New tool for my collection: Proxxon DB250 Lathe

[trance]

I never win anything or have much luck in general, but I was chatting and playing with a friend on PlayStation, and we didn't even know each other's real names. Got chatting about woodwork, he said he had an old lathe he didn't use and sent it to me for free, My faith in humanity has been restored. I've ordered the three-jaw chuck; this is going to be a game changer, especially for masts.

 

[Y.T.]

Very good lathe. Congrats.

 

[Y.T.]

It’s useful for modeling for many different tasks but as for masts there are more efficient and historical accurate ways to make them.

 

[Jack Sparrow]

It’s useful for modeling for many different tasks but as for masts there are more efficient and historical accurate ways to make them.

I enjoy using the lathe for turning down the masts. What more efficient ways were you thinking of?

 

[Y.T.]

Many masts and spars (yards) aside of round tapering sections also have octagon sections. Octagon spars are first made of square stock dowels with small plane. Tapering of the spar is also achieved with the wood plane. To make a round sections on this spar I simply secure one end of dowel into my electric drill chuck. Holding drill in right hand I take a piece of sandpaper in the other hand and shape the spar as required. I use different grits of sandpaper finishing with finer ones. Portions of a spar where I want to keep an octagon section profile I tape with masking tape. I have caliper handy to check diameters as work progresses. I do not see how a wood late can be useful to do this work.

 

[Jack Sparrow]

Many masts and spars (yards) aside of round tapering sections also have octagon sections. Octagon spars are first made of square stock dowels with small plane. Tapering of the spar is also achieved with the wood plane. To make a round sections on this spar I simply secure one end of dowel into my electric drill chuck. Holding drill in right hand I take a piece of sandpaper in the other hand and shape the spar as required. I use different grits of sandpaper finishing with finer ones. Portions of a spar where I want to keep an octagon section profile I tape with masking tape. I have caliper handy to check diameters as work progresses. I do not see how a wood late can be useful to do this work.

Thanks for the info.