Author Topic: New old school mill for me (Read 823 times)

Downstream · « **on:** January 29, 2023, 10:50:48 PM »

I sold off my CNC router a few months ago because it was too much computer time and not enough woodworking time for me along with too glitchy. Sold it for about 95% of what I had in it so not bad as a learning project. Now I'm off on another adventure going old school with the purchase of a Legacy Ornamental Mill. XYZ axis router with 100% manual control. Company no longer makes them or really supports them so you are left finding used machines/part/fabricated spares. My primary use will be for carving walking sticks which has been a hobby of mine for years. Im just starting to learn the how everything works and have found a special group of owners much like the sawmill owners here. Here is a photo of the machine and my first couple of sticks.

Walnut Beast · « **Reply #1 on:** January 29, 2023, 11:09:00 PM »

Pretty neat 👍

beenthere · « **Reply #2 on:** January 30, 2023, 12:04:13 AM »

Looks like great fun.

How do you prepare your turning blanks? Wondering if you split them out to get the straightest grain?

Machinebuilder · « **Reply #3 on:** January 30, 2023, 09:19:38 AM »

That is a really interesting machine to me.

Google doesn't come up with any currently made equivalent.

Many years ago I was in the Smithsonian, the American history museum I think, and there was a demo of a treadle powered ornamental Lathe.

As I recall it had indexing heads and live tooling. A very complicated machine that could do most of what your machine can.

I am not real interested in a CNC machine, I had enough of that while earning a living.

barbender · « **Reply #4 on:** January 30, 2023, 09:42:35 AM »

Machinebuilder, that sounds like a really interesting machine👍

Don P · « **Reply #5 on:** January 30, 2023, 10:04:04 AM »

I just googled "ornamental lathe" hoping for a pic of one that was on the back cover of FWW years ago, a real beauty. However, clicking the view images tab on the search was fun too, lots of nice old lathes out there.

Downstream · « **Reply #6 on:** January 30, 2023, 11:56:23 PM »

That is what this is an ornamental lathe. The company that made them converted everything to cnc now so no longer supports them except for a few random parts that they may have left over. You are mostly finding parts machines or fabricating your own solutions. It is run by various sets of gears that vary the pitch and is cranked by hand on most. There are a few higher end machines that had drive motors on the long x-axis to eliminate long cranking. Everything is manually adjusted including the taper if you want to vs straight turning. You have to have a certain kind of mechanical ability to understand how it all works which is what I am learning right now, but most anything is possible if you can see how to do it in your mind. To me it feels more like hand carving, but your knife/chisel happens to be a router.

Don P · « **Reply #7 on:** January 31, 2023, 06:03:30 AM »

While I was looking for the pic I came across a good article with pics of some of the old ornamental lathes.
Ornamental Turning | Jon Sauer
Having a mechanical mind is an understatement, I could sit and watch you work for hours

maineshops · « **Reply #8 on:** February 02, 2023, 09:35:46 AM »

I built one several years ago. Found the plans on line I think. Lot of time consuming fun with it. I used the cnc I built to make the cams for it.no end to the patterns you can do with it. Dan.

Larry · « **Reply #9 on:** February 02, 2023, 11:17:20 AM »

Years ago I was in awe of that machine but couldn't afford it. About the same time Sears sold something called the Craftsman Router Crafter....I think it was a cheap and not as capable knock off of the Legacy. Couldn't afford that one either.

Fast forward, a few years ago I was given a new in box Craftsman Router Crafter. Its still new in the box and may remain that way. But you never know, I may get the urge.

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