I know a turner that made something like that except he used a laminate router with router bits and pipe clamps to hold the tool the fixture. I thought it was pretty ingenious.

Anyone else noticed how smooth that spindle is? I'd bet dollars to donuts that is not the way it looks after that grinder finishes chomping away. Makes me wonder.

Ron Sardo wrote on Jun 28^th, 2020 at 7:05am:


That spindle is in the realm of pool cue thickness, I know they don't use a cutter like that to make cue sticks or chair stretchers. Vibration alone would tell you to turn the grinder 90 degrees one way or the other.

Grant Wilkinson wrote on Jun 28^th, 2020 at 7:55am:


Agreed 

I built a crude fluting jig using a router about eight years ago.
I did not however use any plastic zip ties to hold the router to the carriage. Mine is also mounted using T-track, which limits (eliminates) it's ability to lift off or tip over.
Mine is more like Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

If you do an internet search for DIY or Home made lathe duplicator, you will find plenty that use a fixed cutter, plenty that use a router of some kind and far too many that use an angle grinder in the manner shown above.

His conclusion
"I've had mixed results with this method of lathe duplication, but overall I am satisfied and still use this device. My expectations were high. I hoped to duplicate intricate turning details, but found this technique produced chip-out on details such as a quarter rounds, beads and v-grooves. It should be noted at this point in time, the only species of wood I've used thus far has been hickory/pecan which is notorious for chip-out. I hope to get better results with hard maple, but my expectations are much lower now. Avoiding chip-out required a modification to the templates with epoxy glue to fill in the areas of vulnerable pattern details."

If he used more teeth, he would have less chip out.

Well Ralph, I won't go as far as you just did but I did notice in one of the photos, there is a sign that reads retired hanging over the door.
My gut reaction was, not retired from anything involving tool use.

My opinion, small rant
I really can't ever see myself having that much time on my hands to waste. Just buy a Bleeping duplicator, you'll be better off.

This is yet another another example of an all to familiar story.
You all know the guy who "made it himself", didn't cast much at all. . I made it all from scraps lying around"
6 hours of wasted time (work  ), two trips to the hardware store, 3 beers, a band-aide a bent screwdriver, 1/2 role of duct tape, 13 zip ties, a broken drill bit, 3 stripped screws, 1/2 a sheet of plywood (that was for some thing else), angry spouse but "Look what I made"
Absolute nonsense, all to end up with a pile of parts that doesn't perform very well.

I don't know how much this all cost him but his list of parts/hardware is extensive and would most likely be close to the cost of a retail system or simply buying the spindles.

If you want to do a project like this, look at how the professionals do it first, there is no need to re-invent the wheel, poorly.

As Dirty Harry once said "A man's got to know his limitations"

If he used Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or , the potential safety hazard would be less and the finish prior to sanding better. Even better if he rotated the grinder.

A couple of closing comments.
It is scary, though not surprising how many of these types of procedures are posted on the internet. Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or
The only reason I posted the above video is that the majority of the comments made me feel a little better, I'm not "completely" insane.

BTW, most common 4.5" angle grinders run at about 11,000 rpm, they were designed for grinding metal and removing material at high speed and should usually be held using two hands.

Apparently I did need to write that