Here is my gizmo to make my PM 3520B lathe go slow slow slow

It's an old salvage gear-motor and a little shaft I made that slips over the gear-motor's shaft with a couple of grooves cut in it that accept sewing machine bobbin drive rubbers

 

Neat idea, Cliff!

 

Aside from applying finish, what other cool applications have you come up with??

 

 

Aside from applying finish, what other cool applications have you come up with??

 

Self hypnosis, Sanding, you are getting sleeeepy

For sanding, are you using a sanding disk/ball on a power drill while the work piece rotates?? Also, can you reverse the gear drive rotation?

Not reversible unless I move the motor or use the VFD on the lathe.

Sanding is powered VIA a pneumatic drill with these little PSA 3" discs of various grits.

The dayton  gear motor and rubber dubbers driving the hand well provide a surprising amount of torque: enough to let me lean  pretty hard while sanding.

 

Nice thing about going  really slow is that when I get to the interrupted edge of a live edge or other interrupted surface I am not bounced all over the place.

 

Man that works like a charm!!

 

You must a have a really nice air compressor, too!

it's just a cheap campbell hausfield  air drill I got at an auto parts store maybe 20 years ago. At first I was using a Milwaukee (USA made)  electric drill.  I put it down and when I picked up a day later it made a huge puff of sawdust fines when I turned it on.

That was the last time I used a drill for that.  The silica in the fines can't be good for any part of the drill.  The air tool was in my mechanic's tool kit and I prefer it now because it doesn't suck up dust fines.   It blows air out.

Wow, that is really inspiring Cliff, beside the actual slow speed attachment, what type of wood is that bowl made from and how are you coming along with turning in general, seems like you are moving light speed with this turning stuff!