When I bought my lathe, one of the features I liked is the ability to swivel the headstock to turn larger pieces. There's an optional outrigger that allows up to 29" of swing. I was sure I'd learn the basics of turning and be turning giant decorative pieces within a few weeks. Of course, a year later and my largest piece so far is the 9.5" walnut bowl in my other thread. The outrigger has been folded back collecting shavings all this time.
Until now. It turns out that outrigger + spare toolrest post + scrap wood = handy swivel chisel rack.
The two peg strips are laser-cut to size and with holes for the joining dowels. They screw in so they are easily replaceable if I want to adjust the spacing or break the pegs. The strip in the back is also laser-cut and replaceable which is good because the handle on one of my chisels is so long that the ferrule sits at that height.
There's a bin at the bottom which currently holds my depth finder, some chuck templates and a small chisel but it is sized to hold spray cans during finishing. A roll of paper towels can be seen peeking out on the left in a holder attached to the underside of the rack. The whole thing swivels on the toolrest post so it's easy to fold it to the side of the lathe when not in use.
Now that I've used it for a couple of weeks I'm extremely happy with the design. It gets the chisels off that little shelf you can see sticking out from under the ways. That shelf has a tendency to fill with shavings and only holds a couple of tools. I have knocked a chisel from that shelf on a couple of occasions, ruining a carbide cutter in one case. The new rack solves all of those problems. I just wish I'd done this sooner.
Of course, this also means I now have a strong disincentive to turn anything larger than 16" because I would have to - shudder - go back to putting my chisels the shelf.
Until now. It turns out that outrigger + spare toolrest post + scrap wood = handy swivel chisel rack.
The two peg strips are laser-cut to size and with holes for the joining dowels. They screw in so they are easily replaceable if I want to adjust the spacing or break the pegs. The strip in the back is also laser-cut and replaceable which is good because the handle on one of my chisels is so long that the ferrule sits at that height.
There's a bin at the bottom which currently holds my depth finder, some chuck templates and a small chisel but it is sized to hold spray cans during finishing. A roll of paper towels can be seen peeking out on the left in a holder attached to the underside of the rack. The whole thing swivels on the toolrest post so it's easy to fold it to the side of the lathe when not in use.
Now that I've used it for a couple of weeks I'm extremely happy with the design. It gets the chisels off that little shelf you can see sticking out from under the ways. That shelf has a tendency to fill with shavings and only holds a couple of tools. I have knocked a chisel from that shelf on a couple of occasions, ruining a carbide cutter in one case. The new rack solves all of those problems. I just wish I'd done this sooner.
Of course, this also means I now have a strong disincentive to turn anything larger than 16" because I would have to - shudder - go back to putting my chisels the shelf.
