Upgrade Cast Iron Tool Bar

[petebucy4638]

If your lathe came with a cast iron tool rest, and my Record Power lathe did, then you know how soft cast iron is. It really takes a beating from HSS tools that don't have rounded edges. D-Way tools has come up with a solution using JB Weld epoxy and a 3/8" round HSS bar, M4, in the case of the bars that D-Way sells.

I used rare earth magnets to align the 3/8" bar with the tool rest and attached the bar using JB Weld, according to the D-Way video. It was a simple task. The masking tape helps a lot.

 

[junquecol]

Can't seem to find a price, but 3/8" drill rod is a common stock item at industrial supply houses. Available as M-2, W-1 O-1, with prices from less than $15 for a 36" length to over $60, depending upon grade of steel, length, and vendor. Not a turner, so I don't have a dog in this fight.

 

[Mike Davis]

Using this train of thought I wonder how well a 36 inch wooden tool rest would work with a 1/2” hardened steel insert.

 

[mkepke]

Can't seem to find a price, but 3/8" drill rod is a common stock item at industrial supply houses. Available as M-2, W-1 O-1, with prices from less than $15 for a 36" length to over $60, depending upon grade of steel, length, and vendor. Not a turner, so I don't have a dog in this fight.

Be aware that most drill rod stock is sold unhardened. In its unhardened state it's harder than mild steel, but nothing like the hardened shank of a HSS turning tool.

(The stuff in the D-way video is specially mentioned as hardened drill rod.)

-Mark