Question about wood lathe?

Question

Does anyone know when they say that the wood lathe had a 42 inch between centers it is actually 42 inches or is it less. Becasuse I want to get a lathe and want to add a 20 inch bed extension to make it 62 inches and I want to be sure that there is at least 62 inches between center so I can make newl post that are 5 ft high.

Answer 1

Distance between centers can vary slightly.
Actual length of workpiece depends on how deep you can get a spur center into the wood & if you use a cup type or ball bearing
dead center.
Have counterbored a "socket" for live center to pick up a couple of inches.
Working length of the bed rail from headstock to end would need to include length of tailstock & live & dead centers.
Basically, a 42" lathe w/ a 20" extension may not give you a 62" working length.
Go to supplier & ask if tjhey will set one up '& take measurements.
Might try a 2 piece approach esp if you have a thin tapered piece in mind.
It will not "whip" as much as a long skinny piece.
Good luck

Answer 2

Most Lathe manufacturers round down to the nearest inch the length of an object that you can turn on a lathe, so you should have 2" extra length on the lathe bed if you add a 20" extension to 42" lathe. I'm also pretty positive that you could find a very cheap lathe that measured the length of the bed instead of the longest piece of wood that can be mounted, if this is the case you likely would not be able to turn a 60" newel post on the set-up you mentioned. If you go to a store like Woodcraft or Rockler you will be able to speak to people who really know woodworking. I prefer Woodcraft.
http://woodcraft.com
http://rockler.com

Answer 3

I have an 18" Ryobi Mini Lathe and I just measured it, and using the simple headstock that came with the lathe, and fully withdrawing the adjustable tailstock you would have 19" point to point.

It sounds like this 42" is pretty important to you. I'd either measure the lathe you were planning on buying, or ask a direct question to the vendor of the lathe just to be sure you are getting one that is indeed big enough.

Answer 4

Bert had it right. Lathe chisels have long strong handles to give you the proper leverage for safety. If you didn't know this, I most strongly advise you to get some training before you mess with a wood lathe. They're safe enough if you know what you're about, but they can really bite those who don't.

Answer 5

My lathe says 36" between centers and I could prolly get 36 1/2. So my guess is you should be able to easily get 42" between centers out of the box. Does the lathe have a factory built extension? If it is custom made, just make it a bit longer.

Answer 6

I don't think it would be that big of deal to add bed extensions ..

I have an old Craftsman Lathe, the trick would be to get your tailpiece to slide across where you join the rails..

Answer 7

Wood lathe refers to the small boards that were nailed horizontally across the wall studs of a structure so that plaster could be applied and a finished ''wall'' would result. This of course all but disappeared with the invention of ''drywall'' or ''Sheetrock''.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

my record 24 has 24 inches between centres so I should think if it say 42 it means 42. That's one big project though, good luck with it.

Answer 10

your a retard