Hi, new member here. I am trying to put together a diy lathe with which I can turn a grip on the blank. I have seen a number of builds using various rollers. Several members here have recommended cable guides used in aerospace applications, but did not specify what they are. I looked around and figured out that they are called "sheaves". They are probably of higher quality than garage door casters, and don't cost much more $. Also thinner than skate bearings.

My question is this: Is there any reason I cannot just use a bearing bracketed on threaded rods as a tailstock, and then run the blank through it? I would probably snug it in there with rubber tape. I could mount a self-aligning bearing in a bored hole, or I could use a pillow block bearing. This would seem like a simpler solution than mounting three or four rollers (like in the Flex Coat lathe).

Thanks

Justin,
In a nutshell, your method does not leave the user a convenient way to get a nice centered fit of the blank in its support.

Yes, I understand what you are doing, and it will work in a makeshift fashion. But, not a really effective way to properly support your rod.

However, you can use a trio of skate board bearings to absolutely support your rod perfectly. I have done many many grips on full length rod blanks using this method. I just make a point to do a triple masking tape wrap on the blank, wherever a bearing support is being used.

I used the following design which has been used by many many builders across the country to do high speed lathe work with no fear of the rod ever coming loose.

Also, these rod rests are a very inexpensive build, since I just use aluminum from the surplus aluminum yard and the skate board ball bearings are something like 50 cents each when purchased in bulk.

I also use the same design rod rest when used with my wood lathe for handle and drilling work:

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Pictures of the 3 bearing rod rest:

[www.rodbuilding.org]

To do this job, one needs a drill press and a drill press vise to hold the bar stock steady and square when drilling. Also, taps, drills and dies to thread the rod. I typically use 1/4 inch aluminum or steel for a base, 1/4 inch rod for the vertical bars, and 1/4 inch thick aluminum for the cross bar stock. Each rest takes some time and about $3 in materials. By using the two vertical bars, and solid locks on the cross bars, I typically turn the rod at 3600 rpm for grip shaping. If one wants to turn this fast, one needs to be able to move the rod rests into the correct position, so that the rest keeps the spinning rod from going into destructive vibration. If the rod rests are in the incorrect position, and a 3600 rpm motor is turned on, it only takes about 10 seconds to have a rod blow up. So, if you have a fixed speed motor, just jog the on and off switch to let the rod spin and as you do it, move the rod rests back and forth to the location of minimum oscillation to prevent harmonic vibration destroy the rod blank.

Good luck