To bore holes through lamp bases and similar turned items, I made an auxiliary tailstock to hold the work so I could pass a long drill bit through the regular tailstock. The key feature of this special tailstock is the bearing from a bicycle crank hanger. This bearing has a 1-in. bore, so I turn a 1-in. tenon on the end of my lamps to fit it. The rest of the device consists of a 1/4-in. thick aluminum-plate upright, a short section of a 1-in. angle-iron base to span the lathe ways, and a wooden dog, which tightens under the ways to lock the unit in place. To keep wood chips out of the bearing, I turned a cover for the bearing that also holds the bearing in the upright.

In use, the ram from the tailstock is removed and the drill bit is passed through the tailstock into the lamp, which is supported in the auxiliary tailstock.

Ralph Luman, Virginia Beach, Va.

Fine Woodworking Magazine, December 1982 No. 37

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