I got this rod to rod jig idea off another site and thought it was pretty good. My jig is made of 1” aluminum angle (because that is what I had), the window is 2” long and the total length is 4” long. I had a couple of short SS 3/8” rods lying around and did not want to cut a larger piece down. I beveled the ends to be welded on the lathe, clamped them in the jig, welded them together and finished the rod off on the lathe.
Pic 1 &2 – Two pieces beveled and clamped in the jig (top and bottom view).
Pic 3 – Welded pieces after wire brushing.
Pic 4 – Finished rod, just a couple of pits I didn’t fill in.
It was a very easy to align the rods and the final produce spun pretty true in the lathe.