I finished my first cork grip today on my new lathe. Posted a picture on the photo site. Had alot of fun and the grip is usable so im happy. Not perfect but im happy. Learned alot and still have alot to learn. Have a couple questions regarding lathe setup. Should my tailstock be spinning at the same speed as the mandrel? It was only spinning a little bit. I had some masking tape on mandrel at head stock to act as a buffer and i noticed as i dialed in tail stock that the mandrel would slip a little on that masking tape. I reduced tape to one revolution on mandrel and that allowed me to tighten it down more but tail stock still wasnt spinning at same speed as mandrel. Just trying to firgure out what the proper tension is. Also, what is the proper way to apply wood filler for filling small crevices after the grip has been shaped and sanded? I tried applying it with a damp paper towel while the grip was spinning but it didnt work too well. After that i used my fingers to work it in the voids then cleaned up with a damp paper towel. Would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks, Mark

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1. The tailstock live center should indeed be turning at the same number of revolutions as the headstock chuck. If not, the live center is slipping inside of the mandrel bore. This is likely because your mandrel has slipped in a bit and removed proper tension against the live center.

2. Put just a wrap or two of tape on the mandrel where it fits into the chuck. Then, wrap a larger band of tape next to that to act as a shoulder and keep the tailstock pressure from pushing the mandrel towards and into the chuck.

3. Apply wood putty before the grip is finished to the final shape and size. The grip should not be spinning. Just press it in with your finger or a popsicle stick, allowing it to just stand proud of the surrounding grip surface. Let dry, and then finish sanding the grip.

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Mark,

That grip is outstanding for your first attempt. You have set the standard really high for your future grips!

A beautiful grip! Thanks for sharing.

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

Definitely a nice job, would never know it was you first

Ron Weber

For your first Heck they will only get better It is going to be hard to beat that
Very nice

Bill - willierods.com

Thanks everyone! I'm hooked! Tom, ill make some adustments on my lathe. Mark

I added a masking tape shoulder on the mandrel to keep it from slipping. That definitely helped but i kept having to tighten tail stock. Is this common? I think ill take tape off and clean mandrel then put tape back on. May have some wax on it in that area. Also, I felt a few mild shocks from the machine when i got my arm close to the metal. Is that common? Not sure if the rotation of the machine creates that or if something is wrong. thanks, mark

Mark,
If you felt a few mild shocks when the machine was not running, you have an issue with the grounding of the machine.

If you do not get any shocks with the machine running but nothing touching the spinning parts on the machine, you have an issue with the grounding on the machine.

But, if you do not get any shocks with the machine turned off, or if the machine is running but nothing is touching any of the spinning parts; but you do get a shock if you are actually sanding or touching spinning parts on the machine, this is likely perfectly normal. If you only get shocks when you are touching spinning parts with tools or with sand paper or similar - you are simply discharging electricity that is being accumulated on the spinning parts from the contact of a tool, sandpaper or cloth. When you touch the lathe, you are then discharging the piece.

If the last item is the way that you are getting a shock, put on an electrostatic discharge band on your wrist, and connect a wire from the electrostatic discharge band to the metal on the lathe. Now, your body will be kept at the same electrical potential of the spinning parts and you will no longer get any electrostatic shocks from touching a spinning part.

p.s.
I get the same shocks on my lathe under certain conditions of heat, humidity, and material being turned, along with the specific tool being used for turning. If the conditions are perfect so that I am getting a steady string of shocks, I will just keep one hand on the lathe as I am working. That way, the charge will never build up, but my body will continue to drain away the electricity before it can build up.


Here is an example of an electrostatic wrist band with a wire and grounding clip. Attach the band to your non favored wrist. The non favored wrist will be the wrist that you use the least when doing lathe work.
i.e. if you are right handed, then attach the strap to your left wrist. The reason for this is that generally speaking the non favored wrist will be further from your work piece. You don't want to get a wire tangled up in your spinning lathe.
Then, just clip the wire onto the metal frame or bed of the lathe to keep the static discharged.

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A very convenient way to stay discharged is to use an anti static mat in front of your lathe. Then, connect a grounding strap to your anti static mat to your lathe bond. Then, either use a grounding strap on your shoes, to pick up the ground, or wear conductive shoes.

For years, when I worked in the electronics industry working daily with semi conductors which were very subject to static discharge, I as well as all of my coworkers wore electrostatic shoes.
Then, all of the floors in the labs where we worked had conductive floors. Thus, since the floors were conductive, and the shoes that we wore were conductive, any static that was built up in our bodies by clothing rubbing on our bodies, or by feet sliding across a piece of carpet would be discharged just as soon as we entered the grounded conductive floors.

p.s.
A really excellent job in designing, constructing and finishing your grip. Nice, nice work.

Roger, Great info. Learning alot. Thanks Alot, Mark