I’m intending to build as much from wood as I can.
I’m looking to source some hardwood for the bed of the cue lathe and other parts that I intend to fashion. Do we have a discussion area for material requests?
I don’t know that much about wood species, but I’m guessing in our neck of the woods that some stable rock hard maple would do? If you can suggest anything stable, hard, and dense, I’m open to ideas.
I’m looking for
One slab for the bed of the cue lathe. The cues are 57.5 standard, so a slab at least 60" in length, 12 inches wide, and I guess 2 inches thick? Or maybe it’s better to layer smaller lengths to induce more stability?
I suppose I can go to the local lumber yard, and source it but if there is anyone dispensing wood (or wood tools for that matter), I would appreciate that a lot.
If you’re set on wood there’s a guy with a couple big piles of slabs of various species over at the space we rent (Makerlabs Industries). If you want I can PM you his number. There’s 2 other options worth considering:
If stiffness is critical, reinforced concrete is a solid choice. A bit of rebar and 300lb of high-strength concrete mix should set you back about $100. You can make the forms out of plywood or MDF either by hand or with the Shopbot at Makerlabs. There are a lot of well-documented concrete lathe builds out there for reference.
A third (and my favorite) option would be to just make it out of steel square tube like those cheap chinese wood lathes. 96" of 2.5"x2.5"x.187" square tube will set you back $103+tax at metal supermarket, less if you head to ABC metals in surrey. VHS has a MIG welder that is more than capable of welding 1/4" steel.