Lathe Headstock Extender to Machine Larger Diameters.

[Me2]

Hi all, I did a modification a number of years ago to extend the swing capability of my lathe from 330mm turning diameter to around 700mm turning diameter without physically modifying the lathe to achieve this. It was completed a number of years ago and has allowed me to do jobs I wouldn't have otherwise been able to do given the physical restrictions of the lathe. With very limited space in my shop I like to be able to adapt my existing gear to do work that does push the boundaries of its design capabilities. I do my due diligence on this type of design and run the numbers to ensure everything runs within a safe margin to avoid any stress/strain or damage. A VFD is a requirement on this particular setup to allow a timed acceleration rate of around 5 seconds to be quickly programmed in to avoid any strain on the headstock gearing. Being able to turn up Turret Extenders for my mill and rear wheels for Traction Engines can all be done in house very easily.
Cam

[DIYer]

Thanks Me2! We've added your Lathe Headstock Extender to our Lathe Accessories category,
as well as to your builder page: Me2's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Lathe Headstock Extender by Me2

tags: lathe

[marksbug]

great work!!!Ive been thinking about making some risers for my small lathe to raise the headstock&tailstock...someday..or ...not. I may just leep an eye out for a bigger heaver lathe. keep up the good work!!

[Tooler2]

Congratulations on a clever idea I have never seen before. It is nice when one does not have to damage a machine to accomplish a big difference in capability.
Rob

[TrickieDickie]

Impressive

[Toolmaker51]

Epic, on at least three levels.
Aside being an out-of-the-sphere [per Frank S] re-thinking to increase lathe swing.
An hour and a quarter of full on viewing, real content of development and build.
And NO commercials.

[Frank S]

Epic, on at least three levels.
Aside being an out-of-the-sphere [per Frank S] re-thinking to increase lathe swing.
An hour and a quarter of full on viewing, real content of development and build.
And NO commercials.

Hey now, I have been thinking that I may need to construct one of these for my 54inch American to say 108 inches with a 20 inch through hole with a double ended spindle ought to be just about large enough I should think.
No seriously all kidding aside I thought this was a great build. Years ago I mounted a pair of 6" lead bearing pillow blocks on the top of my W&S #5 turret lathe so I could hang a 48" diameter face plate on it with a 6 inch shaft to turn some brake drums for a draw works used on an oil drilling rig the tricky part was in setting up a tool holder mounted to 2 of the turret faces offset nearly 18 inches outboard of the turret center and 15 inches above where the normal centerline was.
I'm a firm believer that you can do almost anything you set your mind to accomplish but having a massive hunk of IRON at my disposal helped

[Toolmaker51]

Yep Frank S; ingenuity, creativity and capability are important. But the greatest resource is a foundation, such as a massive hunk of iron.

[Frank S]

Yep Frank S; ingenuity, creativity and capability are important. But the greatest resource is a foundation, such as a massive hunk of iron.

It helps to have a limited vocabulary sometimes.
like not knowing what the word can't means

[olderdan]

Excellent job and a very good video, I cant add much more to the praise you have had so far.
This reminds me of a similar idea by Myfordboy for turning the flywheels of his model engines

.
He went the casting route but then he is a prolific metal caster.