log lathe tailstock

**revid** · Apr 18, 2017, 07:32 AM

wondering if anyone has made or has plans for a tailstock that I can use or modify for a homemade log lathe?

Ed · Apr 18, 2017, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by revid

wondering if anyone has made or has plans for a tailstock that I can use or modify for a homemade log lathe?

Hi revid, I don't know if mine will help you or not, I don't have plans or such as my lathe build was made "ad-hoc" if you know what I mean. Here is a link to my thread on a log lathe build in a welding forum that I belong to. It may give you some ideas for your tailstock build. The tail stock section is from Pic 31-40 which is about 3/4 of the way though the thread. Hope it helps.

Cheers
Ed.

Built a wood lathe - lots of pics. | MIG Welding Forum

**woodnut** · Apr 18, 2017, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by revid

wondering if anyone has made or has plans for a tailstock that I can use or modify for a homemade log lathe?

hi,
in my opinion,it would be far cheaper to buy a lathe tailstock on Ebay,ETC.
Than it would be to have one made.
I do not know how big the logs will be,that you want to turn?
But if you can get your hands on a large engineering lathe tailstock,and adjust the height with the use of an adapted wooden block,to the same centre height as your headstock,it should handle the logs you want to turn.
Just one other thing i have found,works well.
If you bolt your lathe to a solid floor with chemical bolts & put a hard rubber mat under the headstock & tailstock (lathe in one piece).
It greatly reduces the vibration caused by a heavy lathe.(I have a wadkin RS 10 feet long).

hope this helps!

**jpjjmm** · Apr 18, 2017, 03:31 PM

I don't have one built yet so anything I say is just theory at this point. I have some large logs I want to turn. They are about 5' long and about 1' in diameter. One of them has been hollowed out by animals. I intend to make a guest book stand out of it by turning the outside, putting a top and bottom on it and putting a clear finish on the whole thing. My log is from a catalpa tree that had been in our front yard for at least 50 years.

Now to your question. Somewhere I saw a lath a guy built using the spindle from a small compact car. My idea is to use two of them, one for each end. Make some angle iron brackets and lag both them to an old railroad tie. The head stock will just have a home made pulley driven by what ever I come up with for a motor and speed reduction scheme. I intend to fasten a round piece of 3/4" plywood to each end of the log and make mounting holes in the plywood that will match the lugs on the hubs. I intend to run the logs very slow and will machine them using a homemade guide to which I will a standard router to face off the bark and get down to the nice wood underneath. I have used this method on smaller similar projects and it has worked very well. Once I get the log like I want it I will take my belt sander and clean up the log after which I will use my orbital sander and get the finish surface like I want it.

As I mentioned I did a project similar to this some time ago only it was somewhat smaller. It was about 10" in diameter and about 4' long. It was made up of many small boards I made out of old pallet wood which was then cleaned up and shaped with bird's mouth joints on one side then all glued together like a ships mast. It came out very nice and when finished it looked like a very nice piece of furniture.

Jerry

**revid** · Apr 18, 2017, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by Ed.

Hi revid, I don't know if mine will help you or not, I don't have plans or such as my lathe build was made "ad-hoc" if you know what I mean. Here is a link to my thread on a log lathe build in a welding forum that I belong to. It may give you some ideas for your tailstock build. The tail stock section is from Pic 31-40 which is about 3/4 of the way though the thread. Hope it helps.

Cheers
Ed.

Built a wood lathe - lots of pics. | MIG Welding Forum

Nice job Ed.In pics 4 & 5,what did you use to make those two pieces? In pic 8 I am guessing that once you turn handle that pushes one rod thorough the other. I see you use a live center on end,whet did you use on the headstock? My lathe turn very slow, I have a planer head mounted on a carriage that travels the length of the log,cutting as it goes.I have the carriage controller via speed controller and relays. Its the same carriage that I use to travel my bandsaw which is mounted on it,I just turn the speed down on carriage.I have a gear reduction to turn the logs and have a 5 hp electric 3450 rpm motor to "plane" the logs round. My main issue is getting something for a tailstock that once I lock it in place I need something that will push tailstock into log and keep it there. I am thinking about a ram from a horizontal hydraulic jack.That way once its lock I just crank the handle and push tailstock forward into log.What do you think?? I also like the idea of side axles with pillow block bearings but how to push center into log?