Well, I went and did it....

[kbproctor]

I went out and bought a lathe. I picked up a Harbor Freight 10" X 18", which is also sold by Rockler under the Excelsior brand and Penn State under their brand, and probably by a few others as well. I got mine for $160 brand new on sale with a 20% off coupon. The others run anywhere from $250-$300 for the same lathe in different colors. It has MT2 tapers in both the headstock and tail stock and both are drilled through. Adjustments are quick and easy, too.

I went over to the Rockler store yesterday and picked up a MT2 pen mandrel after asking about what I needed to turn something similar to the insert I took in with me to show them. The young guy that helped me out showed me the bushings he had turned for doing similar stuff and fixed me up with the goodies I needed without going overboard. I turned a pair of bushings to hold an insert out of some black and white acrylic. These were the first things I had turned on a lathe since high school wood shop back in '68 or '69.

After messing up drilling one insert in my drill press, I got these drilled and turned. Nothing fancy, but they came out well for my first projects. Finish is wipe on Poly applied on the lathe.

[MontanaMoose]

Well they sure look good to me KB, can you tell me if you drill before you turn or the other way round please ? Also, can you tell me where you got the black skelton? So many questions...is that one coat of wipe-on poly ? I've done that with gunstocks and small pieces of furniture resto parts with good luck but it usually takes a number of coats to get things to look as good as your inserts do.

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

[Betty Hiner]

Boy, I'd sure say you went and did it this time. My, oh, my, I'm jealous! Dog-gone!

[kbproctor]

Well they sure look good to me KB, can you tell me if you drill before you turn or the other way round please ? Also, can you tell me where you got the black skelton? So many questions...is that one coat of wipe-on poly ? I've done that with gunstocks and small pieces of furniture resto parts with good luck but it usually takes a number of coats to get things to look as good as your inserts do.

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

You drill first, then the insert is concentric to your bore.

That is one coat. I was amazed at how nice they came out finished on the lathe. The hardware is not glued on so I can easily put a few more coats on. It might have helped that I sanded down to 1000 grit paper before using a tack rag and applying finish.

The black hardware is a Pacific Bay A7 Skeleton from Mudhole. They have them in black, gold, chrome, and TiCH The other is a PacBay A5 skeleton, also from Mudhole. I prefer the A7, but was given a pile of half wells grips already cut for the A5. Now that I have the new toy, I thin some of those will get reworked with wood accents on the ends.

[Gandolf]

Hi Kevin,

They look darned nice. Good job!

Gandolf

[harleybob87]

Kevin I am glad you finally took the leap. The products look really good. Sorry my inbox was full. I will send you a few tips and cheaper places to get the hardware if you like. Just pm me your email if you like and I will send the tutorials. I want to warn you, soon you will be looking at the trees in your yard in a different way. Keep up the good work. BOB

[MontanaMoose]

Thanks KB, that answers all of my questions and then some !

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

[cheffy]

I really like the cones as bushings idea. Why didn't I think of that?

[hardhat]

Kevin,
I use a couple of coats of Tung oil followed with a 600 to 1000 grit sanding. Then finshed with 2-3 coats of extra thick cyanoacrylate. After the cyanoacrylate is dry, i use auto clear coat swirl remover. When completed this makes for a great durable finish.

[kbproctor]

Bob, I already have some aspen that I have been thinking would finish out nice. I was going to carve it, but I do not really care for carving aspen for some reason. I have some gorgeous Honduran Rosewood that made a beautiful insert for the A7 hardware earlier today.

I also wanted to try some grips with cottonwood bark, pine park, and similar materials that will turn much better on a lathe than in the drill press. I expect my cork grips to be smoother and turn better with the lathe as well, not to mention the fact I can now use wood accents as well as the various burl corks. On top of this, there is the possibility of turning wood winding checks and really unusual seats that would resemble the seats on the new Cabela's rods.

This is too much fun.