HF 34706 need a few extra inches?

[JDuke]

I have a HF 34706 lathe, and would like to turn some chair legs that are a little longer than the 34" that this lathe is capable of.

I have thought of drilling and tapping my workpiece to thread directly onto the drive threads but that only gets me to about 36" and I would like to get closer to 38-40"

I know I could turn 2 pieces and glue them together, but for something that takes dynamic force like a chair back leg I don't think that would stand up.

Any suggestions?

I'm already watching Craigslist for a bigger lathe, but they don't come up very often in east Texas.

Duke

[Angus]

Do you have metal working tools? A torch, maybe a welder, if so you could make a bed extension that bolts on to the end of the lathe and you could use the existing tailstock. People have also built extensions out of wood.

the key is to keep the drive center and live center in alignment. Since it's spindle work I don't think it would have to be dead on but for sure the closer the better

[clovishound]

I don't see why a properly glued up tenon wouldn't be plenty strong enough. The joint could easily be hidden by detail like a bead or cove or some such.

[Arlin Eastman]

You can make a 2" tendon on one end and 2 1/8 on the other one and glue them together. The 1/8" is for glue and I know it will hold.

If you are still worried you can put the tendon on the upper 1/3 or lower 1/3 of the leg whichever has the least amount of stress. Also the 1/3 can be a contrasting wood which will make it look better.

Arlin

[iclark]

The East Texas Woodturners Association is an AAW chapter that meets in Tyler TX on 2nd Saturdays on the Tyler Junior College West Campus. They appear to have 125 members.

I would be very surprised if a number of the members would not be willing to let you turn those 2 spindles on their lathe.

That would be a great way for you to try out other lathes as candidates for your next upgrade.

I can not recommend strongly enough the advantages of joining a woodturning club if you have one available to you. It is so much easier to learn from seeing someone do something than it is from reading or from videos.

[JDuke]

I do have a welder and may go that route although I would probably be better having a local shop do it, as my welding isn't great.

Iclark thanks for the heads up about the wood turning club, I may have to take one of the kids and check it out.

As for the tenon idea, I'm doing a simple Appalachian style country chair that's a copy of one from my childhood it's pretty simple legs so not much to hide joints in.

Duke

[Ruler2112]

I have the Delta 46-460 and got frustrated at not having enough length to turn tool handles. I built an extension out of laminate and it's worked well so far; just bolted it onto the end of the lathe bed. Might be something you want to consider, though I don't remember if the 34706 has holes in the end or not... sold mine a couple years back.

[MichaelMouse]

Remote mount of the tailstock. I've done 8' with a Delta 46-2XX series. If you're on steel legs rather than a flat table where you can build a proper elevation mount for the tail, consider a flat table.