[TheForge] eliptical rings on a cone mandrel?

[xlch58 at swbell.net]

Bruce Freeman wrote:
> Dave,
> Of course, I was pulling your leg.
> As someone else pointed out, however, an elliptical cone WOULD have a
> circular cross-section at one specific angle.  Accordingly, the use of a
> lathe to turn one might be feasible.  But it would probably take some
> sort of non-standard attachment or other to do it easily.
> Bruce
> NJ
Actually, there have been lathes capable of turning ellipses for some 
time, the truly incredible Holtzapffel being the premier, although it 
capabilities go far beyond ovals and ellipses.  A google search will 
turn up some incredible stuff made on them.   I would expect the 
Holtzapffel would appeal to you as it is has even more moving parts than 
a grasshopper.  One went up for sale on ebay this year.  I saved all of 
the images.  I think it went for north of a hundred thousand.

General information on oval turning lathes in general:

http://archiv.tu-chemnitz.de/pub/2006/0183/data/Ovalturning2A.pdf

Charles