Why doesn't someone make .......

[Graham]

A banjo / toolrest combo with rack and pinion gearing ( or something ) for precise movement of tool rest height ? Got to be better than the 'Golden Shot' approach.

[John]

Hi I have three lathes and 9 different tool rests I swap them around as required. If they had a rack and pinion system this would make it very time consuming to change rests
Why do you need the fine setting a millimeters either way wont make any difference to the turning. Just vary your tool angle slightly, I do this without thinking.
John

[Bryan Milham]

Now if I could have anything different on a lathe, I'd go for a power winder on the tail-stock.

2 speeds, slow in for drilling, fast out for getting it wound back quickly, those little wheels are a pain!

[Paul Hannaby]

You could always add a compound slide to your lathe but it would just mean it took longer to adjust the rest!

[edbanger]

Or you could buy a metalworking lathe

[bodrighywood]

You can get one Graham if you go for one of these type of lathes. My friend has one which has a motorised bed, turns up to 8' over the outside and I think it is about 14' along the bed. The tool rest can be moved up or down by jacking it up not just pulling. Cost you a bit more than your average lathe though and you would need a larger workshop.

Pete

[Graham]

You can get one Graham if you go for one of these type of lathes. My friend has one which has a motorised bed, turns up to 8' over the outside and I think it is about 14' along the bed. The tool rest can be moved up or down by jacking it up not just pulling. Cost you a bit more than your average lathe though and you would need a larger workshop.

Pete

Just the job. I might get two of those and keep one just for Sundays 

[Les Symonds]

...... you would need a larger workshop......

I could put my whole workshop on that lathe.

Les

[Graham]

...... you would need a larger workshop......

I could put my whole workshop on that lathe.

Les

look on the bright side. You could 'turn' your workshop so it faced the sun

[happy amateur]

Graham

I can't remember who but a demonstrator had collars made up or made his own, can't remember.
Different heights which he used on the stem between the rest and the banjo.
Sounds a bit fiddly to me but for him it worked.

Fred

[john taylor]

I use jubilee clips on the tool posts so it is much quicker to adjust them and they are always at the correct height.

john

[Graham]

But John, surely the correct height varies according to the tool you are using. Though it would give a good base line for quicker adjustment.

[MCB]

But John, surely the correct height varies according to the tool you are using. Though it would give a good base line for quicker adjustment.

I  have a few (large) washers that support the tool rest above the banjo

It's very easy to add or remove one to make minor adjustments to the height

MCB

[bodrighywood]

It is beginning to sound as if the height of the tool rest is an exact science. As long as your tools are attacking the wood at a safe height a few mm here or there don't matter a jot. How far away from the wood is far more important. The only time I start getting as precise as some of you are sounding is when I hollow out my goblets with a spindle gouge and want to go straight to the centre.

pete

[Bryan Milham]

I'm with Pete,

I've seen a couple of people use things they can slide over their tool post for setting exact centre but never for general turning.

In fact and as I've said before, modern lathes toolrests come so that they can't be lowered much past centre height, really only useful for scraping cutting. Which is why I had a couple of toolrests made when I bought my new lathe.

I can see how a rack and pinion might be useful for for some people to adjust the toolrest height but not a static set height, you'd need a different toolpost for each tool!