45 degree angle drive?

Two 90 degree gearboxes in series will allow you to set the auxiliary at any angle.

Ned Simmons

What about a front drive axle, with the CV joints? They should allow that much angle. Someone should be able to shorten the shaft if you don't find a short enough one in the salvage yard. Pete

"Ned Simmons" wrote: (clip) The aux headstock will be orientated at 45 degrees to the ways so I can hollow pieces without having to lean way over the ways of the lathe. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I assume you are aware that there are wood lathes available that allow the headstock to rotate to any angle for the reason you give. Harbor Freight sells a Chinese knockoff of the Jet 1236 with this feature, and it's pretty cheap. One of the problems you need to consider is the toolrest. When you build a 45 degree headstock, you may have trouble routing the power to it and still have the spindle close enough to the ways to reach with the banjo/toolrest.

If you can find a way to slide the existing headstock toward the foot of the lathe, you will be able to stand on the lathe axis and reach inside a bowl without leaning. If you can't move the existing headstock, how about building a headstock that mounts near the foot, and drive it with a straight shaft?

there is a wood turning NG that you may wish to follow for a while - as a person with a mid sized wood lathe (I can turn 44 inches in diameter between centers), I'd say that you may well be asking for trouble - you don't say what your current lathe is - if it's a good lathe, you may get away with this if your mounting is rigid enough (think 1/2 inch steel plate to hold it to the ways), if it's a cheap lathe, why not just get a second lathe and cut the ways off - you can get a cheap lathe for $5 to $10 if you look around.

Most persons who make a lot of bowls do not like the rotating headstock for a bunch of reasons, stability being the main one.

you may also wish to peruse the aaw web site,

and any local wood turning club (I am the webmaster at for example)

Bill

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will iam_ b_ No ble at msn daught com

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Can you rotate the headstock by 180 degrees instead and the use an auxiliary tool rest bolted to the bench?

I had assumed that all wood lathes had a double ended headstock.

regards Mark Rand RTFM

Ned had a good suggestion about using 2 90 degree gearboxes, except that I would have to drive the aux headstock with a pulley/belt setup to maintain the spindle height.

Leo suggested that I buy a chinese lathe & use the headstock. Ok, except the chinese headstocks are way too small. My lathe has a 24" swing, with 1

1/2" threads on the end of the spindle. Chinese lathes have 1x8 threads. My tool rest banjo is plenty long to support a tool rest for the aux headstock.

Pete suggested a front wheel drive axle, with constant velocity joints. Probably that is what I will do. Only problem is that it makes the aux headstock project further away from the ways than I would prefer. But still probably the best idea.

Bill Noble suggested I look at the woodturning NG. I have been turning since 1963, am a founding member of the AAW, have built 3 large lathes, demonstrated at 3 National Symposiums and all the Texas Symposiums (13 so far) and I find the Woodturning NG entertaining sometimes, but not very useful.

Mark asked if I could rotate the headstock. Nope, thus the desire for the aux headstock. And in my case, the back of the spindle has the pulleys from the drive mechanism, so in effect it is double-ended, but I cannot mount wood to the other end of the spindle.

For those who are curious to see the lathe, go to

, click on 'members web sites', then on 'James R. Johnson' and finally on 'see lathe here'.

Thanks for all who took the time to respond.

Regards, James R. Johnson

"JRJohnson" wrote: (clip) Leo suggested that I buy a chinese lathe & use the headstock. Ok, except....(clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^ What about my other suggestion, to build a headstock and mount it closer to the foot of the lathe, and use a straight shaft to drive it? No U-joints needed, and you can stand at the foot of the lathe--no leaning.

Bill

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Whoops! I missed replying to one suggestion. Leo, the foot on the tailstock end of the lathe would inhibit my feet placement, plus I carry/store my boring bars on the back side of the lathe. They are 2x2x1/4 square tubing 8 feet long. So they stick out a couple of feet past the end of the lathe directly on the right side (looking at the tailstock end). Also, there is the sliding support for my boring bar support which sticks out the end of the lathe. All this means that I cannot really put the headstock at the end, regardless of how attractive the idea is.

James

Whoops! My shop is a combination wood working, metal working, and rough bowl storage area. I simply have no room for a separate lathe.

James