Sooner or later, most turners will need to make matching spindles of one sort or another. You can carry out that process manually with a story stick to guide the way, but a Lathe Duplicator such as Rockler’s Model 27130 can speed up the process and help ensure consistency from one spindle to the next.
The framework of Rockler’s duplicator mounts with star knobs to the lathe’s bed rails, so it can be attached “to almost every floor-model lathe,” Rockler says. A chromed tube guides the duplicator attachment. A control bar follows the workpiece to be duplicated and sets the cutting action, while a replaceable cutter shapes the blank. A handwheel on the duplicator feeds the duplicator left and right.
The apparatus, which fits lathes with 12- to 20-in. swings, will duplicate workpieces up to 39 in. long, depending on the lathe used; the maximum depth of cut is 2-3/8 in. One high-speed steel cutter is included. Rockler’s Lathe Duplicator is currently on sale for $289.99, a savings of $30 over the usual price.
