HF 34706 Tool rest busted question

[sasjzl]

Spinners,

I have an HF 34706 lathe that I know many of you are familiar with and I have a question about not the tool rest itself as I know that is easily replaceable at any good tool shop but the piece of cast iron that the tool rest relies on to attach it to the ways. The piece that is actually riding on the ways. Believe it or not I managed to crack that tonight rendering it useless. I will be at HF first thing in the morning getting a replacement off any 34706 that they have there in the store...which I just did for replacing the very poorly designed levers on the same tool rest... but I wanted to know if it is possible to replace that very important piece from another manufacturer...or maybe have a metal worker make one for me. The thing is cast iron, I think, but I managed to crack it right where the cross bolt goes in on the far side. I was turning a piece of white oak trying to get it round with this piece on the right side of the tail because there was no room for it in its normal place on the left, between the head and the tail.

I realize you get what you pay for and I have been happy otherwise with the lathe especially at the under $200 price I got it for.

Thanks very much,
Jim Lee

 

[Woodman2k]

Jim,
if that is a 12" lathe then any banjo off a delta or jet that matches the gap between the rails on your bed should work.I think also that Craft Supplies carrys those for different size lathes.Ebay has alot of Delta 12" banjo's also.
Greg

ps. That Chinese cast iron is something else!!

 

[Robert Arrowood]

Is it the bango or the swing arm? If it is the swing are I've heard bad reviews on those.Like Greg said the delta or jet should match.Good luck.

 

[sasjzl]

My better half and I were just speculating on how general a term "Cast Iron" is. I am getting the feeling that there are many different grades. I was really surprised when it gave up on me. I did have alot of leverage on it because it was pretty far extended but the catch was not a scary catch at all.
A fairly normal catch, for me, when rounding down a half log. How Lyle Jamieson does that so quick I do not know. Probably trick photography.

That is very good news that it sounds like Delta has similiarly sized ways.

Thanks very much,
Jim Lee

 

[boxxmaker]

As already said HF isn't the best quality metal.You just have to really be carefull with catches,like try and make sure the tools are sharp and the piece is pretty well balanced as that helps avoid catches.Glad you wern't hurt or anything.Good luck and be carefull.

 

[Mike Stanley]

If by chance this could make you feel any better: Once I broke my 16" One Way tool rest- not the banjo, just the end off the rest. One Way sent me another one. My point is, there are so many grades of cast these days, anything can happen. My lathe is a 2436 and I run some pretty heavy stuff on it and treat it rough more often than I’d like to admit. 250lbs. of wood on my lathe isn't unusual. Even so, and especially so with that much weight on the machine, we must understand the forces applied to one point can build up quickly beyond the strength of the cast iron, especially if there's a catch somewhere.
For my own safety, I won't use HF tools or equipment; it's just not worth the trip to the hospital to repair my body. Safety is a huge issue in our shop and I'd fire someone on the spot for a serious violation rather than run the risk of a huge law suit. I'd urge you to consider your long term desires and invest in something better than HF.

 

[mxracer]

Jim,

Post a pic, or send me one in PM so I can take a look at how hard it might be to make one for you.

Dan