lathe duplicator?

[woodhick]

looking to purchase a Vega lathe duplicator.  Anyone have one and some input?

[SwampDonkey]

I don't want to discourage you from getting one, but have you tried making templates? Draw the outline on two apposing sides on your stock. Give'r a spin and see the shape come to life. Way cheaper, but unless your doing a lot of turning off that pattern, it will take your time to make the templates. If your turning a lot of stair case spindles a template is great. I've used one on table legs and they all came out a perfect match. Takes a steady hand and don't rush. ;)

[IMERC]

looking to purchase a Vega lathe duplicator.  Anyone have one and some input?

I have one...
it now collects dust most of the time...
I do the template method...

[woodhick]

Your template method makes sense.  Do you make a hard template similart to a plexiglass one that you would use on a duplicator and them mark both edges of two opposing sides?  Just trying to get exactly how you do it.   I could see where that would be quicker.

[logwalker]

I must be dense, I can't figure out how that works. Do you have an explanation? Joe

[SwampDonkey]

Usually make the template out of a piece of thin stock, quarter inch thick or so. I've seen a wall full of templates before when I was in a shop run by a couple brothers. Everything imaginable to turn a shape.

Logwalker a template is basically a flat piece of stock, thickness of a wooden yard stick or a little thicker. It has the profile of the turning your going to make. Think of it as a thin board cut out of the centre of a table leg. The outside edges has the shape of the table leg. Best to make your stock to the width of the template, or vise vera. You slap that on your square piece of turning stock and trace the outline, flip the stock to the opposing face and trace the other side. When it turns on the lathe that drawn trace looks like 3-D and you just cut away the waste material with your turning tools. Works great.  8)

[HOOF-ER]

Wow , I have to try that one , thanks guys. I draw the marks on and use calipers. Your way sounds great.

[DR Buck]

Usually make the template out of a piece of thin stock, quarter inch thick or so. I've seen a wall full of templates before when I was in a shop run by a couple brothers. Everything imaginable to turn a shape.

Logwalker a template is basically a flat piece of stock, thickness of a wooden yard stick or a little thicker. It has the profile of the turning your going to make. Think of it as a thin board cut out of the centre of a table leg. The outside edges has the shape of the table leg. Best to make your stock to the width of the template, or vise vera. You slap that on your square piece of turning stock and trace the outline, flip the stock to the opposing face and trace the other side. When it turns on the lathe that drawn trace looks like 3-D and you just cut away the waste material with your turning tools. Works great.  8)

Pictures !!    I'd like to see a picture of the template marking method as to how to lay it out and mark it.

[SwampDonkey]

I've got this thread in mind, when I start on my phone table legs I'm making. Pictures then. Coming soon to this thread.  ;D

[SwampDonkey]

Ok, here I have drawn up a template based on a leg I turned before hand. I cut the shape out on the bandsaw (top piece of wood). If you wanted to you could also create the reverse image to use as a gauge on your turning stock to check your alignment and cutting depth. The template side is the positive profile. Here I used a pencil crayon, a pencil leaves to0 fine a line to see it.



Here you can see some lines I drew on the turning stock: 1) where square edge left uncut, 2) high points that come to near the surface and 3) low points I need to use a parting tool on to make a V-groove.



After I marked my centres and mounted my stock, I turn the piece shaving off to the outline of the pattern. I shave off the low points and taper to the high points. Once I do that I can also shade in the low points with my pencil crayon to shave off that much deeper, in this case probably another 1/2" of material. I like to leave my high points to the end to taper and round out as well as the V - grooves which I will cut before rounding the beads.



How we doing so far? ;D

I take my calipers out to check diameter when I'm getting handy to the right shape. The template isn't going to get you to the end product, but will help a lot along the way. If you have the negative of the template you can hold it over the centre of the stock to see how things line up to. If you had the right software or technique you could draw your template, not of the final profile but with an exaggerated profile to account for the diagonal dimension. But you'll still need the calipers to check the valleys as the lines disappear once the flat face is rounded off. In my piece, one end and a middle section will remain square. You have to be careful when rounding the corners when you taper to the square part, not to go to far and cut too deep. Baby steps, barely touch it and know where the point of contact is on your gouge. Delicate, like painting a portrait. :D There is an art to this you know. ;D



We're getting there, just have to cut the V and round out to the left of the middle square section.




Who said it can't be done. I have not sanded the legs yet and there are some shavings still clinging like dog doo. Just about perfect I'd say. 

[SwampDonkey]

Well, the first two weren't just a fluke.



;)

The plank that these legs came from had a pith down the middle and cupped and checked near the pith. Didn't turn out too bad. The grain was straight at least. There is one knot just on the surface of the first leg. It didn't seem to cause any fits when turning through it so I think she's good for the duration. ;D

[pigman]

SwampDonk, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you had the template backwards causing the legs to be upside down. ;) ;D

[SwampDonkey]

You just wanted me to stand them top heavy so they would fall over, now didn't ya? :D

You fellas are so used to being lied to so much that you gave up on believing anyone that knows a little bit to start with. ;) :D

[woodsteach]

Great job teaching SD, 

thank you

woodsteach