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How much does it cost to build a rim lathe?
A basic rim lathe can cost between $900 and $1500 to build and equip. This is necessarily a failrly wide range because final cost will depend a lot upon how much you can do yourself and how much you must pay others to do for you. A tooling set can be made for as little as $50 if you have access to a machine tools and a metal supplier who sells odd lots of aluminum.
Dan Pennington has engineered a way to add cross slides to an existing standard lathe and lathe bed. Click here for a description. This strategy is A LOT less expensive and the modifications to your lathe are reversible any time you want to go back to a standard configuration.
I can't afford a lathe, do you have any other solutions?
Yes. I made my first rims with a horizonally mounted router. I have a huge backlog of projects, but I hope some day to detail a practical solution to this problem that almost anyone can afford. The basic idea is detailed in one of the articles. Click here to see the article.
Where do I buy the components for the lathe?
Most components can be bought from well-known suppliers such as Enco and Grizzly. Please refer to the list of suppliers. In many cases you will find links to products and supply companies in the list.
Are there any instructional materials for making rims?
Hickler Banjo publishes a series of instructional DVDs on the rim lathe and other aspects of banjo making.
What are the different tonal characteristics of wood species for use in tonerings?
I started to write an answer, but it turned into an article. Click here to read it. I also have announced upcoming tests. Click here to read a description of the testing method.
Why do you use different contours on your exotic wood tonerings?
When I want more mass in a tonering, I usually cut a flat recess and leave a bead at the outer edge. When I want to reduce the mass, I make a sloping contour. Generally I like to use the sloping contour on thinner rims, especially 1/2" thick rims. For rims 5/8" and above in thickness, I like the more massive approach. I will soon be conducting tests of tonering contours. Click here for the announcement.
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