Lathes

I'm thinking about buying a simple wood lathe. I need to take boards (probably hickory or oak ) and turn it into 6' x 1" tapered dowels (actually bo staffs for martial arts kids) at the largest.

Suggestions? I've never even used a lathe so somebody educate me...

I am not sure if you are going to be able to find a wood lathe with a 6 foot bed. did a quick google search and saw mostly 4 to 5 ft beds.

I don't really do turning but hopefull someone with more experience can chime in.

You are going to run into trouble finding a lathe that runs to +4' for a couple of reasons. The power involved to spin a 6' blank is going to make for a massive lathe. Another problem is the length of the rest and flex. There are lathes made for turning fence posts and logs. If you look at industrial swing lathes you will see what I mean. Probably more than you would want or need. In the old days you would use a head powered by a tractor PTO on the power end, then a center spike in the nearest tree or wall at the other. Two or three guys with adzs worked the diamter down. Guess those guys had to really trust each other too!

For making staffs any length, the better approach would be make a bedframe with sides and an open top with the taper you want built into the bottom. Like a trough. Then use a router that is supported by the side rails and passes over the top of the workpiece. Each turn of the work and pass of the router cuts a small side the entire length of the taper. The more cuts the rounder you end up with. Finish with a good draw knife, sharp scraper, and sandpaper.

I made many sailboat mast, booms, and whisker poles using this method. Sounds like a lot of work but it really isn't bad once you setup the box and do it once or twice.

a 5' bed might work...

tallwalker: any idea how I make a bedframe? I can't picture what you're talking about... but would probably be a lot less expensive than a 5' lathe...

Sure, I am just talking about two parallel boards on edge side by side, only as far apart as the thickness of your staff (say 1 1/2" for a 1" staff let's say). The bottom of the those boards held together by a bottom board screwed through the sides angled at the taper you want. You end up with a trough or gutter looking open top box where the bottom piece is angled and holds the work at the angle of your taper. Router goes on top and you route the length of your staff. Turn work slightly and route again. Keep doing that until you have a round staff at the taper you want and smooth out the ridges. Scrapers you make and sharpen work best for that.

There are other options too depending what kind of tools you have access to. A 1" roundover bit in a shaper table will give you a quick 1" dowel with no taper (which could be done with a draw knife after). If you have a table saw, set the angle of taper you want and cut a many sided round from a square stock and finish smooth.

I was mainly dealing with spars that could be 20-30' long and 6-8" in diameter, so the box or bed frame was really the only easy way.