A different Lathe

This topic has 20 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 25 December 2025 at 23:18 by mark costello 1.

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24 December 2025 at 16:01 #829813
Robert Atkinson 2
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@robertatkinson2
So I was using a lathe in the kitchen and the domstic manager approved.
Now the house smells of hot ~~metal~~ apple pie

Happy holidays!

Robert.
Advert

24 December 2025 at 16:18 #829817
JasonB
Moderator
@jasonb
What tpi was that? 😉
24 December 2025 at 16:44 #829823
Speedy Builder5
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@speedybuilder5
What feed rate ?

Do you use an Apple Watch to calculate the feed?

Was it Granny Smith’s lathe or one of Corres?

No Name supplied
24 December 2025 at 16:53 #829826
Robert Atkinson 2
Participant
@robertatkinson2
4 TPI fixed feed
24 December 2025 at 18:08 #829845
V8Eng
Participant
@v8eng
Bit of a feed rate problem there perhaps you need a finer leadscrew.

Nothing a motor and Vfd on the main drive + stepper motor system driving the new leadscrew can’t fix.

Might need a powered cross slide as well.

Couple it all up to a cnc system and bobs your uncle. 🤐

Merry Christmas.
24 December 2025 at 18:35 #829848
JasonB
Moderator
@jasonb
On 24 December 2025 at 18:08 V8Eng Said:

Bit of a feed rate problem there perhaps you need a finer leadscrew.

Nothing a motor and Vfd on the main drive + stepper motor system driving the new leadscrew can’t fix.

Might need a powered cross slide as well.

Couple it all up to a cnc system and bobs your uncle. 🤐

Merry Christmas.

Just keep it away from the sink and all that water.

Looks like a partial form insert as it has not fully ~~formed~~ peeled the crests
24 December 2025 at 20:57 #829869
Speedy Builder5
Participant
@speedybuilder5
V8 – need some sort of feed back system with optical sensor which will follow the profile of the apple (Don’t forget that pears may be peeled as well).
24 December 2025 at 21:00 #829873
JA
Participant
@ja
Don’t you need CNC and a DRO?
24 December 2025 at 21:50 #829884
Nigel Graham 2
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@nigelgraham2
Well, you’d not want to use your Sunday Best lathe for this – fruit juice is a bit acidic.

Speedy- pears may need a profile-follower at the very least.
25 December 2025 at 08:11 #829911
Nealeb
Participant
@nealeb
I’m a bit concerned about the lack of limit switches, earth-bonding for static electricity protection, and proper guards for protection against flying chips. Whoops – wrong vegetable….

And where’s the data sheet giving peel strength figures when you want it?
25 December 2025 at 09:42 #829915
Nigel Bennett
Participant
@nigelbennett69913
These jokes are giving me the pip!

Loved the original post – it reminded me of the spoof article I did for April LeedsLines when I showed how they make baby carrots by turning down big ones. Great fun – but cleaning the lathe afterwards was a bit of a chore!
25 December 2025 at 10:03 #829916
duncan webster 1
Participant
@duncanwebster1
That actually looks quite well though out. The cutting tool appears to be pushed against the workpiece by a torsion spring, is there a roller hidden underneath to control depth of cut?
25 December 2025 at 10:33 #829924
Robert Atkinson 2
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@robertatkinson2
On 25 December 2025 at 08:11 Nealeb Said:

I’m a bit concerned about the lack of limit switches, earth-bonding for static electricity protection, and proper guards for protection against flying chips. Whoops – wrong vegetable….

And where’s the data sheet giving peel strength figures when you want it?

As it is hand powered it does not fall under the Machinery Directive…..
25 December 2025 at 10:51 #829927
Robert Atkinson 2
Participant
@robertatkinson2
On 25 December 2025 at 10:03 duncan webster 1 Said:

That actually looks quite well though out. The cutting tool appears to be pushed against the workpiece by a torsion spring, is there a roller hidden underneath to control depth of cut?

There is just a spring pressing the U shaped blade aganst the apple. It appears that the width of the blade is all that controls the depth of cut. While the picture makes it look like there is a thin strip of skin left on there actually isn’t it’s just a bit of pigmentation.
There is a seperate flat blade with a ring on the end that cores the apple and cuts it into a spiral but we prefer or apple pie with chunkier apple
It works really well.

Robert.
25 December 2025 at 11:00 #829930
Nigel Graham 2
Participant
@nigelgraham2
I wonder what our Ornamental-Turning brethren would come up with, for icing the cake?

A few years ago I made a square / centre-finder as a humorous Christmas present for a long-time friend. It plays on her habit of cutting slices of cake into small cubes, and hobby of horse-riding.

Made from a strip of thick stainless-steel sheet, fitted with two ‘Nylon’ centre-finding / edge-locating pins, it will allow accurate rectilinear slicing of rectangular cakes and tarts, and portioning-to-centre of circular ones.

It is is of course graduated, using the mill with its DRO, and an old centre-drill as improvised engraving cutter for the lines. The spacing and stamped digits are not in inches or mm. Instead in Hands and 1/8-Hand. (It’s just over 2H long.)

I tested it, using a pencil, on the base of a saucepan, and yes, indeed it is a reasonably accurate centre-finder!

I am not sure if I have a photo of it. Will have a look…

Whether she has used it, I have no idea!
25 December 2025 at 12:17 #829952
noel shelley
Participant
@noelshelley55608
Robert, is it served with cream or custard ? Very Good. Noel.
25 December 2025 at 12:47 #829958
duncan webster 1
Participant
@duncanwebster1
Cheese of course, preferably Wensleydale, but Caerphilly will do at a push. And before we get any comments about this being an American fad, they copied it off us Tykes.

Cheese also goes well with Xmas cake and mincd pies
25 December 2025 at 13:53 #829970
Robert Atkinson 2
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@robertatkinson2
On 25 December 2025 at 12:17 noel shelley Said:

Robert, is it served with cream or custard ? Very Good. Noel.

SWMBO is american so will have icecream I’ll be having custard.
25 December 2025 at 14:11 #829971
larry phelan 1
Participant
@larryphelan1
Glad to see it works well, not like some of the so-called peelers I bought !
25 December 2025 at 15:56 #829979
John MC
Participant
@johnmc39344
After yet another prolific year in the orchard we bought the electric version (get me!). Much to my surprise it works well. It would work even better if I could grow accurate apples!
25 December 2025 at 23:18 #830002
mark costello 1
Participant
@markcostello1
It needs Constant Surface Speed for optimum cuts. I would like to see an apple wind up a bit.
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