Toolrests & Toolposts

Some lathe manufacturers don't seem to appreciate how important a good toolrest is. Many are either poorly cast or made from low grade steel and tend to be relatively soft. As a result , when a square tool, like a parting tool, is used it can dig into the rest creating notches, making it very difficult to produce a smooth flow along the rest.

The Modular Tool Rest System from Robert Sorby is designed to overcome such problems, allowing you to upgrade your lathe, or to obtain additioonal toolrests at a very moderate price.  The cross bars are made from hardened steel, greatly reducing scoring and marking by tool edges, enhancing the ease and enjoyment for the turner.

Selecting the parts you need could hardly be easier:-  first choose the stem, or toolpost (not to be confused with "ToolPost"), that fits your lathe - stems are available in 1/2",5/8",3/4",1",11/8", 25mm and 30mm diameter.  You may need to use a vernier or dial caliper, or even a micrometer, to measure your existing stem, unless you can find the size in the manufacturer's literature or instruction book.

Next, select the Crossbar, or toolrest, which suits your requirements. The two items, stem and crossbar, are simply screwed together to make a perfect toolrest. The stems all use the same screw fitting to mount the crosspiece with securing flats machined on the stem to ensure a perfect fit when screwed into the toolrest.  So, once you have the stem you can just keep on adding different crossbars - though for a small extra cost why not order a stem for each and have the luxury of being able to replace the complete toolrest assembly instead of screwing and unscrewing parts each time?

The Crossbars are available in three straight bar lengths of 4",6" and 9" together with a 9" 'S' bar for internal and a reverse 9" 'S' bar for external bowl turning.  Also available is a box scraper platform for easy access and extra stability when working into the bottom of boxes.