There are times when I wished I had a cross-slide rest for my wood-lathe, for those special cuts where precise repeatability is wanted, such as cutting an identical, angular groove in several pieces (it is this feature that I need to be able to put "dish" into model wagon-wheels, for example). I've had the idea brewing for a while, to try to make up a slide-rest from some leftover phenolic-faced Baltic Birch, and finally decided to try it out:
This is the first experimental stage; looks somewhat promising, though rigidity is an issue. Currently, the slide is held by the center pivot only, so can be rotated to a suitable angle. I'm brainstorming on a second axis, which would make it more useful overall.
This is the first experimental stage; looks somewhat promising, though rigidity is an issue. Currently, the slide is held by the center pivot only, so can be rotated to a suitable angle. I'm brainstorming on a second axis, which would make it more useful overall.