Lathes for turning cork

[Orthoman]

Can anyone recommend a small table top lathe for turning cork handles.

I do not want to glue the cork to the rod and then turn the handle.

I want to glue up the cork sections and then place them on a metal towel or rod and place it in a lathe for shaping.

Is this doable and what kind of lathe and accessories should I be looking for?

[Kaboom1]

I have done a good number of grips using my hand drill. I glue the rings on a rod as you describe and chuck the rod in the drill. The drill is held by a vise. I use 80 to 220 grit sand paper for the tools... Not too romantic, but it works just fine if you take your time.

It you use a piece of all thread as the rod, you have a built in clamp. I just cover the exposed threads under the cork with teflon tape so you can remove the grip when you are done.

Brad

[PaGuy]

A lathe is going to run you some money lets say 200 for the lathe 100 for the chuck and if you get into turning inserts 60 for tools.. then add a sharpening system, sand paper, varnish, wood the list goes on.

What I would do for now is either buy a 1/4 theaded rod and put it into your drill and hold the drill in your lap and turn a handle that way. Now if you want to get all into it you can make a stand to hold your drill and a peice at the other end to hold the rod so it dosnt wobble. Or you could get a drill press and use a threaded rod in that way to turn a grip if your going to be turning exotic cork(alot harder to turn)

But if you go the lathe route I have a rikon Mini lathe that cost about 250 it has 16 or 18 inches between centers and is a really nice lathe. The jet only has 14inches between centers and is about the same thing either of the choices would be perfect for you

[Joe Valencic]

I turn cork grips and reel seat inserts on a Jet 1014, and it's more than adequate for these tasks. If you want to turn baseball bats and railing spindles, you're gonna have to get a bigger machine. I spent $200 for the lathe, $38 for the chuck and $10 for a pen turning mandrel. The knives were $45 at Harbor Freight and i bought an assortment of sandpaper from 150 grit to 1200 wet-n-dry for about $6.

I'M NOT SAVING A DIME BY TURNING MY OWN STUFF, BUT I'M HAVING FUN AND IT KEEPS ME OUT OF TROUBLE IN THE WINTER. I guess at some point there is a return on investment, but as with any addiction, there's always another "must have" accessory that costs $$$. Oh, I also bought a $50 self-centering vise for my $300 drill press to drill the holes in my blanks that I cut on my $500 table saw and $200 band saw. See where I'm taking this?

We do this because it's a hobby, just like fly tying, not to save any money. There, now you have the naked truth.

To answer your original question, any 10x14 lathe will do what you want to do. Just try to get it for the least amount of money.

Joe

[kengore]

Fortunatly cork is so soft you can turn it very easily. You can easily adapt a drill press, hand drill or other electric motor for turning cork. I built a simple one for myself out of scrap lumber and a variable speed motor scavanged from an old sewing machine. Any small woodworking or metal working lathe will do, as long as you can turn at reletivly slow speeds (cork cuts too fast at high speeds)

If you want to go fancy there are several small lathes on the market for under $300. Look for 10X12 lathes at 'Harbor Freight' or simililar catalog stores. Note: 10X12 means the lathe has a capacity to turn a 10" diameter object that is 12" long. The inexpensive chinese import 10x12 lathes have a strong following amongst the hobbiest crowd, lots of good article on line with reviews and tips. The cheap ones will need some cleaning up and possible sanding/polishing of rough castings before they are in working order.

For a higher quality tool look at the european made 'Shearline' product, it is a precision tool suitable for turning nickle silver ferrules as well as cork grips. Keep in mind that you will also need to purchase tooling for the lathe, such as a headstock with a 3 jaw clutch and a live center for the tail stock. Some lathe manufactors sell in modular pieces, ie. you purchace the lathe bed, the head stock and the motor as seperate units so you can build a 'custom' tool.

Here is a link with instructions for turning grips with a hand drill...

http://www.thomaspenrose.com/cork.htm

[Arkriver]

If you buy a lathe, say a good one like a little Jet, you run a very serious risk. This risk is called being swallowed up by the vortex. Once this happens kiss all your extra funds goodbye. You will quit rods and go to bowls and other turned objects and need more and more tools, etc. Don't ask me how I know this. Stick with a drill or just buy the grips already made and the vortex won't get you

[OldBaldGuy]

I have done a good number of grips using my hand drill. I glue the rings on a rod as you describe and chuck the rod in the drill. The drill is held by a vise. I use 80 to 220 grit sand paper for the tools... Not too romantic, but it works just fine if you take your time.

It you use a piece of all thread as the rod, you have a built in clamp. I just cover the exposed threads under the cork with teflon tape so you can remove the grip when you are done.

Brad

Unless you're planning on producing a large number of grips, I'd have to agree with Brad. Just wish I'd thought of his tip to wrap the threads with tape.

My "almost free" solution was to screw a piece of scrap 2x4 upright to a 1x6 base (also from the scrap barrel). I drilled a horizontal hole about 3" up the upright. After mounting and gluing the cork rings, one end of the threaded rod rested in the hole, the other end was gripped in the chuck of my variable speed drill. The hand holding the drill rested on the base to keep everything steady, and with the other hand I applied progressively finer sandpaper. I'm sure there are more sophisticated methods, but my way worked.

Good luck with your project.

[Betty Hiner]

Oh, please ... someone tell me why I'm reading this thread!!! Am I not getting into enough trouble already?!?!

[Gemrod]

Cause you're "cool" Betty. And that's PART of what keeps you cool.

Seriously Sincerely,

Gemrod