Step 4:
Beginning to shape the piece. Altogether some 10-12 carts of shavings were removed from this piece.
After the outside shape was established, I turned the lathe around 180 degrees to make room for my 8’ boring bars, and started hollowing a 4” diameter hole down the center. At some point I had a small catch and all of a sudden the spindle nose broke off, dropping the piece down onto the bed of the lathe. I have never had this happen before, but it was an old lathe and undoubtedly metal fatigue had a factor in the spindle breaking.