My wife bought me a Craftsman lathe yesterday after hearing me gripe about wanting a lathe for years. Anyway, I have never use one before, and I have a question. The main thing I will use the lathe for is to turn grips (usually poured foam) into the proper diameter for use on my rods. Is there some abrasion tool or attachment for the tool bed that I can use to ensure exact and consistent diameter? I don't think holding sandpaper by hand while the foam is turning will give me the precision I want.

Thanks,
CC

Make yourself a sanding block with a piece of wood and sandpaper.

You really need to read some of the articles we've done on turning.

To keep the cylinder concentric with the bore you need to cut, not sand, the cylinder. For cork or rigid foam, a half round scraper held on the tool rest is all you need. Finish work can then be done with sandpaper.

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Thanks Jim. Tom, where can I find these articles?

RodMaker Magazine - there have been several.

The book, Rod Building Guide, by Amato Publications, also has a chapter on turning cork and foam grips.

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Coy,
If you don't already have one, purchase a good caliper.
I prefer a digital or at least one with a dial on the caliper. It makes the unit much easier to read.
A good caliper will be able to measure to at least .001 inch with consistent results.

When using the lathe, stop the lathe frequently, as you are nearing your design goal and measure, measure, and measure.

Take care
Roger

Complete set for $10.00. -- Click on this website:

[www.harborfreight.com]

Rena

Just remember with lathe tools you get what you pay for. These may turn foam but I would be leery on wood.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

I'm with Freddy! I would really shy away from them

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Rena,
I have used these as a starter set and they work just fine.
As time goes by and if you get into heavy duty wood turning, you will likely opt for some better tools.
However, to start, and to learn basic techniques, these will do very well.

One thing that is very very important with any lathe turning equipment and that is to keep your tools razor sharp.

I use a belt sander to touch up the tools as needed. By using 300 or 400 grit paper on the sanding belt, it only takes a second or two to put a razor edge back on your turning tool.

Take care
Roger

Coy, I have a craftmans lathe I bought a few years ago. It was on the floor a long time and I made them an offer they couldn't refuse. It is a heavy duty lathe and is great for bowls, and other large items. It did not turn fast enough for polishing pens and I still use a smaller lathe for polishing. I know nothing about turning foam grips, but I did buy the Harbor Freight tools mentioned earlier. They worked fine for soft porus woods and may work for foam. They did not hold up turning the exotic hardwood. You can look at Penn State industries or talk to the guys at woodturningz.com for quality tools.

Good Turning - Chip

Coy, I thought I had a good amount of lathe experience after growing up with a father who was a high school shop teacher. That was until I read the book on Rod Building by Tom K, and picking up a copy of A Dear's DVD on lathe use. I would get my hands on both the book and DVD. Everything you need to know is explained very well and covered completely. I got my DVD from Anglers Workshop and the book from one of the big on line places, and I'm sure a good portion of the sponsors to the left carry it also. I think your gona get bit by the turning bug and will move on to wood like most of us have!