Does any one have one of these?
- Thread starter robtonya
- Start date
Daviddubya
Member
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2007
- Messages
- 704
A friend of mine bought one. I cannot remember it ever being used. I think he uses it to hold his sweatshirt when the shop gets warm. It might be one of those tools that looks really cool, but... I have never had the turning bug, so I am safe - so far.
Daviddubya said:
Hope that changes for you. I have fallen head over heals for turning in the past year. And the slippery slope (some call it the vortex) of turning is actually even worse (if you can believe it) than the insatiable desire for 'tool green. Often I do not have time to devote to a major woodworking project. In a couple of hours I can complete a project and even finish it on the lathe -- from design and wood selection to signature!! That sure beats cutting cabinet parts and coming back three weeks later to try to remember what project this is and which piece goes where.
No comment on the legacy product -- don't have one or as far as I know need one. But turning -- that's another matter.
Dave Ronyak
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 2,234
I agree that turning is fun! It is, perhaps, the most dynamically creative way to be involved in woodworking. It requires constant, careful attention. And the workpiece takes shape right before your eyes as it turns and you apply a cutting tool. I used to turn many decorative wooden bowls and give them as gifts. Occasionally I would make a set of nearly matched bowls, e.g. of mahogany with an inlaid rim. Fairly quick to make, and most of the finishing was done on the lathe (all of it if you are satisfied with a shellac/wax finish that is friction dried). But now that I have been weaned away from Early American styled furniture and house features, I don't have much need to make stair spindles, cradle spindles, bed spindles, and various wall sconces and turned table legs. Maybe back to bowls after I get many other non-lathe projects done.
Dave R.
Dave R.
robtonya
Member
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2007
- Messages
- 722
I thought that this was the only machine to do some types of work, I probablt wouldn't use one to make dental moulding, but when i seen it create a post that was twisted, but cut all the way through, I was impressed. If I had the extra cash, I would probably get one.
Dave Ronyak
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 2,234
Daviddubya said:
David,
Have you ever actually tried turning something? I didn't think much about it until needed some shop mallets and some handles for some iron tools I had. And my Shopsmith could be used as a lathe. Once I tried, I quickly got hooked. When you correctly apply a sharp chisel to a good (straight grained) piece of wood, it is mesermerizing to see and feel the shape changing at your beck and call. When done right when hollowing out a bowl with a gouge, there is a continuous stream of shavings is flying off the wood and tool edge. I found making shop mallets from some fresh cut blocks of green beech wood particularly satisfying because the green wood was so easy to cut, and thus more forgiving of my lack of skill. I submerged the completed rough beech turnings in linseed oil and set them out to dry before finishing them. They did not crack as they dried out. Later I fitted the handles. I still have one of those mallets. The others somehow developed legs and walked out of my shop!! Another advantage is that you can made tool handles that fit your hands, of whatever wood you want, and of whatever length you want. I eventually refitted a bunch of old chisels and files with new handles made from scraps of cherry and ash. Try it. My bet is that you will like it.
Dave R.
Steve Jones
Member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2007
- Messages
- 405
Another great thing about turning is you can use tiny offcuts and leftovers pieces stuck together to make something nice...
Matthew Schenker
Member
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2007
- Messages
- 2,619
Dave ans Steve,
Stop, you're starting to make me want to buy a lathe! One more description like Dave's of how I can create custom-made tool parts, together with one more photo of a beatiful project like Steve's, and I'm going to be heading into that familiar routine of comparing specs and prices for yet another major machine.
Matthew
Stop, you're starting to make me want to buy a lathe! One more description like Dave's of how I can create custom-made tool parts, together with one more photo of a beatiful project like Steve's, and I'm going to be heading into that familiar routine of comparing specs and prices for yet another major machine.
Matthew
Steve Jones
Member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2007
- Messages
- 405
And when you do buy a lathe, get a large one in case your turning projects tend to get larger and more challenging...
(The barrel was turned in sections as were wheel hubs etc)
(The barrel was turned in sections as were wheel hubs etc)
Steve, what a great job. For years I have resisted getting a lathe because of the size of my shop and because I have been afraid that I will neglect the flat work for the lathe.
Truly beautiful work and if I thought maybe I could acomplish something even close I might change my tune as well.
;D Fred
Truly beautiful work and if I thought maybe I could acomplish something even close I might change my tune as well.
;D FredDave Ronyak
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 2,234
Matthew Schenker said:
Matthew,
You can get started with one of the mini or midi lathes offered by Jet and others. Beware that may be the start of another slippery slope that will probably lead to one of those infinitely variable speed HD units that weigh ~1000 pounds or more and that will lighten your wallet a few $ thousands.
Dave R.
Rob,
I've looked at those mills every year I go to the woodworking show. They're a little out of my budget right now but looked like you could do some really nice work with it. Spirals, flutes and other stuff. There was an auction just last weekend that had one listed, but something came up and I couldn't attend. I was hoping no one else knew what it was and I could get it cheap.
I have a Jet mini now, but a large Powermatic or Oneway is on the wish list. For me, the best things about turning is you can be creative and most projects can be finished in a few hours.
Tom.
I've looked at those mills every year I go to the woodworking show. They're a little out of my budget right now but looked like you could do some really nice work with it. Spirals, flutes and other stuff. There was an auction just last weekend that had one listed, but something came up and I couldn't attend. I was hoping no one else knew what it was and I could get it cheap.
I have a Jet mini now, but a large Powermatic or Oneway is on the wish list. For me, the best things about turning is you can be creative and most projects can be finished in a few hours.
Tom.
Loren Woirhaye
Member
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2007
- Messages
- 124
I own a legacy mill. It is a cool machine. Its very messy though and
it takes a while to mill things round. There is a lot of cranking involved.
If you want to use one to make turned work I recommend you get
a lathe for roughing out your workpieces. Its far too tedious to
do it all with the mill.
Sears made a router-mill for several years and you can pick them
up on Ebay cheap. I have never used one. Its like a flimsy version
of the Legacy mill and smaller.
it takes a while to mill things round. There is a lot of cranking involved.
If you want to use one to make turned work I recommend you get
a lathe for roughing out your workpieces. Its far too tedious to
do it all with the mill.
Sears made a router-mill for several years and you can pick them
up on Ebay cheap. I have never used one. Its like a flimsy version
of the Legacy mill and smaller.
Loren Woirhaye
Member
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2007
- Messages
- 124
Yes, you can put a motor on it to turn the ACME lead screw that moves
the router along the length of the turning piece. Legacy sells one
but like everything they sell its pricey.
What you need is a little motor with a speed control and gearbox. DC
I guess. You can get these from surplus suppliers or maybe on ebay.
With a motor to turn the lead screw you can set it up to make a pass,
walk away and come back when the pass is finished. If you run the
motor slowly you could take deeper cuts and complete the work in fewer
passes.
These mills are useful for making columns and stuff like that. There is
at least one website where a guy shows how to make some motorized
jigs for the machine.
Legacy also makes some very pricey mills for industrial use. These models
are all motorized and will handle 8' tall columns. Apparently they can complete
some work faster than a CNC lathe.
Also you could make little, profitable things like Pens with a Legacy Mill.
Personally I think Barley twists are generally kind of ugly and if you want
to make nice work you should think real hard about whether you are
using the mill to do something just because you can or if the design
element serves the overall piece you are building.
If you look at the Legacy Mill website you will see a lot of work that is
gimmicky design-wise, unbalanced or sometimes downright ponderous,
pretentious or plain ugly.
I'm not playing the design maven here. Its just that when you introduce
a decorative detail you should justify its use elsewhere in the piece.
I love decorative, elaborate furniture but I have noticed that a lot of
custom work these days that takes cues fro, decorative motifs of the
past fails to capture the balance and majesty of older work.
You don't build a William and Mary highboy just by making the turned
legs accurately, you have to get the veneers right and the proportions
right too.
Its easy to get seduced by what a tool CAN do - rather than thinking in
terms of how you can use the tools you have to make beautiful,
balanced work.
the router along the length of the turning piece. Legacy sells one
but like everything they sell its pricey.
What you need is a little motor with a speed control and gearbox. DC
I guess. You can get these from surplus suppliers or maybe on ebay.
With a motor to turn the lead screw you can set it up to make a pass,
walk away and come back when the pass is finished. If you run the
motor slowly you could take deeper cuts and complete the work in fewer
passes.
These mills are useful for making columns and stuff like that. There is
at least one website where a guy shows how to make some motorized
jigs for the machine.
Legacy also makes some very pricey mills for industrial use. These models
are all motorized and will handle 8' tall columns. Apparently they can complete
some work faster than a CNC lathe.
Also you could make little, profitable things like Pens with a Legacy Mill.
Personally I think Barley twists are generally kind of ugly and if you want
to make nice work you should think real hard about whether you are
using the mill to do something just because you can or if the design
element serves the overall piece you are building.
If you look at the Legacy Mill website you will see a lot of work that is
gimmicky design-wise, unbalanced or sometimes downright ponderous,
pretentious or plain ugly.
I'm not playing the design maven here. Its just that when you introduce
a decorative detail you should justify its use elsewhere in the piece.
I love decorative, elaborate furniture but I have noticed that a lot of
custom work these days that takes cues fro, decorative motifs of the
past fails to capture the balance and majesty of older work.
You don't build a William and Mary highboy just by making the turned
legs accurately, you have to get the veneers right and the proportions
right too.
Its easy to get seduced by what a tool CAN do - rather than thinking in
terms of how you can use the tools you have to make beautiful,
balanced work.
