Turning Tips

[DuckSoup]

 After reading & following a lot of these turning post it still amazes me what you guys can do with a block of wood. There are ton of videos on the web and I could watch them for hours, & a lot of times I find myself doing just that.

 Having said that it still leaves a couple hundred questions in my head. I don't own a lathe but would like to move in that direction.

 

 As a newbie:

What type of lathe to buy, I"m sure there are plenty of choices, pros & cons?

How do you set up your tool to eliminate vibration?

Basic tools to start with.

Keeping tools sharp.

Types of wood, green, dry, walnut, maple oak? Woods to stay away from.

Treatment of wood before and after turning.

 

 I'm sure there will be more questions down the road but let's start here.

[lew]

Hi Bob!

As you have already realized, there are lots of opinions out there and more than one way to accomplish the same end result.

 

My 2¢-

Type of lathe will depend a lot on your budget and what you want to turn. Jet and Powermatic make really nice lathes. I bought a full sized lathe because I wasn't sure what I wanted to turn. It didn't have all of the fancy features that are available today. Doing it over, I'd definitely go for an electronic variable speed lathe.

 

Setting up the lathe with extra weights on the frame can reduce vibrations. More expensive lathes have heavy bases that will take care of some vibration. Again, it depends on what you are turning.

 

For me, I bought the standard set of lathe tools. I found that some of them were never used. Now, I purchase individual tools as needed for the type of turning. Bowls need one category, spindles a different set and hollow turning a third. I'd start with a spindle set of tools- roughing gouge, spindle gouge, parting tool and a skew. The newer carbide tools are excellent. Check out Easy Wood Tools- best on the market!

 

Sharpening- low speed bench grinder- like from Woodcraft is a great starting point.

 

Turning wood- just about anything. Hard woods turn/finish better than soft woods but just about any wood will work. Green woods turn "easier" than dried but they will warp and crack when drying unless you take special precautions. Green wood is usually free so you haven't invested a lot of $$ in case the turning doesn't come out the way you planned.

 

Wood treatment- green wood can be end grain sealed with latex paint to slow the drying/cracking process before turning. After turning the drying process can be slowed by "bagging" the turning. Dry wood- after turning just apply your favorite finish- no paint, please 

 

Remember our Wednesday's Wisdom For Woodturners, we'd like to feature your stuff when you get something done!

 

This is just a start and I'm hoping others will jump in with more information!!!

[Steve Krumanaker]

Lew has given you some good advice but it's nearly impossible to cover every aspect when someone is just starting out. Without knowing if you're even going to like turning I would recommend starting with a midi lathe like the Jet or Delta 12" swings. Another option would be to buy used. The old iron lathes (not Craftsman) are a good way to learn without spending a lot. A third option would be a used shopsmith, they are more than adequate for spindle turning and small bowls.

A quick search tells me you're about an hour from Akron OH. There is an AAW wood turning club there. I highly recommend visiting them on a their meeting day. It's impossible to overstate how beneficial a good turning club can be to a turner, new or experienced. FWIW, I drive just under an hour for our meetings. Been a member about 4 or 5 years and do not miss a meeting. I learn something new each and every time. Turners by nature seem to be a helpful lot. There may even be someone who  lives close to you attending the meetings. Many club members will invite a newbie into their shop to get a feel for what turning is all about.

 

Steve

[Gerald]

Lew and Steve gave you some good advise and like Lew said everyone has a different opinion.

 

For a Lathe I would suggest a Jet 12" and when you move on you can keep it for demos or sell it and get 2/3 of your money back. If you buy your accessories wisely you can use them on a larger lathe, for example a Super Nova 2 chuck will fit any lathe with the proper insert.

 

Tools buy better ones to start and not a set of which you only need 2 or 3 of the 6 you buy. Go for a 3/8 bowl gouge to start and a 3/8 spindle gouge. Crown tools are good or Sorby  , the best is Thompson (in my opionion) . By buying better tools you can sharpen less often (sharpen regularly while turning) and enjoy more.

 

Vibration as Lew said cam be dampened by weights. Also the lathe needs to be level and all 4 corners bolted tightly to a stand and all 4 feet on the floor (no wobble in the stand). You can build the weight into the stand with heavy lumber or metal and add a box accross the bottom filled with sand.

 

I would suggest asking again on drying your turnings after you get the lathe. Remember if in doubt ask before you turn.

[HandyDan]

Bob, you are about ten minutes away from me you are welcome to come over here and try out some lathes that I have.  I have a back yard full of firewood/practice wood.  Just say when.

[Grandpadave52]

49 minutes ago, HandyDan said:

Bob, you are about ten minutes away from me you are welcome to come over here and try out some lathes that I have.  I have a back yard full of firewood/practice wood.  Just say when.

I don't "spin" wood and likely will never get a round tuit...however

Everyone above gave helpful insight, advice and speaking from personal experiences and in no way do I mean to discount their help and wisdom...

What makes this site so great and sets it apart from all others is HandyDan's response & offer...no doubt all others would do the same too if closer.

 

Since @DuckSoup is this close Dan, surely he will bring coffee & doughnuts to the wood spinning class.  Of course we want pictures of the party! 

[DuckSoup]

3 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

What makes this site so great and sets it apart from all others is HandyDan's response & offer...no doubt all others would do the same too if closer.

  This is the exact reason for this thread. Myself & others who are interested in this area of woodworking being able to pick the brains of some of the best. 

[John Hechel]

my experience with turning is don't buy cheap. Instead search the classifieds for used tools. as an example I wore/ground my sorby roughing gouge down. not having $100 to drop on a new one I bought a wood river brand instead. I hate it. it doesn't seem to cut as good and needs frequent sharpening.

[RustyFN]

I don't have a lot of experience but if you are going to make bowls you will want one large enough. This is my experience. I have a Jet 1015. It will make something 10 inches round and 15 inches long. That was fine when I was just making pens. Now I would like to make bowls and it too small. I have been doing some research the last two months and if I was to buy a new lathe it would be big enough to make a 16 inch bowl and it would be variable speed. A true variable speed not a 10 speed reeds drive.

Edited December 29, 2016 by RustyFN