Mini lathe for mast making etc.

[Charlie pal]

Hello all, happy new year…hope all are well

…can anyone recommend a beginners mini wood lathe for making masts etc.

was leaning toward the harbor freight lathe.

 ……thanks…..Charlie

[Landlubber Mike]

Proxxon DB250 would be a better bet in my opinion.

[Moonbug]

I have a Proxxon - it’s very user friendly and works like a champ. 

[Jaager]

If you are only going to use it for spars and are not content to use the hand tool - square to octagon etc. method,  all that is needed is a motor to turn the stock.  If working the stock directly without a tool post or tool rest, a 1/2" drill will turn the stock.

Just build a jig to hold the drill on its back.  Another jig to hold an upright stick with a ball bearing race can support the distant end.

Unlike the sort of small lathe that you are evaluating, which will have a way that is shorter than most masts, a drill jig can have any length of one piece way up to 8 feet.  Ball bearing races come in a wide variety of ID  and shims can make up the difference.

[Charlie pal]

Thank you all for your input as I am a novice in this regard. Since I am 75, kind of leaning toward the easier option, which seems to be the proxxon db250.

[rvchima]

Charlie,

Try using an electric hand drill/screwdriver at its highest speed for short masts and yards. You may want to clamp it to a bench and find a way to lock the trigger.

 

Leave a little extra material on one or both ends for the chuck. Use coarse sandpaper for rough shaping and a sanding block for final.

 

Experiment with some scrap and see what you think. I've made all my masts and yards for several models that way, except with a drill press.

 

 

[Dziadeczek]

If the bed of your lathe is too short for your masts/spars, turn them in sections, drill holes on both ends (also on the lathe) and insert short pegs there and connect them (wood glue) together. If both pieces are the same thickness, you won't see the connection.

[LyleK1]

45 minutes ago, Charlie pal said:

Thank you all for your input as I am a novice in this regard. Since I am 75, kind of leaning toward the easier option, which seems to be the proxxon db250.

 

22 minutes ago, Dziadeczek said:

If the bed of your lathe is too short for your masts/spars, turn them in sections, drill holes on both ends (also on the lathe) and insert short pegs there and connect them (wood glue) together. If both pieces are the same thickness, you won't see the connection.

One of the nice things about the Proxxon lathe is that a hole runs through one of the stocks and out of the unit. It can be very handy for longer stocks.

I love mine!

Edited January 20, 2022 by LyleK1

[DelF]

+1 for the Proxxon - I wouldn't be without it. If you go for it I would recommend you consider the optional 3-jaw chuck. The collets supplied with the lathe are fine, but the chuck makes setting up quicker and easier. You can also get a bed extension, but I've never needed it - as @LyleK1 says the hollow headstock allows you to turn any length.

[wefalck]

11 hours ago, rvchima said:

Try using an electric hand drill/screwdriver at its highest speed for short masts and yards. You may want to clamp it to a bench and find a way to lock the trigger. ...

I would strongly advice against using 'highest speed' in an electric drill, when the outboard end is unsupported. A slight bend or imbalance in the material can result in a serious whip-lash effect and inflict injuries in you ... 😲

 

BTW, once you have a lathe, you will find hundreds of uses besides just turning spars.

[baydreamer]

Proxxon is invaluable.  Drill will work, and is a cheaper option.  But the Proxxxon gets better results.

[Charlie pal]

Hello again,

  can anyone recommend a small set of carbide turning tools for the proxxon mini lathe?

[DelF]

I use these. Not sure if they would be available where you are?

 

[oldmate]

Proxxon all the way! You are not limited in length as it is a through the heaad stock by using collets. Love mine for any small turnings.

Ric

[Landlubber Mike]

I used to have a Proxxon DB250, but sold it to buy a Sherline lathe to be able to turn metal and have more flexibility for turning projects in general (larger sized, etc.).  The Proxxon was a really nice tool though.  It made turning the masts and spars on my Badger a breeze.  

 

There is a hole that goes through the headstock so longer pieces are not necessarily a problem.  I'm not sure of the diameter of that hole though.  If that's what Proxxon refers to as the spindle bore, then that hole is 13/32" or 10mm.  It might be too small if you are looking to turn a mast of a larger model (remember, it's a circle, so you won't be able to turn square stock that is 10mm x 10mm).  It's been a while, but I think that may have been another reason I upgraded to a Sherline.  

 

You can deal with that potentially by buying the extended bed for the Proxxon so you are not relying on the hole in the headstock.  The only thing I'm not sure about is whether there is a way to steady a longer piece on the extended bed so that it doesn't deflect out when you are applying tools.  This is the steady rest Sherline sells for its lathe to give an idea of what I'm talking about.  I haven't had the need to use it yet, but you see how the brass bars keep the stock from deflecting too much when applying cutting tools - particularly where the stock is very thin and has flex to it.

 

 

Overall, I think for the vast majority of kits, the Proxxon is just fine.  If you find the need to turn a larger diameter piece, you could always pre-shape the square stock into an octagon using a jig and small hand plane, and then use the Proxxon.

 

Hope that helps.

 

[harlequin]

this is what i use....minicraft drill with lathe attachment.....i purchased two extra long stainless steel rods to accommodate larger masts and spars as the standard bars are not long enough....not produced anymore but always to be found on ebay.. 

Edited February 23, 2022 by harlequin

[Roger Pellett]

Mike,

 

This is not specifically about turning spars as I find shaping them by hand square, octagonal, round to be preferred.

 

The steady rest that you show (I have one too) is a fixed steady.  It is clamped at a fixed location on the lathe bed.  To turn long thin members that deflect from side forces of the cutting tool you need a traveling steady that clamps to the cross slide.  With a traveling steady “upstream” of the cutting tool and some sort of follower rigged up to guide the cutting tool it would be possible to shape masts.  The traveling steady would not work for yards as they taper in two directions.

 

Roger

[Landlubber Mike]

Sorry, thanks Roger for the clarification.  Sherline also make a follower rest which clamps on the saddle/cross-slide and does exactly what Roger says:

 

[Jaager]

On 2/23/2022 at 8:34 AM, Landlubber Mike said:

This is the steady rest Sherline sells for its lathe

Rather than have the wood friction turn at the brass bars, the bars could hold a ball bearing race. They come in a wide range of ID and OD.

[wefalck]

Ball-bearings are a good idea, also, when working with metal.

 

Mechanics of old sometimes made make-shift steadies just from a piece of thick cardboard into which a suitable hole has been punched or drilled. As the diameter decreases, you will have to use a new cardboard with a smaller hole. This makeshift 'steady' could also be screwed to the follower steady.

[tkay11]

3 hours ago, wefalck said:

Mechanics of old sometimes made make-shift steadies just from a piece of thick cardboard into which a suitable hole has been punched or drilled.

To firm up the cardboard, you can also soak the edges with cyanoacrylate glue.

 

Tony