on arbor/wheel in headstock
Finish shaping and sanding by hand with files/paper
Polish pipe using arbor/buffing wheel or the lathe mandrel setup from Beall
Boom - pipe.
Which makes it a lot easier to just have a lathe and grinder for sharpening tools. I guess a band saw wouldn't hurt either.
But anyways, my question is (I haven't finished a pipe on the lathe yet) am I missing something, or is the lathe pretty much the most awesome tool to make a pipe with?
All-in-One Lathe?
All-in-One Lathe?
The way to make people want to smoke your pipes is to develop a reputation for excellence in your work. This takes a lot of hard work and several years to accomplish, and there are no short cuts. You just have to keep at it. - Rad Davis
Re: All-in-One Lathe?
We find it surprising that lathes are excellent for making pipes.
Signed,
Belly Button Lint
Signed,
Belly Button Lint
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
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archaggelosmichail
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Re: All-in-One Lathe?
Yes it's awsome but also be carefull with your machines.
If you work more than 3 straight hours with your lathe at more than 900rpm it's temperature will rise dangerously.
If you work more than 3 straight hours with your lathe at more than 900rpm it's temperature will rise dangerously.
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Tyler
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Re: All-in-One Lathe?
You got it.
I've basically made pipes the way you just described for 12 years.
I've basically made pipes the way you just described for 12 years.
Tyler Lane Pipes
http://www.tylerlanepipes.com
http://www.tylerlanepipes.com
Re: All-in-One Lathe?
Yes, lathes are the quintessential piece of equipment for pipe making, in my opinion.
While I agree that you can use your Lathe for most everything, I see some benefits in not using it for sanding, buffing and polishing. Having a separate arbor and motor for sanding seems wise to me for a few reasons. You can set it up to have all the room you want. You're using a motor that's only a few hundred dollars to do all your grunt work rather than your few thousand dollar lathe. And, you can set up dust collection and so on.
Keep in mind, I've never tried to sand and all on my lathe. When I got started, I just tried to buy all the same cool tools Rad had, because it was obvious he knew what he was doing
I've been very happy with my set up.
I also think archaggelosmichail makes a good point. It would be worth checking into recommended run times on your lathe. Not everyone can sand a pipe to shape in 30 minutes and might need to have that sucker running for hours.
While I agree that you can use your Lathe for most everything, I see some benefits in not using it for sanding, buffing and polishing. Having a separate arbor and motor for sanding seems wise to me for a few reasons. You can set it up to have all the room you want. You're using a motor that's only a few hundred dollars to do all your grunt work rather than your few thousand dollar lathe. And, you can set up dust collection and so on.
Keep in mind, I've never tried to sand and all on my lathe. When I got started, I just tried to buy all the same cool tools Rad had, because it was obvious he knew what he was doing
I've been very happy with my set up.
I also think archaggelosmichail makes a good point. It would be worth checking into recommended run times on your lathe. Not everyone can sand a pipe to shape in 30 minutes and might need to have that sucker running for hours.