Wadkin free standing tool rest question

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minilathe22

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So I picked up something I had been considering for a while - a free standing tool rest!

One thing I have noticed, is that many other ones have an extra horizontal slot cut into the casting, but this one does not, it only has a vertical slot. I wonder if anyone knows the purpose of the extra slot? It appears to lock nice and strongly, although I have not tried woodturning with it yet. I wonder if the extra slot gives a tighter grip round the top of the post?

I have painted it with red oxide, and then will probably go with Hammerite green, same as the lathe. See photos for the slot I am talking about.

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I'll check mine. Is the centre height ok with the grad? my wadkin feels a lot higher than my graduate (dont get backache from it!)
 
Thank you TFrench. A quick comparison shows that the height of the toolpost hole is about 1" higher than the graduate one, but as you say the graduates are low to begin with. I plan to raise the graduate on blocks by at least 2 inches to make it more comfortable to use, and then I can add a metal washer under the wadkin toolpost holder if it is then too low. The post going into the main casting has plenty of length to be lifted up slightly.

I also have the problem that the wadkin toolpost hole is 1 1/8" and all my graduate toolposts are 1". The closest flanged bushing I could find was 1" ID and 1 1/4" OD so I will have to turn it down until its a tight fit in the wadkin holder. Then drill a hole in the side for the pinch bolt to go through.

It concerns me the thickness of the cast iron being asked to flex when opening and closing the clamping bolt in the main casting! I have seen others for sale that have been repaired in this area, I wonder if it has a tendency to develop cracks over time.
 
I have quite a few of the sorby modular toolrests - it was cheaper than buying original graduate ones when I had it. I need to get some large round bar and thread the ends to suit so I can use them on the wadkin.
 
Yes it appears original Graduate parts are priced a bit above any non Graduate branded items. I collected mine over time when I found them more sensibly priced.

I fitted a nice brass collar and it now works with the 1" toolposts. I have noticed that even with the clamp bolt turned until its quite stiff, the post sometimes is easier to rotate than you would expect. I have put some grease on the bearing surface to try and improve this.

Did you manage to take a look at the top of your post regarding the extra slot TFrench? I have done more research online and cannot see any that are missing the additional slot like mine is.
 
TFrench":2iceiprp said:
I have quite a few of the sorby modular toolrests - it was cheaper than buying original graduate ones when I had it. I need to get some large round bar and thread the ends to suit so I can use them on the wadkin.

do you know what the thread is on the sorbys?
 
minilathe22":neomcgl8 said:
...It concerns me the thickness of the cast iron being asked to flex when opening and closing the clamping bolt in the main casting! I have seen others for sale that have been repaired in this area, I wonder if it has a tendency to develop cracks over time.
I don't know if cast iron work hardens, but I would suggest that clamping anything even fractionally undersize will cause the cast iron to break.

I don't have experience with the Wadkin tripod (my Wadkin RT woodlathe never came with one), but I have noticed that on old drill presses the cast iron tables are frequently found broken or repaired where they grip the post.

Cheers, Vann.
 
Cast iron isn't the most flexible material in the world but it seems to work well in this context. You see it all the time on spindle moulder power feeder arms and pretty much anywhere else where something is clamped to a cylinder such as like Vann said, a pillar drill table. But it also isn't uncommon to see broken castings, whether that's down to the material breaking down over time or the operator using a pipe to tighten the clamp is another thing though.
 
minilathe22":1wbhez22 said:
Did you manage to take a look at the top of your post regarding the extra slot TFrench? I have done more research online and cannot see any that are missing the additional slot like mine is.
Not had chance yet, its currently buried behind my spindle moulder and a pile of stuff I need to sell.

Marcros, I *think* its m12x1.25 - will check on that. I need to get a die for it as this thread has given me a kick up the backside to make some toolposts for the wadkin so I ordered some stock today.
 
You see it all the time on spindle moulder power feeder arms

Forgive my ignorance, but in this application is the clamp regularly loosened and tightened? I can imagine the base of a pillar drill is very rarely adjusted.

Some research online suggests ordinary cast iron does not work harden, which is useful as it won't get more brittle over time. So the only thing I need to worry about is overtightening it (especially with too small a shaft in place, or no shaft at all) as suggested by Vann. I am considering whether I have the nerve to cut a sideways slot to make it easier to clamp, but I suspect this is just to make the effort needed on the handle a bit less, and cutting it could release all sorts of built up stress in the material so may not be worth it.

I plan to add another washer behind the handle, so when its fully tightened the handle is below the top, at the moment the handle is above the top, so it can clash with the banjo part.

It is really heavy to move around, it needs two handles on the side, its such a strange shape to get a grip on!
 
minilathe22":37f6rag2 said:
You see it all the time on spindle moulder power feeder arms

Forgive my ignorance, but in this application is the clamp regularly loosened and tightened?

Ignorance forgiven :). On a very busy work day you can be adjusting height and depth of the power feed on the spindle moulder many, many times in a single day and they need to be quite tightly clamped so they don’t wander into the cutters :shock:
 
Vann":2rsfnbp3 said:
minilathe22":2rsfnbp3 said:
...It concerns me the thickness of the cast iron being asked to flex when opening and closing the clamping bolt in the main casting! I have seen others for sale that have been repaired in this area, I wonder if it has a tendency to develop cracks over time.
I don't know if cast iron work hardens, but I would suggest that clamping anything even fractionally undersize will cause the cast iron to break.

Cheers, Vann.

Cast iron doesn't really work harden, as it is so brittle that it breaks first. The reason for its brittleness is that (in the usual "grey' cast iron) the high carbon content precipitates as tiny flakes inside the iron. These have sharp edges and essentially act as hundreds of tiny cracks. And the surrounding metal is high carbon content which is hard but not very ductile anyway. So you are quite right to say that there is minimal clamping flexibility in cast iron; the shaft and hole sizes need to be closely matched. Unlike steel or aluminium.

Keith (the forum metallurgist)
 
Thank you Keith, very informative. I would love to know how old the toolpost is, but sadly it has no part numbers or anything. They started making the Wadkin lathes in the 1930s I believe, so it could be nearly 90 years old!
 
minilathe22":3gmtddbo said:
...I would love to know how old the toolpost is, but sadly it has no part numbers or anything. They started making the Wadkin lathes in the 1930s I believe, so it could be nearly 90 years old!
It's a Wadkin RS toolpost. There's an RS in a 1928 Wadkin cattledog on VintageMachinery. The last RS recorded in "Wadkin by Test Number" on the Canadian forum dates to 1972. So anywhere from 91 to 47 years old :!:

Cheers, Vann.
 
So anywhere from 91 to 47 years old :!:

Thanks Vann for your research/knowledge. Amazing that something can be potentially 90 years old and still useful for its original purpose! In another 90 years it will most likely not have rusted away with all the paint I have put on it inside and out!

After a coat of red oxide I have given it two coats of green Hammerite paint, and decided to sand and polish the handles instead of painting them.

Unfortunately as can be seen from the photo, the smaller lever when tightened sticks forward, clashing with the workpiece. I plan to drill a small hole in the end of the bolt, and press a small piece of brass into it. Then I can adjust the thickness of the brass until the handle tightens away from the workpiece instead. The larger handle tightens above the top, which I thought would be an issue, but actually if I use it with the larger handle pointing away from the workpiece its fine.

The height of the toolrest is about 1/2" above the centreline, so I need to raise the lathe by at least an inch or so before I can use it. With the Graduate I had to unbolt the left hand bed.

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minilathe22":1u9tbt6u said:
...Unfortunately as can be seen from the photo, the smaller lever when tightened sticks forward, clashing with the workpiece...
I was going to suggest trying a couple of washers of different thicknesses under the ball lever handle, until you find one that allows the handle to tighten out of harms way.

Cheers, Vann.
 
I was going to suggest trying a couple of washers of different thicknesses under the ball lever handle,

I am hoping this will work on the larger lever, but with the smaller one the lever is the male thread, so I need to change the length of the bolt to adjust the tightening position.
 
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