New Lathe for Handicapped Access and Seated Turning for Whatever Reason

That is awesome.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Very specialized.
There are times I could take a seat at the lathe, and often do.
What I would like to see them come up with is a head that rotates away from the ways like the old Reeves pulley models did 25 years ago.
Now that would be progress!

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Very good, no it’s GREAT! It has been needed. Thanks for finding and sharing this with us Mot.

-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,

Oh how I wish we’d been excited by this long ago… but it’s never to late. Bravo to Oneway. This makes me very happy. Thanks for passing this along Mot!

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Vincent Van Gogh

I’m not even a beginner with a lathe…

What good would a rotating head be? What applications or limitations?

Doesn’t seem to make any sense to me.

Great looking lathe.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Bob, I’m not following you. The picture is the pivoting head stock. Does a rotating head stock move with the ways? I’m lost. Would that be to allow for some hollowing while faceplate is still installed after doing some bottom work? Still lost.

markrules: if it’s as described in Bob’s link, the headstock turning like that allows for faceplate work beyond the capacity of the lathe. Also, by rotating 22.5 degrees, you can do more hollowing without reaching so much over the bed to present the gouge at an affective angle of attack.

However, Bob may be speaking of something different.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

“I’m not even a beginner with a lathe…What good would a rotating head be? What applications or limitations?
Doesn’t seem to make any sense to me.”

Hi Mark:

The largest advantage of a pivoting head is to present the inside surface of a vessel more directly to the operator. Without this swivel the operator must either lean into and over the ways or in some cases actually straddle them to get both acess and purchase on the hollowing tools.
Some lathes provide for an out rigging on the opposite end of the head to accomodate some hollowing or over sized turnings but a swivel head is by far the best.

I am over 6 feet and find that most lathes are about 4-5 inches too low for comfort for me so that lower position would only be an advantage if I were to sit for part of the shaping.

I hope this gives you some more insight into the situation Mark.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

So, not to be stupid, but pivoting headstock and rotating headstock are thus, synonymous? So rotating AWAY from the bed would allow for some work adjacent to the faceplate and then rotating towards the operator would allow for eventual unencumbered hollowing. I think I’m following. Man I must be tired. I just cut my thumb on something while re sawing and it’s starting to throb. Must be bedtime.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Hi Mot.
Pivoting should have been the operative word as it best defines the actual movement.

In many cases the rest must be accomodated by a separate station that moves around to follow the head and is mounted on the floor.

The pic is ancient but shows how it is used.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Gotcha.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Now THAT is a lathe!

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

Do I have to be handicap to want one of these? I would love to sit down every now and then. That’s a pretty awesome lathe posted by Bob. Is that his shop? Anyone notice the cool scroll saw in the back?

-- Steffen

that lathe can be used standing or swivelled down for sitting?
That seems like a GREAT idea

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

That face plate looks like it was set up for turning wheels or gears or the like.
Can you imagine waddling up to that piece of iron with a couple of hundreds pounds spinning off the plate!

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

I don’t like it. All I can think of is if that wood comes off…I’m sitting down. It’s hard to run or get out of the way in a sitting position. That means it is going to hit me in the upper chest or head instead of gut or a near miss.

Well, if I weren’t able to stand I’d be happier than Winni the Pooh in a vat of honey to have one.

-- Jesus is Lord!