Help and advice.....

[Lazurus]

 I have a 36" x3"burl slice that my good lady wants to put on a 7.2m farm table for our wedding. It's a heavy lump and I need suggestions for mounting on my vb36. I do not trust a spigot or recess for reverse turning and my biggest faceplate is only 5.5"
So is it a bigger face plate, I think yes, and your thoughts on the best way to reverse turn. It will be a platter or shallow bowl. All help appreciated.

[edbanger]

Hi Lazurus

I've got on my VB36 at this moment an Oak burr which is 26" x 6" I used a large faceplate to start with and then reversed on to a dovetail recess the piece weight about 46 kg to start with and I guess when I reversed it it must have been 42-43 kg the dovetail recess work find even took the pressure of a coring tool seem such a shame to waste the wood.

All the best

Ed

[Lazurus]

Ok dovetail it may be was it a spigot or recess that you used?

[seventhdevil]

i don't see what's wrong with a 5 1/2" faceplate.

i've turned a 29" lump 7" deep and weighing 70kg on a 6" faceplate on my jet 3520b and it was fine...

[Lazurus]

Yes perhaps I am being a bit windy........... Reverse turning on a recess or spigot, a recess would suit the design better, I think it would sit better on a flat bottom rather than a foot?

[edbanger]

Hi Lazurus

Recess so should it need to be remounted at anytime it can be

Not sure I want to put what I turned on a 6" faceplate so I would not dare put 70kg on one.

[Lazurus]

I have decided that I will need a bigger faceplate in the future so I am going to contact a local machinist to see if he can produce one for me as the factory faceplates are quite expensive, although no doubt be superb quality. I am thinking with starting from a car brake disk as the basis and having it machined to VB fixings and drilled for mounting holes etc. Anyone else tried similar?

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Yes perhaps I am being a bit windy........... Reverse turning on a recess or spigot, a recess would suit the design better, I think it would sit better on a flat bottom rather than a foot?

Lazarus better to be a bit windy and still alive. Bigger faceplates are more positive so that is what I would use.

[Lazurus]

Thanks for the replies, as I value my "good" looks a bigger faceplate will be acquired, also its too good a piece of timber to have it spinning across the shop!

S.

[seventhdevil]

is there some sort of guide that come with faceplates?

i've never seen one if there is. i used the 6" plate as it is the largest one i own and it's a solid bit of metal not the new ones from axminster that have interchangeable threads for their current 6" model.

thankfully the 70kg walnut blank was amazingly well balanced but i don't think that it would have had any problem coping with the block you wish to turn.

[Lazurus]

No guides I think I will contact the factory as I do not want to spend out on something I don't need. Thanks Steve.

[Lazurus]

Got me a shiny 200mm faceplate so good to go!