RIKON Power Tools 70-300 - Manual (Page 10)

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1. With a ruler locate and mark the center on each end by going corner to corner, see Figure 10.
Accuracy is not critical on full rounds but extremely important on stock where square sections are to
remain. Put a dimple in each end of the stock with an awl, or nail.
2. Extremely hard woods may require kerfs cut into the spur drive end of stock, see Figure 10. You
may need to drive the spur center into the stock with a wood mallet. Note: Never drive stock onto
spur
while it is mounted in the lathe spindle.
3. Install workpiece by inserting the attached spur center into the spindle taper on the headstock.
4. Bring tailstock into position, lock it to the bed, and advance quill with the handwheel in order to seat
the live center into the workpiece. Lock the quill in place. Make sure the live center point is centered
on your mark.
5. Move tool rest into position. It should be parallel to workpiece, approximately at the centerline, and
approximately 1/8" from the closest part of the workpiece. Lock tool rest body and tool rest in place.
6. Rotate workpiece by hand to check for proper clearance from tool rest. Note: You may want to trim
off the corners of a square workpiece to make turning a little easier, see Figure 11.
7. Start lathe at lowest speed and bring it up to the appropriate RPM for the size of stock, see Figure
4 page 8.
The position of the tool rest can be varied to suit the work and operator. After you become experi-
enced with setting the tool rest changing the position will become second nature for the workpiece
and comfort of the user.
Stock Selection
Stock for spindles should be straight grained and free of checks, cracks, knots and other defects. It
should be cut 1/8" to 1/4" larger than the finished diameter and may require additional length to re-
move ends if required. Larger stock should have the corners removed to produce an octagon making
the piece easier to rough down to a cylinder, see Figure 14.
Fig. 11 Fig. 12